Google's planned purchase of game streaming specialist Twitch has been derailed, with everything-seller Amazon pipping it to the post in a buyout valued at $970 million in cash.
Variety was the first to report that Google was in the process of buying Twitch, a three-year-old start-up that specialises in recording and streaming live game footage from PCs and consoles, in a deal valued at $1 billion. In July, anonymous sources claimed the ink was dry on the paperwork, a fact that seemed to be confirmed when Twitch launched music copyright scanning similar to that already in place on Google's YouTube streaming service.
Now, though, Twitch has a different owner: Amazon. 'Twitch has built a platform that brings together tens of millions of people who watch billions of minutes of games each month – from The International, to breaking the world record for Mario, to gaming conferences like E3,' boasted Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos of the deal. 'Like Twitch, we obsess over customers and like to think differently, and we look forward to learning from them and helping them move even faster to build new services for the gaming community.'
Anonymous sources speaking to Forbes claim that the reports of Google's offer were genuine, but fell through at the last hurdle as the company raised concerns about potential antitrust issues thanks to its sole ownership of YouTube.
'Today, I'm pleased to announce we've been acquired by Amazon,' Twitch chief executive Emmet Shear confirmed in a statement to press. 'We chose Amazon because they believe in our community, they share our values and long-term vision, and they want to help us get there faster. We're keeping most everything the same: our office, our employees, our brand, and most importantly our independence. But with Amazon's support we’ll have the resources to bring you an even better Twitch.'
Shear's full message to the Twitch community can be read on the official website.
Variety was the first to report that Google was in the process of buying Twitch, a three-year-old start-up that specialises in recording and streaming live game footage from PCs and consoles, in a deal valued at $1 billion. In July, anonymous sources claimed the ink was dry on the paperwork, a fact that seemed to be confirmed when Twitch launched music copyright scanning similar to that already in place on Google's YouTube streaming service.
Now, though, Twitch has a different owner: Amazon. 'Twitch has built a platform that brings together tens of millions of people who watch billions of minutes of games each month – from The International, to breaking the world record for Mario, to gaming conferences like E3,' boasted Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos of the deal. 'Like Twitch, we obsess over customers and like to think differently, and we look forward to learning from them and helping them move even faster to build new services for the gaming community.'
Anonymous sources speaking to Forbes claim that the reports of Google's offer were genuine, but fell through at the last hurdle as the company raised concerns about potential antitrust issues thanks to its sole ownership of YouTube.
'Today, I'm pleased to announce we've been acquired by Amazon,' Twitch chief executive Emmet Shear confirmed in a statement to press. 'We chose Amazon because they believe in our community, they share our values and long-term vision, and they want to help us get there faster. We're keeping most everything the same: our office, our employees, our brand, and most importantly our independence. But with Amazon's support we’ll have the resources to bring you an even better Twitch.'
Shear's full message to the Twitch community can be read on the official website.
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