Amazon today released Lumberyard Beta 1.6, the newest update to its game engine that runs on Amazon Web Services.
The updates brings more than 337 improvements and fixes, Amazon said. The key new feature with the update is Twitch Metastream, which lets streamers customize their stream with overlays of statistics and events from their game session.
With Lumberyard Beta 1.6, Amazon — which acquired Twitch for nearly $1 billion in 2014 — will allow Twitch streamers to use web authoring tools like Dreamweaver or CoffeeCup to create custom HTML5 pages that show different information, statistics, graphics, and more with each overlay.
The idea is to let streamers create what you typically see on professionally-produced eSports and pro sports TV broadcasts.
For example, here’s what a streamer can create with Amazon’s newest game, Breakaway, which debuted last month and is Amazon’s first title that has deep Twitch integration.
Streamers can also use a picture-in-picture style overlay with a map on the left side and live stats on the bottom:
Since acquiring Twitch, Amazon has quietly grown its Amazon Game Studios team and recently acquired gaming content platform Curse. The company, which has 135 open positions for Amazon Game Studios, has created an ecosystem it describes as a “sandbox of innovation” that includes Twitch, Lumberyard, AWS, and Curse.
Amazon debuted Breakaway last month, along with two other titles, New World and Crucible. The games signal Amazon’s continued investment in the gaming industry, as well as its ambitions for new verticals like eSports and live-streaming. One of the games even includes the ability for users to wager loyalty points that can be exchanged for in-game rewards — effectively moving Amazon into the emerging area of eSports betting.
In another result of Amazon’s Twitch acquisition, the Seattle tech giant last month announced Twitch Prime, a new bundle of Amazon Prime benefits specifically aimed at gamers. Prime members will get discounts on game pre-orders and new releases, a rotating selection of free digital titles, in game bonuses, and an ad-free Twitch experience that includes a free monthly Twitch channel subscription.
Twitch now has more than 1.7 million active streamers, with 100 million viewers who watch an average of 421 minutes per month.
Other tech giants like Microsoft are also developing tools for game streamers.
