Microsoft has thrown in the towel in its fight against Twitch, saying Monday that it will wind down its Mixer livestreaming service and redirect users to Facebook Gaming instead.
The death knell will sound on July 22, when the redirect to Facebook Gaming will officially occur. Microsoft didn’t actually say how many users Facebook Gaming has, though each month more than 700 million people play games, watch gaming videos or engage in gaming groups on Facebook, it said.
It’s an ignominious end for Microsoft’s streaming aspirations, which took flight in 2017 when Microsoft transitioned its Beam streaming service into the modern Mixer platform. Microsoft tried to build a user base with features such as Sparks and other ways for users to interact with fans, including an early feature where viewers could even influence the way in which the streamer played the game.