Tesla CEO Elon Musk is exploring additional video functions such as game streaming and live shopping in his effort to transform X (formerly Twitter) into an all-encompassing app. The company is testing Twitch-like game streaming features that are presently available to X Premium subscribers.
Musk took to X earlier this month to demonstrate this feature in a 54-minute stream of Diablo IV, which was posted from an unidentified Twitter account with the handle @cyb3rgam3r420. Later on, Musk responded to the account and confirmed that the company was indeed testing this feature.
Testing game streaming
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 2, 2023
Shortly after, an X engineer named Mark Kalman also shared a video guide explaining how Premium subscribers can enable game streaming from their accounts by linking Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) to their Twitter account through X Media Studio.
Twitter gamers
According to X’s marketing page, approximately 91 million gamers were on the platform, and there were about 70 gaming-related tweets per second from June 2020 to June 2021.
As X directly competes with one of the world’s biggest video game streaming platforms, Twitch, it will be intriguing to observe how much content creators can earn from its revenue program introduced two months ago. If video game streaming on X gains popularity and attracts gamers, it could potentially influence Twitch’s popularity.
For now, X’s level of commitment to attracting streamers remains uncertain. The feature appears to facilitate viewer comments during streams but currently lacks many of the creator-focused capabilities found on other platforms. However, this is one of the recent instances highlighting X’s strategy to entice more users to the platform by focusing on creators and introducing new video features.
The everything app
In addition, the company has revealed plans to experiment with live shopping features in collaboration with Paris Hilton. Variety reports that Hilton has agreed to, “Create four original video content programs per year that include live-shopping features.”
Officially in my @X era. #Sliving 👑✨💖 pic.twitter.com/D6S8YjQglh
— ParisHilton (@ParisHilton) October 2, 2023
It’s uncertain whether X’s infrastructure can effectively support the introduction of new live video features. The company reduced its site reliability engineering team in layoffs last year and has since faced challenges with managing large live audio and video streams, especially when they are promoted by Musk’s account.
X has been incorporating new features, including Articles for sharing long-form content. CEO Linda Yaccarino has also confirmed that the platform will soon introduce native audio and video calling capabilities, similar to WhatsApp.
Isa Muhammad is a writer and video game journalist covering many aspects of entertainment media including the film industry. He's steadily writing his way to the sharp end of journalism and enjoys staying informed. If he's not reading, playing video games or catching up on his favourite TV series, then he's probably writing about them.
