This weekend's Creator Clash saw popular creators match up in the boxing ring - I couldn't help but notice parallels in streaming. In light of YouTube continuing to reach for feature parity, the title fight between YouTube and Twitch will hopefully go 12 rounds and end in a draw - if creators want a competitive landscape that benefits their careers! That, or it all goes up in flames... Let's get into the news!
Twitch News and Platform Stories
Twitchcon San Diego is getting an early as Twitch has made the public call for content. Submissions for content close June 5th for Artist Alley, Community Panels, Interactive Sessions, and Musical Performances. The Cosplay Contest and Drag Showcase have extended deadlines till July 31st.
Twitch launched one official experiment called "Category Suggestions." The experiment offers game recommendations based on under-served games with larger potential audiences. They also launched something called "Small_Creators_Left_Nav," which creators have noticed in their tags. Nothing official on this, but I suspect it could be a test to replace the soon-to-be-deprecated-Friends area of the navbar. Two discovery products in a week? Not bad, Twitch!
Lastly, horrific news out of Buffalo, New York, as an 18-year-old white supremacist planned out and orchestrated an attack on African Americans, killing 10. The terrorist streamed the attack on Twitch - which Twitch says was taken down within 2-minutes of the violence starting. The stream was only viewed live by ~20 people, according to public stats. Twitch made a statement about the attack and their reaction to it. My heart goes out to the families impacted... there's so much I could type, but this is meant to be a recap... Instead, I'll keep it brief and positive and encourage everyone to watch/support/share Black creators, trans creators, others in the LGBTQ+, and other marginalized groups. In a time of so much evil, take a moment to shine a light on creators you love.
That's all the big Twitch stories from the week, but there's plenty more below that you'll get access to by joining the mailing list for free!
