Developer Success is geared toward assisting developers interested in leveraging Twitch for their products and providing the proper tools and guidance for implementation. This includes the creation of new services for app partners, such as the Twitch Embed API, and support for studios developing Stream First games.
Stream First games are designed from the ground up for the live streamed experience. By enabling broadcasters and their audiences to play together in innovative ways, it turns traditional gameplay video streams into cooperative community experiences. Superfight, Wastelanders and Streamline--the inaugural Stream First games developed in close partnership with Twitch--are available for demo at the Twitch section of Amazon’s Game Developers Conference booth (South Hall #1224).
“In the last few years, we have seen a great deal of creativity in online interaction methods from the Twitch community, including Twitch Plays games, channel loyalty currencies, and subscriber tournaments, among many others,” said Brooke Van Dusen, Director of Game Developer Success, Twitch. “However, these systems have always been external to the games broadcasters are playing. Stream First games by nature embrace these developments, incorporate features inspired by these creative concepts of Twitch community interaction, and bring about an entirely new genre of video games.”
The first Stream First Game demos available at GDC are:
- Superfight (505 Games/Skybound Entertainment/Pipeworks)
Superfight is a game of absurd arguments. Players battle with their wits to determine who would win hypothetical fights between characters with superpowers and super problems. Create ridiculous fighters from the cards you draw, argue with one another over who would win in a fight, then let the audience decide the winner. Superfight features innovative technology built from the ground up to enable cutting-edge Twitch integration and bring players an unparalleled community experience with four-way live video, integrated Twitch streaming, and voting within Twitch chat. Sign-up today at SuperfightLive.com to receive the latest news on the game, access to the beta, and a free deck at launch. - Wastelanders (Schell Games)
Wastelanders is a turn-based strategy game built for Twitch, where both broadcasters and viewers play in a live stream. Broadcasters take on the role of a Warlord in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, and lead their viewers in battle against another broadcaster-led team. By watching the stream and chatting, viewers can control warriors on the battlefield, set bounties on opposition Warriors, place land mines, and alter the battle in other fun and surprising ways. With Wastelanders, broadcasters have a new way to interact with their followers as viewers become players on their team. Broadcasters can reward their most loyal followers and subscribers with more chances to play and gain game experience. Wastelanders is in the very early stages of development at Schell Games, led by veteran game designer Jesse Schell, and located across the river from beautiful downtown Pittsburgh. - Streamline (Proletariat)
Streamline is a fast-paced, arena-based game that allows a broadcaster to quickly create a party for up to 15 of their viewers and immediately jump into one of several game modes, such as a fast-paced game of cat and mouse, with the broadcaster as a Hunter chasing down the other players as Runners or a stream versus stream team game pitting the broadcasters and their communities against one another. Meanwhile, the other Viewers can bet on or sponsor Runners, vote to change the rules of the game, and play mini-games driven by the on-stream action for rewards and recognition using a web browser or a mobile device. This unique second screen experience allows the broadcaster and viewers to interact in a natural and lag-free way and keep the channel conversation flowing without being interrupted by "chat commands."