The guest star, a handful of streamers that will be tested this summer ahead of its official fall launch, will allow streamers to seamlessly pull guests away from their audience and give them a full voice and video on their broadcasts. Celebrities will be able to plug the feature into programs they already use like Open Broadcaster Software (OBS), and the windows it creates can be integrated with custom overlays and branding.
Streamers are currently achieving a similar effect using third-party services like the chat app Discord, but Twitch’s goal is to reduce friction and give broadcasters the ability ability to check leads by seeing how long someone’s Twitch account has been around, if they’ve verified their account. with their phone and overall account status.
“When talking to creators, some of them tell us they shy away from work [talk show-like content] because they’re worried about putting something or someone on stream that isn’t right for their community,” Jeremy Forrester, Twitch’s Product Manager told The Washington Post. “This is why we are building features to make it easier for guests to pre-screen or screen before they go live.”
In the past, Twitch has launched features that make it easier to watch streamers play games together, but this is the first time Just Chatting has taken center stage. Twitch officially launched this category – originally for live streamers to relax and chat with viewers – in 2018. But in the years since, it has grown into a myriad archives. non-roaming activities including regular chat programs, controversial trend and IRL . competitions that wouldn’t feel out of place on television (nor live). In recent times, Just Chatting has proven to be almost unshakable as the top category on a one-time videogame-only platform, with Twitch noting that as of 2020, hours watched in the category This is up 151%, and Just Chat creators’ revenue has grown 169%.
Twitch’s decision to create and launch Guest Stars is an acknowledgment of this trend.
“Chat-only streams are different from video game streams, and they rely more on engaging and engaging with the community,” Forrester said. “For this reason, we formed a team last year to look specifically at what features and tools we could build for Just Chatting creators to engage with their community and content they produce more easily.”
This is just the beginning, he added, where Just Chatting-specific features are of interest. That said, Twitch has no plans to let video game-focused creators — still the platform’s fusion bread and butter — go out during the cold. Forrester also doesn’t believe that the distinction between game creators and Just Chatting creators is as meaningful as some people think.
“It is important to remember that game creators are also producing Just Chatting content on a regular basis,” he said. “All the features we are investigating are focused on [on] make it easier for creators to engage, interact, and solicit input from their communities, and we believe both gaming and chat-only creators will benefit from them. “