Microsoft buys interactive game streaming startup Beam
Microsoft buys live video platform Beam, which provides streamers with the tools they need to create interactive broadcasts
Microsoft is bolstering its Xbox arsenal with its recent purchase of a startup that lets people join in the fun while watching live-streaming gameplay.
Microsoft did not disclose the financial terms of the deal to buy Seattle-based Beam, which puts an interactive spin on the hot trend of video games being spectator sports.
“With Beam, you don’t just watch your favourite streamer play, you play along with them,” Xbox Live‘s Chad Gibson wrote in a blog post.
For example, Beam can be used to let viewers assign missions, summon adversaries, or select virtual gear in games being streamed online by broadcasters.
Beam, which launched in January of this year, will become part of the team at Microsoft devoted to the technology titan’s Xbox consoles.