Twitch is all about the relationship between gamers and their viewers, so the social video platform has come up with an even more interactive way to bring players and audiences together. Streamline is the first in a series of Stream First games—which are specifically designed to be played by Twitch streamers with their fans. Developed by Proletariat, Streamline is a third-person multiplayer action game that pits player against player, viewer against player and viewer against viewer. Game rules and stage conditions are ever-changing, as voted on by the spectators, from making players move slowly to turning the ground into lava. Spectators can also place bets on which runner will emerge victorious against the lone hunter and even play bingo against other viewers based on in-game events.
“Stream First games evolved out of streamers wanting to involve their viewers in the games they were playing and developers recognizing this desire,” said Brooke Van Dusen, director of game developer success at Twitch in a statement. “Streamline is the perfect example of the pieces coming together just right with the Streamline Road to TwitchCon Tournament illustrating the potential for this new genre in the competitive gaming space.” Streamline tournament hopefuls will compete from September 12 to 16, with the top players winning a trip to TwitchCon 2016 to battle it out on October 1.
Currently in alpha stage and “active development,” Streamline is headed for an official tournament at TwitchCon 2016 with a whopping $10,000 prize pool and naturally, viewer participation. Other titles will also be on display at the event, including H1Z1, a zombie survival game. Building on the success of Twitch Plays events, each Stream First game was created from the ground up to be played by both gamers and audiences together. Streamline, however was the top choice as TwitchCon’s featured game, thanks to being developed specifically for the streaming platform. “We’ve been working with [Proletariat] closely for the past year on making an experience that is fun and unique to Twitch,” Van Dusen told [a]listdaily. “For example, the game uses TwitchID as its primary identification system.”
“Developers of Stream First games focus on the unique ways broadcasters engage their audiences on Twitch and then create features to enhance those experiences,” Van Dusen further explained. “In Streamline‘s case, one of the many things they focused on was how broadcasters enjoy playing games with their viewers. However, the process of setting up matches with one’s Twitch community is extremely difficult. Streamline built a system so that not only is that process automated and simple, but the game itself does a great job of ensuring lots of folks can participate and share the spotlight among a broadcaster’s entire community. ”
Audience participation strengthens the power of influencer marketing, so it’s no wonder that brands will be able to benefit from Stream First titles. “We’ve seen lots of Twitch Plays activations from brands this year,” Van Dusen said, “Such as Totino’s Bucking Couch Bowl, [where the] game is controlled by chat commands. Stream First games take Twitch Plays a step further by involving the audience in a metagame where they not only interact, but compete and win. This definitely opens up the opportunity for brands to do even more fun and creative campaigns on Twitch.”
