Microsoft is shutting down Mixer and is partnering up with Facebook Gaming next month.

When Mixer launched back in January 2016, the platform seemed promising. It positioned itself to be a direct competitor with the likes of Twitch and YouTube. In recent years, Mixer invested in impressive live streaming technology. Additionally, the platform landed some major deals with top streaming talent such as Ninja and Shroud.

Even with all their efforts, the platform still fell short. Despite its best efforts to increase viewership, Mixer failed to keep up with Twitch and YouTube. Even during the current pandemic, where most online video sharing and live streaming platforms saw a viewership boost, they stayed stagnant. In Q1 2020, Mixer took up just 2% of the total hours watched across the major live-streaming platforms. To put that into context, Twitch held 65% of the total watched hours while YouTube Gaming Live and Facebook Gaming held 22% and 11%, respectively.

Microsoft leaves Mixer and partners with Facebook

Many streamers dedicated hard work and many hours into their mixer channels. So, what happens to them? While Mixer had a low viewership number in Q1 2020, it has the second-highest ratio of unique channels and total hours streamed. There were a high number of channels streaming on Mixer. However, the platform wasn’t attracting gaining views despite the abundance of content.

So what will happen to Mixer creators? The platform shuts down next month on July 22. After that, Microsoft plans to partner with Facebook Gaming to give partnered Mixer streamers a new platform to stream on.

Streamers will retain partner status on Facebook

Streamers that have a partner status on Mixer will have a partner status on Facebook Gaming if they choose to move over. However, this could potentially undermine a lot of smaller the platform’s streamers and channels. They’ve built their communities on the platform, and shifting over to Facebook might prove to be messy for some. While Mixer.com will redirect to Fb.gg, Facebook Gaming’s website, there will likely be a loss of viewership in the shift. However, there’s more of a chance to grow on Facebook. According to Q1 numbers, Facebook has seen a steady increase in viewership. The move might hurt channels and streamers, but the viewership might increase over time. That is if streamers want a deal with Facebook, or if they’d rather move to Twitch or YouTube Live.