Games Week event in Milan last year. Image: Tinxi/Shutterstock
Twitch is to start selling PC video games this week, just as Facebook attempts to muscle in on live streaming action.
The multibillion video games business has never been more potent and now, Amazon-owned Twitch is set to start selling video game titles online.
This week, the site will add PC games, marking its new identity as a games retailer as well as a home for live action video.
The company will also offer important incentives, including a Twitch Crate with assorted merchandise and interactive goodies.
These include exclusive Emotes (Twitch-styled emoji), Bits for Cheering and Chat Badges.
A title fight
The Twitch Crates will be provided with any games that cost $4.99 or more.
According to TechCrunch, titles due to go on sale this week include: Ubisoft’s For Honor; Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands; Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead and Minecraft: Story Mode; Hi-Rez Studios’ Smite and Paladins; Paradox Interactive’s Tyranny; Trion Worlds’ Atlas Reactor; Double Fine Productions’ Broken Age and Psychonauts; Campo Santo’s Firewatch; Jackbox Games’ Jackbox Party Pack 3; and Digital Extremes’ Warframe.
Twitch, which was acquired by Amazon for $970m in cash, has been doubling down on user engagement. Earlier this month, it revealed a new social media platform called Pulse to keep gamers talking.
The move was timely, especially with the news that Facebook is now trying to muscle in on its territory as a platform where gamers and game fans can follow live action.
Last week, it emerged that Facebook Live was introducing PC game and desktop live streaming, effectively meaning that users could broadcast gameplay live from their computer to their friends and followers.
Google’s YouTube has already begun attacking Twitch’s lead in the gamer space and, almost two years ago, it launched YouTube Gaming to offer live video streaming as well as full DVR playback.
With social media and e-commerce entering the fray, the game has never been more interesting.
Games Week event in Milan last year. Image: Tinxi/Shutterstock
