The “next-gen” isn’t even four months old, and already it’s diving into the live-streaming game in a big way.
Between Dec. 23 and Jan. 3, PlayStation 4 users made up a full 20 percent of Twitch broadcasters. That’s a big win for Sony, especially considering that the kind of live-streaming service Twitch provides has been a cornerstone in the way both the PS4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One have been marketed thus far. Both companies clearly want that to be a huge part of this console generation, so this is a promising start on that front.
“Ever since we began working with the major console platform companies, we were confident the integration of live broadcasting to Twitch would be a game changer,” said Twitch Marketing VP Matthew DiPietro in a statement on the Twitch website. “Based on our success with PlayStation 4, which currently represents 20% of our broadcaster base, our vision was on the mark. We envision a day when broadcasting your gameplay is a ubiquitous piece of the gaming experience. We’re well on our way.”
It should be noted that Microsoft’s console doesn’t yet have Twitch functionality; if it did, that percentage may have been even higher (or that 20 percent may have just been divided between both systems – it’s tough to know for sure). The service is expected to come to Xbox One in the first part of this year.
It will be interesting to see how this percentage changes as this console generation continues and the new consoles become more and more ubiquitous.
Were you one of the PS4 players that used Twitch during the holidays? Let us know in the comments.