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Confirmed: Amazon Has Purchased Twitch

Previous rumors had pegged Google as Twitch's new home, but apparently that's not to be.

No Caption Provided

UPDATE: The reports were true. Amazon is buying Twitch for roughly $970 million. The deal is expected to close in the second half of 2014.

“Broadcasting and watching gameplay is a global phenomenon and Twitch has built a platform that brings together tens of millions of people who watch billions of minutes of games each month--from The International, to breaking the world record for Mario, to gaming conferences like E3. And, amazingly, Twitch is only three years old,” said Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos in a press release. “Like Twitch, we obsess over customers and like to think differently, and we look forward to learning from them and helping them move even faster to build new services for the gaming community.”

Twitch CEO Emmett Shear published a statement as the news went live:

"Dear Twitch Community, It’s almost unbelievable that slightly more than 3 years ago, Twitch didn’t exist. The moment we launched, we knew we had stumbled across something special. But what followed surprised us as much as anyone else, and the impact it’s had on both the community and us has been truly profound. Your talent, your passion, your dedication to gaming, your memes, your brilliance - these have made Twitch what it is today. Every day, we strive to live up to the standard set by you, the community. We want to create the very best place to share your gaming and life online, and that mission continues to guide us. Together with you, we’ve found new ways of connecting developers and publishers with their fans. We’ve created a whole new kind of career that lets people make a living sharing their love of games. We’ve brought billions of hours of entertainment, laughter, joy and the occasional ragequit. I think we can all call that a pretty good start. Today, I’m pleased to announce we’ve been acquired by Amazon. We chose Amazon because they believe in our community, they share our values and long-term vision, and they want to help us get there faster. We’re keeping most everything the same: our office, our employees, our brand, and most importantly our independence. But with Amazon’s support we’ll have the resources to bring you an even better Twitch. I personally want to thank you, each and every member of the Twitch community, for what you’ve created. Thank you for putting your faith in us. Thank you for sticking with us through growing pains and stumbles. Thank you for bringing your very best to us and sharing it with the world. Thank you, from a group of gamers who never dreamed they’d get to help shape the face of the industry that we love so much. It’s dangerous to go alone. On behalf of myself and everyone else at Twitch, thank you for coming with us."

--

It seems inevitable that Twitch is getting sold. The first reports suggested Google would pick up the popular streaming service, but both The Wall Street Journal and The Information (both outlets require a subscription) are reporting it's actually Amazon.

(This certainly makes Venture Beat's headline about Google from weeks back seem a bit silly. Confirmed!)

According to the WSJ, negotiations between Google and Twitch "cooled" in the last few weeks. It's also possible the Amazon buyout could be announced later today, assuming everything goes as planned.

So, what say you? Is Amazon a better or worse home for Twitch?

Patrick Klepek on Google+

164 Comments

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gaggle64

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But what does this mean for Fish Plays Pokemon?

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nofzac

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Finally I'll be able to watch twich on my TV thru the Prime app (hopefully). My biggest gripe was having to hook up my laptop during TI4. #firstworldproblems

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Shindig

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I don't think they can hide streams behind a pay wall, even if its reasonably priced or a tiny wall like Hardian's Wall. Not unless they start providing their own premium content. Maybe they could use twitch as a way to stream TV or movies.

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thefozz26

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Twitch Prime including exclusive streaming content, £14.99 a month, say goodbye to free streams of the International, etc.... this is the future i guarantee it.

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ajamafalous

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I'm more optimistic for Amazon than Google, but if they don't fix the stream delay and the archives then the site is still dead to me.

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Zirilius

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BigD145

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Edited By BigD145

@forteexe21 said:

Depends if Amazon will fix twitch lag and the archive.

Amazon will just slap a huge ad for their music download service AND mute the stream in its entirety.

I expect even slower speeds and longer lag if you don't have Amazon Prime.

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Shindig

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I'm going to get laughed off the street when I'm old and grey and telling the children of how I remember amazon being a bookstore.

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flasaltine

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According to the Warrior Social Justice? Oh... Wall Street Journal.

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charlie_victor_bravo

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Color me surprised. This is way more interesting than Google rumor.

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Hunter5024

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I prefer this to Google.

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Decaped

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I wonder what part of Amazon is overseeing Twitch then, because I've heard good things about their indie studio/video game publishing division.

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GERALTITUDE

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@cmblasko said:

"It’s dangerous to go alone."

... was that a Legend of Zelda reference?

Me thinks yes!

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Amikron

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@jjor64 said:

At least Google+ wont ruin Twitch now. Hopefully Twitch will get some nice features now with Amazon behind them.

Yeah it is so great that Amazon will be "ruining" Twitch instead of Google. The best you can hope for is during the 30 minute mutes on VODs that they'll have a link to buy something. Hell, even that is probably asking for a bit much.

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reckreckreck

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I'm hoping for some sort of perks based on amazon prime, presuming that Amazon works some of their systems into Twitch directly.

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hmoney001

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Prime + Turbo = do it amazon.

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cmblasko

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"It’s dangerous to go alone."

... was that a Legend of Zelda reference?

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darkest4

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Edited By darkest4

Amazon is one of the few big corporations I trust (mostly). They haven't wronged me, not once over the years I've been using their store a lot, and their service is great. I don't think they'll ruin Twitch, I think Google was more likely to do that.

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JJOR64

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Edited By JJOR64

At least Google+ wont ruin Twitch now. Hopefully Twitch will get some nice features now with Amazon behind them.

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InternetDotCom

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$970 million? Rusty really can't help being talked down to a bargain.

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KaneRobot

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I really doubt they'll be changing the 30-minutes-of-muting policy, so I really don't care who buys it. More interested to see if Hitbox or another alternative steps up in the next year or two.

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bassman2112

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Edited By bassman2112
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Bones8677

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I would much rather Amazon buy Twitch than Google. While Google made more sense, I generally trust Amazon much more.

However, they have screwed up with their acquisitions in the past. They bought Comixology a while back and took away the ability to purchase comics on the iPad. Instead now I have to go to a separate site on my computer, completely missing the point of the fast and portable functionality of an e-reader.

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MariachiMacabre

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I think GiantBomb will soon replace Kotaku as my source for breaking rumors! You won't believe what happened next!

So, when does a rumor become more than "Kotaku-level"? Because this is being reported by, as Patrick said, The Wall Street Journal. I'm genuinely curious since you seem so adamant on accusing Patrick of click bait for this piece.

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TheManWithNoPlan

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Edited By TheManWithNoPlan

I'm at least more positive toward the prospect of Amazon buying twitch over Google.

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bacongames

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Edited By bacongames

Sure, that makes sense. The few companies who could benefit from Twitch and in turn allow Twitch to grow are the ones which have extensive server and/or content delivery infrastructure. Amazon not only has both but as part of that has a vested interested in becoming a competitor in the streaming market.

I'd say it's a better home for Twitch because Amazon has more to gain and lose with Twitch than Google.

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langdonx

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@langdonx: Though, does YouTube support livestreams over its myriad of apps?

Good point, I'm not sure... it's just a channel though, https://www.youtube.com/channel/SBAaOjE-GIlRI, which is really weird.

I'm also speaking strictly from a viewer standpoint, I don't know how hard it is to hook up to.

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iamjohn

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Edited By iamjohn

I trust Bezos a little more than Google, but not that much more.

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Samaritan

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@langdonx: Huh! That's actually pretty awesome. It has been awhile since I last checked, so consider me corrected! Though, does YouTube support livestreams over its myriad of apps?

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hott8bitaction

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Edited By hott8bitaction

Definitely a what the fuck moment if I have ever seen one.

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EXTomar

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Youtube's streaming isn't "subpar" but "open". Making Youtube Streaming more friendly to gamers means it hoses other streamers would have issues.

That said, competition would do them a world of good where making a suite of tools to help make streaming easier if you are a sports caster or a video game caster.

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Benmo316

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@slowram: I didn't even think about that possibility. That'd be great!

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SLowrAM

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Hope Amazon Prime members get ad free twitch.

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langdonx

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YouTube's streaming capabilities are subpar

I don't know when you last checked, but YouTube's streaming is totally legit. I watched some streams during Google IO this year (back in June) and it was as perfect as I could imagine. I don't know what the latency from broadcast was (a problem with Twitch), but the fact that you could rewind and watch any part of the stream instantly blew me away. It's really lame that Twitch, a supposed leader in online streaming, can't yet do this.

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Crono

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Edited By Crono
@arrested_developer said:

As an Amazon employee I feel this is for the best

*watches employee stock prices rise*

*strokes cat in lap*

*Invests in call options for Amazon stock*

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Arrested_Developer

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As an Amazon employee I feel this is for the best

*watches employee stock prices rise*

*strokes cat in lap*

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Aviar

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Edited By Aviar

I'm not to sure anyone would of even guessed this. With the way Twitch has been cleaning house, it really seemed like it was mimicking how YouTube runs the shop. But I think Amazon could be a good fit for this. Amazon has been slowly seeping it's way into other aspects of the market and online game streaming seems like a pretty good addition to their pie.

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Player1

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@mrmazz: I am no expert myself, but I would guess that video ad revenue has a lot to do with potential profits as opposed to referral links.

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chrisphil1724

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Coming soon to Twitch: "Twitch Prime" Amazon will send a drone to your home to record your gameplay and live stream it to Twitch! $14.95 a month.

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PXAbstraction

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I'd rather Amazon end up with Twitch than Google, if for no other reason than to stop the creation of a full-blown monopoly over both streaming and on-demand video but I hope Amazon can do something to fix Twitch. The delay, the lag, the horrible UI, the constant bugs, the useless support for anyone who isn't a big partner (a problem YouTube also has), these are all major problem that other sites like Hitbox have already solved but which Twitch lets slide because they're basically the only game in town if you want any viewers. This has got to change.

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T_wester

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I would rather have youtube and twitch competing, instead of forming an almost monopoly of "video stuff".

So good news / rumor.

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ripelivejam

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So one monopolistic corp for another, eh?

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EXTomar

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This is probably legitimate because Amazon probably sees Twitch as the perfect way to advertise buying physical and digital games.

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President_Barackbar

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As much as I would rather have Amazon own Twitch, I think anyone who thinks the acquisition would mean a reversal or revision of their new streaming and VOD policies is kidding themselves since Twitch did that independently of anyone else.

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Pop

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Waiting to see what happens. I have no idea if this is good or bad. I don't like change that much, if they leave the main thing (stream for free, views streams for free) I'm okay with it.

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sub_o

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Little did they know that it's actually Taco Bell who's going to buy Twitch. Imagine the world's leading video platform for gamers merged with world's best cuisine company.

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Springfart

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hopefully they won't destroy the site with copyright bullshit like google would've

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Lukeweizer

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As long as I don't have to sign into Google+ for Twitch, I'm happy.