Two ex-Apple executives have raised enough venture-capital money to launch a service called Caffeine, which is an alternative to the social-gaming broadcast service Twitch.
Ben Keighran, former product design lead for Apple TV, and Sam Roberts, previously the lead user experience designer for Apple, are the founders of this new broadcast service for the Mac, PC, and iPhone.
Keighran said in a press release that he chose to leave Apple so he could create a service that changes the way users create, consume, share, and monetize live content.
The company compared their new service to the Twitch platform, calling Caffeine easier, safer, and more social.
Furthermore, the Caffeine service is described as a social broadcasting platform that also supports entertainment and other artistic content. The service is backed by a $46-million fund from Andreessen Horowitz and Greylock Partners.
Caffeine Features
The company has released a few details about the features of the new game broadcasting service.
Caffeine’s interface is reportedly quite simple and straightforward to use. According to the company, the service has simple controls and doesn’t need additional software to use. It has three different ways to broadcast games. Users can showcase their content using the PC game broadcast software, the webcam from the Mac or PC, and the camera through the iPhone.
Using the latter will showcase content and broadcasts from the people the user follows. From the app, people can also join and watch content together for a more interactive feel. The press release says there is no section for feeds or comments as the app highlights personal conversations among friends and content creators.
Furthermore, content creators would be able to build more personal relationships with their viewers and followers, which can lead to opportunities monetizing content. Creators will also get to use tools to help audiences find their content. What these tools are has yet to be revealed.
When Will Caffeine Be Available?
Caffeine has been around for some time now but only recently announced its plans and fundraising.
Caffeine is available on Apple products such as the iPhone and Mac. Those who are interested can access the service through the desktop website at caffeine.tv or download the app from Apple’s App Store.
At the moment the service is not available on Safari so Mac users will need to access the site through the Chrome or Firefox browser.
