Goodbye Mixer

As of today, Microsoft’s Mixer is no more. It will slowly migrate everyone still using the platform to Facebook Gaming (yuk) and close its doors. And yet, for the briefest of times, Mixer looked like it was going to take on the world of Live Streaming and, if not win, at least carve out its own spot. Alas, that did not happen…

In 2017, Microsoft brought a startup called Beam. Beam was a Live Streaming platform with a difference. This plucky upstart introduced the world to near instant streaming and interaction. Using their amazing technology they named Faster Than Light, viewers had less than one second between the streamer and themselves. A whole new world of interactivity was born.

Suddenly viewers could share the players controller. Conversations could be had without awkward pauses. For me, I sat and watched as one of my viewers took control of a game I was playing as if he was next to me. That’s the true power of Beam’s tech.

But as per normal – when Microsoft buys something, the patent trolls come out the woodwork, all wanting their pound of flesh. Beam was no different. Due to the name, it couldn’t be used worldwide. And so the great rebranding took place – Mixer was born.

Over the course of the next year, Microsoft built Mixer into almost everything. From Windows, to Xbox, to phones, Mixer streaming was only a one button push away. Except on PlayStation, for obvious reasons… Then they did something so on brand for Microsoft – they didn’t advertise it. Nothing. Nada. I suppose they expected the streamers to do that for them. And boy did they spend money on getting the biggest streamers to come across.

When it comes to the adage of “build it and they will come”, Microsoft’s 2010 decade is the living embodiment. They continue to build (or buy) amazing tech, proceed to not advertise it in any way, and then are shocked when only a few people seem to use it. Mixer fell to the same fate. Building into everywhere Microsoft touches, yet not advertising it, kept it firmly out of the public’s mind. And when building a new product, mind share is king. It was built into Windows for goodness sake!

Despite this, Mixer managed to grow a great community. The community was incredible up to the last – friendly, welcoming, helpful, and supportive. Everything Twitch is not. It was the community feel that really got me started on my streaming journey. Firstly, via streaming my podcast’s recording, and then my own gameplay.

The writing was on the wall when the global pandemic hit. Streaming viewership shot through the roof; and Mixer failed to grow. Like at all. The blame lies solely at the feet of Microsoft, who failed to manage, advertise, and support Mixer. Microsoft, being Google 2.0 these days, decided to start laying off staff as a way to right the ship. By then, it was only one scandal away from getting the big M to officially shut it down. And last month, that is exactly what happened. I don’t know the scandal myself, but it was news for a day.

The very next day, the shutdown announcement came.

In a blog post, Microsoft announced Mixer would be shutting down, and migrating all users to Facebook Gaming. For some staff at Mixer, this was the first they heard about the closure. For the streamers who had poured the last three years into Mixer and built Mixer into what is was, this was the first they also heard about it. And for the public like me, who used the service, it was the first I heard of it.

Queue the flash backs of Groove, Windows Phone, tablet mode, Zune, and soon to be UWP… Microsoft had killed off one of their most exciting products, simply because they could not be bothered to properly support its growth. It makes me wonder if we can trust Microsoft with any product it puts out. Much like Google and Stadia at the moment…

And so, from the night of July the 22nd 2020, Mixer is officially dead. It was my streaming home for a few years. It helped grow my podcast and it helped me connect with new friends. And now Twitch will have to take its place.

Thanks, Mixer, for everything.
Thanks to everyone who worked there.
Thanks to the community who worked so hard keeping it friendly, welcoming, and helpful.
Thanks to everyone who fought behind closed doors to keep it alive.

And no thanks to Microsoft. Mixer could have been spun out into its own company. It could have been sold back to its original founders. It could still be alive. But it has no place in enterprise, so it has no place at Microsoft.

Mixer was great and it failed because of Microsoft, not because of anything else. The death of this lies solely at the feet of the big M.

And honestly, it makes me worried about Xbox…