Microsoft acquires livestreaming service Beam

Microsoft announced it will acquire Beam, a live streaming service where users can watch video game streamers and even participate with them in real time.

Beam describes its experience as "gamified streaming," where users can watch players stream their adventures, but have a role in how that experience plays out, such as choosing their weapon or creating a quest. 

Chad Gibson, partner group program manager with Xbox Live, says in Minecraft, streamers can create quests for players or choose which tools to use.

"One of the best parts about Beam is that interactivity is easy for streamers to enable and customize, and is designed to work with any game," said Gibson in a statement detailing the Beam acquisition.

In a separate statement, Beam co-founder and CEO Matt Salsamendi says the company will continue offering broadcasts across all video game platforms. Salsamendi will remain in charge of Beam, working with the engineering group on the Xbox team.

"As part of Xbox, we’ll be able to scale faster than we’ve ever been able to before," said Salsamendi. "We’re expanding the team, bolstering our infrastructure, and most importantly, continuing to grow and support the amazing community at Beam."

Beam is part of an increasingly competitive live streaming market, specifically within video games. The space is dominated by Amazon-owned Twitch, which surged in popularity along with the launches of Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4, as well as the rise of competitive games including League of Legends. YouTube also boasts its own gaming hub with the ability to live stream action within video games.

Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.