Having purchased Twitch back in 2014 for a cool $970 million, Amazon has been cautious in introducing any drastic changes to its fundamental systems since then, seemingly content with running the streaming service in much the same way as its previous owners.
That’s all changed now, though. During last week’s TwitchCon, the online retailer unveiled Twitch Prime, a premium subscription for the hugely-popular streaming website that provides a huge amount of added bonuses over the current free account model.
Included as part of existing and new Amazon Prime subscriptions, Twitch’s counterpart includes discounts from all major game releases for the first two weeks of going on sale, as well as free digital titles and game loot.
“Twitch Prime members will receive a consistently updated selection of free digital video games and in-game loot like skins, characters, and boosts from the most popular games on Twitch,” says the website, with this month’s freebie being new hero Tyrande Whisperwind for Blizzard’s CCG Hearthstone. What’s more, an exclusive Twitch Prime branded skin for Hi-Rez Studios’ SMITE and a free copy of Streamline will be handed out for you to keep during October.
Along with all of the above, you’ll also gain access to an improved version of Twitch Turbo, “Twitch’s original monthly subscription program, including ad-free Twitch viewing, custom emotes, special chat badges and expanded chat colors.” And as if all of that wasn’t enough, you’ll also be able to subscribe to any channel of your choice for free once a month, something that usually sets you back $4.99. Free channel subscriptions are treated in the much the same way as standard ones; the streamer still receives payment.
All of Twitch Prime’s benefits are available now as part of an existing or new Amazon Prime subscription.