It was only one year ago that, following its acquisition of Beam, Microsoft renamed the streaming service to Mixer, introducing some new features along with the new name. Today, the streaming service is celebrating the anniversary and all the landmarks achieved in that time with the video above.
In a blog post, Mixer shares some stats about the current state of the platform, thanking its users:
Because of YOU, Mixer surpassed more than 10M monthly active users last December and has continued to grow beyond expectations ever since. Because of YOU, the Mixer viewing audience has grown more than 4X and watched streams have grown more than 5X since launch.
Microsoft also shared a slew of new features and updates coming to the service in the future, starting with a new design for the Mixer website. The new design elements will be gradually rolling out to Mixer Pro users over the coming weeks, and all Mixer users will see them in "early summer". Mixer says that the refreshed design makes it "easier to find streamers playing the games you love or broadcasting in the creative communities that you care about the most.".
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To start seeing the first redesigned elements, you"ll need to go to your Account Settings and select the Site Version dialog at the bottom of the page to choose the Anniversary Design.
The website isn"t the only one being updated, as the Mixer Create app will soon make it easier to start and manage co-streams, allowing players to invite and remove members, as well as re-arrange the layout of the stream.
The service is also introducing MixPlay, which Microsoft trademarked back in March. MixPlay will allow streamers to create interactive experiences directly on the video canvas, with floating overlays, side panels and more.
Instead of just adding buttons below the stream, developers can now create MixPlay experiences on top of streams, in panels on the side of video, as widgets around video or as free-floating overlays, all while completely matching the look and feel of their games or streamed content. The entire video window is now the developer’s canvas, and all that’s needed is familiarity with standard web technology like HTML and JavaScript.
Two new MixPlay exclusive games are also being introduced, though the company says these are just examples: Mixer Mini Golf and Truck Stars, in which viewers will be able to jump in and compete against each other right on the web browser. Additionally, three new games are launching with support for MixPlay experiences: Earthfall, Next Up Hero, and Late Shift.
MixPlay also makes it possible to add information to the stream directly on the video canvas. To demonstrate this, the SMITE Pro League streams will include a stats dashboard starting next week, thanks to a partnership between Mixer and Hi-Rez Studios.
HypeZone is also welcoming a new title, and that"s Rainbow Six Siege. This marks the first time the company creates a HypeZone channel for a non-battle royale game, and you can check it out here.
There is also good news for fans of the Direct Purchase service introduced earlier this year. For a limited time, viewers who make a purchase worth $9.99 or higher will receive $5 of Microsoft Store credit, which can be used on Windows 10, Xbox One and Xbox 360. Mixer Partners will also benefit from this promotional campaign, as they will receive 10% of the value of Direct Purchases made by viewers during this period.
Lastly, the company is offering its users a one-month channel subscription and up to 90 days of Mixer Pro. To be eligible for the offer, users will have to sign in at least once between May 24 and May 28 and reach level 10 by the end of that period. More information can be found here.
Source: Mixer via Windows Central