The world of online video gaming is about to get much more interesting after Google appears, according to multiple reports, to be buying Twitch for some one billion dollars. Twitch has quickly become the top destination for gamers who want to put their gameplay images onto the Internet for others to view.
YouTube.com, which Google owns after purchasing the video-sharing site for $1.65 billion in 2006, believes that its video streaming background and strength will help it and Twitch deliver even more innovative and unique options to gamers in the online environment.
"Twitch, while not a household name, absolutely is a massive player in the Internet today. They absolutely own the video game market," Deepfield Chief Executive Craig Labovitz, an expert on big data and Internet traffic, told the media.
Twitch, based in San Francisco, reports that it garners some 45 million unique users every month, with around one million of those users uploading their own video to the site. It also reports that there are around 13 billion minutes of video viewed on the platform monthly, making it one of the largest and fastest growing streaming sites on the market.
Half of those users who come to the site watch more than 20 hours in a single week, and Google believes that by fine-tuning the platform with the help from YouTube, it could be a huge revenue generator for advertising companies who want access to millions of users who spend larger amounts of time weekly on the site.
Neither Twitch nor Google have commented on the reports of the acquisition, but Google was not the only company looking to get their hands on what Twitch has been doing. Microsoft and other venture capitalists were reported interested in the video site.
"We don't comment on rumors or speculation," Google said in a press release.
While the initial reports sparked an outpouring of online commentary and what ifs about the merger, other publications have said the two parties are still in talks looking at all the details before a final agreement has been completed.
For now, however, Twitch and Google are expected to take users video gaming images and content and put it up for the entire world to view. With Twitch, gamers have been able to become online legends for their tricks and talent on the video gaming platforms available.
