Amazon has been partnered with Twitch for four years, but the way this relationship is presented has now changed. Amazon has increasingly been venturing into the gaming sphere, and it now seems that the company will offer users of Prime a multi-media offering that is more streamlined than it has been previously. With that in mind, Twitch Prime has had its name changed and added some benefits that will interest streamers and viewers.
Esports reporter Rod Breslau has revealed some Amazon messages, written for external partners, that detail the changes that have now happened within the company. While it won't be a radical change for users of Twitch Prime, it does seem that a new strategy may be able to encourage more consumers to use the service and it seemingly will make the Prime experience more user friendly.
Twitch Prime is now called Prime Gaming and offers players one free Twitch subscription a month, as well as a changing roster of games to download for free on PC, and it integrates with Prime Music and Video. The leaked messages claimed that this change, "helps members improve their gaming experience," and many will be interested to see if the rebrand will offer consumers any new incentives to utilize this arm of the Amazon brand. The company has stated in the messages that the change will help current streamers with their outreach, which will be enough to intrigue some streamers.
In the statement, Amazon notes that the greater exposure consumers will have to the Gaming branch of the Prime service will allow streamers to have "more chances to grow [their] viewership." While this will undoubtedly please up-and-coming streamers, there are already players like Ninja who dominate Twitch, and in terms of promotion, Amazon will likely look to these larger streamers for collaboration.
The functional and emotional benefits that are outlined in these messages are largely the same as the current offering. However, fans will likely notice that the UX of Amazon has changed and this may encourage people to experience streaming. On top of that, free games and loot on Amazon will likely please newcomers who have been unaware of the offering that the site provides until this rebrand which gives gaming a larger focus.
It will be interesting to see whether this strategy does increase users or whether consumers choose to explore different avenues. Twitch remains controversial, but it is a growing platform. It seems that this rebranding by Amazon could help the company create greater profit from its established relationship.