Twitch Backs Kickstarter’s Choice Chamber, Matches Remaining Goal

Studio Bean’s game of interactive live-streaming has received half of its backing from Twitch itself.

Twitch is pretty much synonymous with live-streaming these days, to the point of becoming a significant player in the industry. The platform has been officially integrated with EVE Online, Minecraft, and even entire consoles, which leaves one wondering just what it plans to do next. In a surprise twist, the answer is to begin backing video game projects on Kickstarter. Today Twitch announced it would match the $15,000 needed to make Studio Bean’s Choice Chamber a reality, markings the first time the company directly supported video game development.

“The Twitch community has already shown extraordinary enthusiasm for interactive games using Twitch chat,” said Twitch Director of Business Development Brooke Van Dusen. “Choice Chamber is an excellent example of how developers can embrace this next-generation concept, so we are helping support this evolution of gameplay experiences in the age of social video.”

As a mass-chat interaction game, Choice Chamber‘s premise is closely tied to Twitch’s live-streaming efforts. During a match, an individual player fights off an endless horde of monsters while their efforts are streamed to an online audience. The twist is that viewers can actually impact gameplay, responding to polls that alter the experience or activating special events and friendly NPCs. Twitch audiences can even attack boss characters directly, or make the experience even more challenging.

Studio Bean originally asked for $30,000 to develop Choice Chamber, and had only four days to reach its goal before Twitch’s contribution. With the funding secured, the developer can now breath a little easier as it pushes forward to a December 2014 release.

“Studio Bean is excited to have Twitch support us through the Kickstarter campaign,” said Studio Bean’s Michael Molinari. “The game itself would not be possible without the convenience and simplicity of Twitch’s broadcasting and chat features, and this whole dream wouldn’t be happening were it not for their help and support.”

Molinari will host a Reddit AMA on April 20th at 2:30 pm to answer questions about Choice Chamber and his previous games. If you’re still interested in backing Choice Chamber, you have until Sunday to make a contribution.