Guest Star is a new way for streamers to invite any Twitch user onto their stream with audio and video. They can also share their screen in this feature for Just Chatting category.
Just Chatting on Twitch has grown into the largest section of the live-streaming website. As different streamers take to Just Chatting with unique content, the section content is very diverse. Twitch has now announced a new feature built solely for Just chatting. The Guest Star feature on Twitch will allow content creators to invite guests from their chat and give them audio and video treatment live on the broadcast.
The feature will enable streamers to interact with their community in more ways than just chat. They can now bring viewers into the stream, giving them audio and video access and interact with them. The feature will go live this Fall but a few streamers will get early access to try it out before.
This concept of a guest star is not new, although it’s never been known by that particular name. Streamers have, in the past, brought on viewers on the stream, mostly using Discord. Twitch Guest star will make it a feature in the live-streaming service.
Moreover, Guest Star will be integrated in OBS and Twitch Studio. It also works on mobile, providing for a fast and efficient experience for the viewers.
“When speaking to creators, a number of them told us that they shy away from making [talk show-like content] because they worried about bringing something or someone onto stream which was inappropriate for their community,” Twitch VP of product Jeremy Forrester said to The Washington Post. “This is why we are building features to make it easier to pre-vet guests, or screen them before they are live.”
As part of the vetting process, streamers will get information about their guests' Twitch accounts including their phone verification, account age and more.
How does Twitch Guest star feature affect streamers?
The Just Chatting category is usually where streamers stream non-game activities. They can just talk about their thoughts with their viewers.
The Guest Star will be extremely useful for Just Chatting formats such as Game Shows, Interviews or talk shows. It will allow streamers to pop in and out of each other’s chats, creating an interactive experience between streams.
Guest Star will be available to all users irrespective of their Partner status. Creators can invite up to five guests as long as they have valid Twitch accounts.
Over the years, Twitch has grown from being a platform exclusively for video games to a live-streaming platform. We have seen the rapid growth of categories such as Music, IRL, Just Chatting and more. These categories often have nothing to do with video games and quickly amass a large viewership.
Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest streaming news and updates.