Tech juggernaut Amazon has shown they’re not afraid to make risks within the realm of digital entertainment, with projects like New World or Crucible serving as examples. But now it seems that the company wants to shift gears a bit and focus on a different aspect of gaming.
Amazon acquired Twitch, the digital streaming platform used by millions, for $970 million back in 2014. In 2016 they launched Twitch Prime, a premium service that gave members a free subscription to any user on Twitch, as well as perks like free games, special items in certain games, and discounts on bigger titles. Notably, Twitch Prime was free to Amazon Prime members as well – but it looks like Amazon wants to break away from Twitch for their newest project.
“Prime Gaming continues to include a free Twitch channel subscription, tons of free loot in your favorite games, 5+ free PC games every month, and more with your Amazon Prime membership,” reads the brand new Prime Gaming website. It seems that Twitch Prime is history – searching for it through any engine now redirects you to the Prime Gaming site. Besides being a new gaming service, Prime Gaming is also Amazon’s effort to unify all their special perks included with an Amazon Prime membership, and it joins the likes of Prime Video and Prime Music. It doesn’t feel too different from Twitch Prime at the moment – the lineup of special offers and bonuses displayed on the website’s front page is fairly similar to what one would find through Twitch Prime – but one of the major differences is the number of free titles.
“Prime Gaming’s selection of in-game content and free PC games is always growing and rotating to stay fresh, with new items and free games added every month,” writes the staff of the Amazon Day One Blog. On launch Prime Gaming already has 22 free games available for Prime members to claim, including popular action-rpg title Chroma Squad. “Thanks to agreements with many of the world’s biggest game publishers, including Riot Games, Roblox Corp, and Rockstar Games, Prime Gaming offers members incredible value every month, across a broad catalog of games,” continues the blog entry.
While Amazon has certainly pushed Prime Gaming off to a strong start, only time will tell if it will become as popular Twitch Prime – but judging by the amount of content already available, I’d say Prime Gaming’s future is looking bright.