Since I'll be missing GDC this year, here are some notes from a talk I did recently about Twitch integrations. I'll spare you the general principles for length and just highlight some bits around the Cult of the Lamb case study portion. When I first played an early 2021 build of Cult of the Lamb after we'd signed the game at Devolver Digital, I knew instantly this was the perfect candidate to prove out the efficacy of investing in a Twitch extension. I had been consulting on Twitch integrations and also been in contact with Streaming Toolsmith, who had worked on Twitch extensions for games like Baldur's Gate 3 prior. I knew I wanted an extension made rather than the more typical chat integration, so this was the perfect opportunity to work together on something. Just to be sure, I asked this question in the early creator request form for Cult of the Lamb: "Would you play this game with Twitch integration?" Of over 3,000 requests at the time, 90.1% responded "yes." One week after launch: - 15,600,000 hours watched on Twitch - 354,039 hours streamed on Twitch - 49,959 streamers covered the game - 140,023 extension installs - 109,170 in-game cultists created by viewers Here are some of the talk highlights: - The Twitch extension became a big part of my influencer marketing push to ignite interest early and keep eyes on updates. - The features were thoughtful, deeper than the average integration, and tied into the game's theme seamlessly. - In exchange for higher effort (vs chat integration), extensions allow viewers to opt in individually, preserve a clean chat experience, and use a visually branded interface. - I worked closely with Streaming Toolsmith and Massive Monster to ensure features kept both streamer and viewer experiences meaningful and top of mind. - The extension added replayability beyond the game's ending. - Game previews included the extension to hook viewers in and generate social content early. - Creator roll-out was staggered pre-launch to test extension server load (we still got hammered at launch). - Viewer ratio normally drops when streamers play new IPs, but for Cult of the Lamb's launch week, average viewer ratio was +216% - meaning when streamers streamed the game, they were seeing, on average, over double their usual concurrent viewers, making it organically enticing to continue covering the game. - Cult of the Lamb remained in Twitch's top 10 most watched games far longer than anticipated during a competitive period. - Creators outside our core target groups were enticed to stream the game for the enriched audience experience, which positively impacted YouTube and TikTok coverage. - Social content generated by extension experiences kept hype up. Twitch also tweeted a compilation of extension reactions: https://lnkd.in/gF2BipQa. - We updated the extension and added Twitch Drops campaigns at major game updates to continually boost the value of streaming Cult of the Lamb.
Richie Procopio
2mo
I've streamed using a bunch of Twitch integrations over the years and the Cult of the Lamb extension was one of the best. The fact that it kept chat clear of spam and gave viewers a meaningful way to get involved with the gameplay made each stream even more fun. I did two complete playthroughs of Cult of the Lamb all on Twitch because the viewership for the game and the extension were so strong.
Head of Product, Rivr | Founder, StreamerSquare
2moTwitch extensions are such a great way to drive a deeper level of engagement between the creator, their fans, and the game. Viewers want to stick around to interact, creators get solid metrics that justify streaming longer. Plus it can make for great shareable moments. It's a win for all parties involved!