Twitch is an American video live-streaming service that focuses on video game live streaming, including broadcasts of esports competitions, in addition to offering music broadcasts, creative content, and "in real life" streams. Twitch is operated by Twitch Interactive, a subsidiary of Amazon. It was introduced in June 2011 as a spin-off of the general-interest streaming platform Justin.tv. Content on the site can be viewed either live or via video on demand. The games shown on Twitch's current homepage are listed according to audience preference and include genres such as real-time strategy games (RTS), fighting games, racing games, and first-person shooters.
Shovel Knight is a platform video game developed and published by Yacht Club Games. Development was crowdfunded and the game was released for Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, and Windows in June 2014. It was ported to OS X and Linux in September 2014, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Xbox One in April 2015, Amazon Fire TV in September 2015, and Nintendo Switch in March 2017. Shovel Knight is inspired by gameplay and graphics of platformer games developed for the Nintendo Entertainment System.
N++ is a platform video game developed and published by Metanet Software. It is the third and final installment of the N franchise, which started with the Adobe Flash game N. It is the sequel to N+. The game was initially released for the PlayStation 4 on July 28, 2015, in North America, and July 29, 2015, in Europe, and was later released for the Microsoft Windows and macOS operating systems on August 25, 2016, and December 26, 2016, respectively. The Xbox One version was released on October 4, 2017. The Linux version of the game was released on May 31, 2018. An expansion to the game, entitled N++ Ultimate Edition, was released for the Windows version of the game on April 21, 2017, as a free update to the game. N++ Ultimate Edition was released for the Nintendo Switch on May 24, 2018.
Clustertruck is a 2016 platformer game developed by the Swedish independent studio Landfall Games and published by tinyBuild. The game consists of nine worlds in which the player must navigate by jumping on moving trucks to avoid obstacles and the ground, culminating in a boss fight. This concept originated from Landfall Games's founder, Wilhelm Nylund, picturing himself leaping across trucks to escape traffic. Clustertruck was released for Linux, macOS, the PlayStation 4, Windows, and the Xbox One in September 2016, followed by a version for the Nintendo Switch in March 2018. While praised for its gameplay, graphics, and original soundtrack, Clustertruck's Nintendo Switch port was primarily criticized for its controls.
Road Redemption is a vehicular combat racing video game developed by EQ-Games and Pixel Dash Studios. The game is a spiritual successor to the Road Rash series and was released for Windows PC on October 4, 2017. Console versions of Road Redemption were released on November 6, 2018, for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
Flinthook is platform game roguelike by Tribute Games in which the player's character uses a grappling hook to traverse procedurally generated spaceships for treasure. The developers were inspired by "rogue-lites" including Spelunky and Rogue Legacy. They said that the grappling hook game mechanic was their hardest design challenge. The game was released in April 2017 for Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, followed by a release for Nintendo Switch in March 2018. Early previews of Flinthook noted the accessibility and tightness of the controls. Digital Trends and Kotaku listed the game among the best in show at the June 2016 Electronic Entertainment Expo.
Mixer was an American video game live streaming platform. The service launched on January 5, 2016, as Beam, under the ownership of co-founders Matthew Salsamendi and James Boehm. The service placed an emphasis on interactivity, with low stream latency and a platform for allowing viewers to perform actions that can influence a stream.
The live streaming of video games is an activity where people broadcast themselves playing games to a live audience online. The practice became popular in the mid-2010s on the US-based site Twitch, before growing to YouTube, Facebook, China-based sites Huya Live, DouYu, and Bilibili, and other services. By 2014, Twitch streams had more traffic than HBO's online streaming service, HBO Go. Professional streamers often combine high-level play and entertaining commentary, and earn income from sponsors, subscriptions, ad revenue, and donations.
Michael Grzesiek, better known as Shroud, is a Canadian streamer, YouTuber, former professional Valorant player, and former professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player. As of April 2022, his Twitch channel has reached over 10 million followers, ranking as the eighth most-followed channel on the platform, and his YouTube channel has over 6.79 million subscribers.
Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy is a platform game developed by the titular Bennett Foddy. The game was released as part of the October 2017 Humble Monthly, on October 6, 2017, where it went on to be played by over 2.7 million players. A Steam version of the game was later released by Foddy on December 6, 2017, with a release on iOS that same day. The Android version was later released on April 25, 2018. The Linux version was available for beta testing in August 2018 and received a stable release in the same year.
Bennett Foddy is an Australian video game designer based in New York. Raised in Australia and trained as a moral philosopher on topics of drug addiction, Foddy was a bassist in the electronic music group Cut Copy and a hobbyist game designer while he finished his dissertation. During his postdoctoral research at Princeton University and time on staff at Oxford University, Foddy developed games of very high difficulty, including QWOP (2008), which became an Internet sensation at the end of 2010 with the rise of new online social sharing tools. He later became an instructor at the NYU Game Center. His most famous game aside from QWOP is Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy, a philosophical, physics-based platform game released in 2017.
Dandara is a 2D platformer and Metroidvania video game developed by Brazilian studio Long Hat House and published by Raw Fury in 2018.
Félix Lengyel, better known as xQc, is a Canadian online streamer and former professional Overwatch player.
Tae Ha Kim, known by his streaming channel Taeha Types, is a mechanical keyboard creator and livestreamer. While known for his commissioned keyboards, his Twitch livestream compose his primary occupation. His channel has influenced the rise of the mechanical keyboard hobby, particularly boosted by his viral video assembling a commission for Fortnite streamer Tfue.
Lily Ki, better known as LilyPichu, is an American voice actress, artist, streamer and YouTuber. She is a member of OfflineTV, an online group of content creators and was one of the most subscribed female Twitch streamers during her time on the platform. As a voice actress, she is most well-known for the voice of Genshin Impact character Sayu and the English dub voice of Muni Ohnaruto in D4DJ First Mix. Ki began creating videos on YouTube in June 2010 and streaming on Twitch in August 2012. After ten years of streaming on Twitch, she signed an exclusive contract with YouTube in July 2022 and announced the move to the platform. However, as of July 12, 2024, Ki returned to streaming on Twitch after her contract deal with YouTube expired.
Hellpoint is a 2020 action role-playing game developed by Cradle Games and published by tinyBuild. It released for Windows, Linux, MacOS, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on July 30. The player takes on the role of a nameless humanoid stranded on derelict space station Irid Novo, and must battle vicious creatures in order to solve the mystery behind the events that happened there. Irid Novo orbits a massive black hole; the station's position in relation to the black hole affects the strength of enemies. Versions for Stadia and Nintendo Switch were released in February 2021, with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions released in July 2022.
Mizkif, also known as Matthew Rinaudo, is an American Twitch streamer and YouTuber. He is a founding member and co-owner of the gaming organization One True King.
Crab Game is a free-to-play video game developed and published by Norwegian indie developer Daniel Sooman, also known as Dani. The game was initially released for Linux and macOS on Itch.io and for Windows on Steam on 29 October 2021; the Linux and macOS editions were later released on Steam on 16 November. Based on the Netflix series Squid Game, players compete with each other in minigames in order to be the last one alive.
Exit the Gungeon is a 2019 bullet hell platform game co-developed by Dodge Roll and Singlecore Games and published by Devolver Digital. It was released for iOS through Apple Arcade on September 19, 2019, for macOS, Windows, and Nintendo Switch on March 17, 2020, and for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on November 13, 2020. A sequel to Enter the Gungeon, players take control of one of four playable characters as they attempt to escape the collapsing Gungeon. The game received mixed reviews on release.
Only Up! is a 2023 platformer game developed and published by SCKR Games. It was released on Steam on May 24, 2023, and permanently removed in September of that year following controversy over the use of copyrighted assets. Players control the character Jackie and must reach the moon through a series of obstacles consisting of real-life items.
