Twitch has finally launched its first game and, rather than go the traditional route, the streaming giant has decided to try something a bit more experimental. Partnering with developer Harmonix, Twitch Sings is a karaoke game that lets folks belt out a tune, watch others and even interact in interesting ways.
Twitch Sings has been going through testing phases since last year and, as of now, it has officially launched on the Twitch platform. It’s a free game, offering thousands of songs licensed through various karaoke providers.
On the singing side of the equation, the game is basically custom built for streaming. You can sing in front of the camera or create an avatar if you’re a bit shy. You can sing solo or, if you have a friend who wants to join in, you can tackle a duet.
What makes Twitch Sings different from many other karaoke games is how it involves the audience. You can leave comments and throw up emotes and, if enough people get involved, it looks like the game will trigger some crowd participation. On top of all of that, audience members can recommend songs they’d like to hear next or even offer challenges to the performer. Want to see if they can sing the song without the lyrics? Curious if they can belt out the latest hit but, like, as a cat? Challenges let you do that.
Twitch has been synonymous with games for a while now, something the streaming service has been trying to alter for a while now. They’ve opened the site up to various other forms of streaming such as basic chatting and demonstrations of other talents, like drawing, and have even begun hosting marathon streaming sessions of various television shows. While Twitch Sings will likely be a big hit for people who actually like to sing, the biggest engagement will likely come from folks who just want to watch and participate. It’s another way Twitch hopes to get non-gamers involved with the site, so it’ll be interesting to see how things pan out.