Twitch 10th Anniversary: New Animated Emotes!

Twitch Announces Major Emote Updates for 10th Anniversary

Twitch revealed today that significant updates to its Emote system will be implemented this month, coinciding with the platform’s 10th anniversary. These enhancements encompass Animated Emotes, Follower Emotes, and a dedicated Emote Library.

The Significance of Emotes on Twitch

Since its inception as a livestreaming platform geared towards gamers, Emotes – Twitch’s equivalent of emojis – have been integral to Twitch culture. These visual elements function as micro-memes, with images such as Kappa, TriHard, and PogChamp gaining widespread recognition within the gaming community, extending beyond the Twitch platform itself.

Ivan Santana, senior director of Community Product at Twitch, stated, “Emotes represent a form of communication that overcomes geographical boundaries.” He further explained that their meaning remains consistent for users globally.

Introducing Animated Emotes

The platform, owned by Amazon, consistently introduces new global Emotes usable across all streams. Creators can also design custom Emotes for their communities, accessible to paying subscribers. However, the addition of animated GIFs as Emotes is a feature long requested by the user base, as Santana recalls.

“During my four years at Twitch, this has been a consistently voiced request, even predating my arrival,” Santana shared with TechCrunch. “The demand has been present for a considerable duration.”

For streamers lacking animation expertise, Twitch will offer six pre-designed templates to animate existing Emotes. These include effects like Shake, Rave, Roll, Spin, Slide In, and Slide Out. Users who prefer a static experience will have the option to disable animations within their Chat Settings.

Beta Testing Follower Emotes

Twitch is currently beta testing Follower Emotes, which will initially be available to a select group of Partners and Affiliates. This feature aims to incentivize viewers to follow channels they are exploring, providing a free benefit.

Following a channel triggers notifications when the creator goes live, potentially leading to subscriptions. Twitch retains 50% of subscription revenue, establishing a significant income stream.

Twitch Viewership Growth

In the first quarter of 2021, Twitch experienced record-high viewership, increasing by 16.5% compared to the previous quarter. A total of 6.34 billion hours of content were watched, representing a 72.3% market share. This figure is double the viewership from Q1 2020.

Facebook Gaming and YouTube Gaming accounted for 12.1% and 15.6% of viewership within the sector, respectively.

Santana explained, “Creators have consistently sought improved methods for attracting and welcoming new viewers to their channels.” The goal is to foster a stronger sense of community and excitement.

Beta testers can upload up to five Emotes for their followers, but these Emotes will be exclusive to that channel, unlike Subscriber Emotes. The long-term availability of Follower Emotes is not guaranteed, described by Santana as an “experiment,” with wider rollout potentially occurring later this year if successful.

The New Emote Library

The new Library function will streamline the process for creators to manage Emotes across subscription tiers, eliminating the need for repeated deletion and re-uploading. This builds upon a January upgrade that consolidated channel-specific icons into an Emotes tab within the Creator Dashboard. All new Emotes require Twitch approval before implementation. The Library will be gradually rolled out to all Partners and Affiliates over the coming months to manage anticipated increased volume.

“As Twitch has grown, we now host millions of communities spanning diverse cultures worldwide,” Santana noted. “We aim to empower our community with greater control over their Emote language, allowing it to evolve in ways we could not have foreseen, ultimately serving their unique needs.”

Twitch has also indicated that further celebrations are planned for its 10th anniversary, including an official 10-Year celebration event.