Xbox’s streaming service is getting a facelift only a month after going live. What was once known as Beam will henceforth be known as Mixer.
Beam launched last month with the Windows Creators update as a new platform for community-centric streams. But according to the announcement today, Beam just wasn’t cutting it.
Matt Salsamendi, co-founder and Mixer engineering lead, explained:
Why the name change? This was a tough decision, and not one that we made lightly. But, it was something that we decided on as a team. We believe so much in the power of the platform and want to grow it in every major market around the world. Unfortunately, that wasn’t something we could do with the Beam name. We chose Mixer as our new name because it represents what we love most about the service….how it brings people together.
Mixer’s similar in the sense that it retains the community aspect of Beam, but throws in some nice new features that will be accessible globally. Viewers will be able to interact with streams in real time, from simple chats to spawning in new enemies or making moral choices.
Today’s launch will introduce co-streaming, where up to four streamers can have their gameplay running in one central chat channel. So streamers can be playing the same game and give different perspectives, or be doing totally separate things all at once.
The Mixer Create app also launches today on iOS and Android for self-streaming. Channel One is out now and shows off everything that’s happening on Mixer, then the Xbox One dashboard has a Mixer page dedicated to a 24/7 stream of curated content.
To make things a little sweeter, Salsamendi also announced that Mixer will be the home for the 4K stream of Xbox’s E3 Expo briefing on June 12.
Check out Xbox’s Mixer intro video below.