Amazon Prime 'Levels Up': Introducing Twitch Prime

Prime members get exclusive discounts on new games, free digital games and in-game loot, plus a premium experience on Twitch—the world's leading social platform and community for gamers

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 30, 2016 /CNW/ - Today, Amazon and Twitch announced Twitch Prime, a new set of Amazon Prime benefits created for gamers. Prime members get exclusive discounts on pre-order and new release games, a rotating selection of free digital games and in-game loot, plus a premium experience on Twitch that includes a free monthly Twitch channel subscription. Twitch Prime now joins the growing list of benefits for Amazon Prime members, including guaranteed unlimited fast, free Prime shipping, Prime Photos, early access to Lightning Deals, and more. Gamers and Twitch fans can get all the benefits of Twitch Prime by starting a free 30-day trial, while Amazon Prime members can unlock their Twitch Prime benefits by linking their Prime accounts to Twitch at www.twitchprime.com. 

"Twitch Prime is one of those unique cases where we have an opportunity to build a product that is equally great for all of our customers—streamers, viewers, and game developers," said Emmett Shear, CEO of Twitch. "Offering subscriptions free through Prime saves money for viewers, while supporting streamers to build their community. Free games and in-game content are always a hit with gamers, but they also let developers reach millions of new potential players. When Amazon acquired Twitch, the first thing the community asked was, 'when will Twitch be bundled in with Amazon Prime?' We think Twitch Prime answers that question in a way that really speaks to our community."

Member Benefits:

• Free Digital Games 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. Starting today and until November 6, the newest hero in Hearthstone from Blizzard Entertainment, Tyrande Whisperwind, and an accompanying custom card back, will be available only for Twitch Prime members to claim and keep. Additionally, in October, members will get an exclusive Twitch Prime branded skin for Hi-Rez Studios' action MOBA, SMITE; and a free copy of Streamline, a new game built for Twitch by Proletariat Studios.
• Premium Twitch + Monthly Twitch Channel Subscription: Twitch Prime builds on the benefits of Twitch Turbo, Twitch's original monthly subscription program, including ad-free Twitch viewing, custom emotes, special chat badges, and expanded chat colors. Plus, members receive one free Twitch channel subscription each month, normally $4.99 (equivalent to $59.88/year), to support their favorite streamer. When Twitch Prime members use these free channel subscriptions, the streamer is paid the same as if the member purchased the subscription separately.
• Member Savings on New Release Games: Prime members receive exclusive discounts on new-release physical games sold by Amazon during the pre-order period and for the first two weeks after launch. Members also enjoy free Release Day Delivery on pre-order games, ensuring they get to play the latest games, like Gears of War 4 and Battlefield 1, immediately at launch, without waiting in line.

To celebrate the launch of Twitch Prime, Twitch has partnered with the GameChanger Charity, an independent non-profit that raises money and creates life-changing experiences for children with terminal illnesses. Between Friday, Sept. 30 and Wednesday, Oct. 5, Twitch will donate $100,000 to the GameChanger Charity for every 100,000 channel subscriptions made by Twitch viewers (up to $1 million total). All subscriptions count, including those using the free channel subscription that comes with Twitch Prime.

Twitch Prime is available to all Amazon Prime members in the United States, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain, including Prime Student members. For more information and to get started, visit www.twitchprime.com. 

About Twitch
Twitch is the world's leading social video platform and community for gamers. Each month, more than 100 million community members gather to watch and talk about video games with more than 2 million streamers. Twitch's video platform is the backbone of both live and on-demand distribution for the entire video game ecosystem. This includes game developers, publishers, media outlets, events, user generated content, and the entire esports scene. Twitch also features Twitch Creative, a category devoted to artists and the creative process. For more information about Twitch, visit the official website and blog.

About Amazon
The company is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about.

SOURCE Amazon.ca

Kristen Schaffrath, NATIONAL Public Relations, [email protected], 416-848-1704