Microsoft acquires live streaming service Beam

Arif Bacchus

Microsoft has announced that the company has signed an agreement to acquire the Beam interactive live streaming service.  This marks Microsoft’s commitment to make Xbox Live more social and fun, and also marks the momentous occasion of bringing watching games and playing games closer together.

A Seattle based company, Beam is best known for giving viewers the ability to watch and play games along with their favorite game streamers in real-time, regardless of the platform. Beam also makes interactivity easy and is designed to work for any game.  For instance, using low latency technology, challenges can be created from within Beam and real time choices can be made which affect game play.

While Microsoft may have acquired the service, Beam’s CEO Matt Salsamendi notes in a blog post that Beam remains committed to its mission. He also notes that Beam and will now be better positioned to grow and give more back to the community.

“As part of the Xbox team, we’ll be able to scale faster than we’ve ever been able to before… We’re expanding the team, bolstering our infrastructure, and, most importantly, continuing to grow the amazing community we’ve been lucky enough to build at Beam.”

https://twitter.com/MSStudiosBlog/status/763755329276350465

In what can be seen as a celebration of the moment, Microsoft Studios will be streaming games throughout the day on Beam. So, if you’re interested in checking out Beam, click the link above or click here to sign up! The service is pretty fun and brings interactive gaming to an entire new level.