TwitchCon 2024 San Diego: Major Changes in Moderation, Monetization, and Platform Features
The platform aims to build a closer connection with its community
The opening ceremony of TwitchCon 2024 in San Diego, California, was filled with exciting announcements and a bit of controversy. This annual convention, organized by Twitch Interactive—a streaming platform owned by Amazon—ran from September 20 to 22 and focused on streaming culture, video games, digital art, and content creation.
During the ceremony, Twitch CEO Dan Clancy shared several big announcements. One of the highlights was The Glitch, a galaxy of custom, branded worlds within Fortnite. Created by Look North World, the studio led by Alexander Seropian, co-creator of Halo, this project introduces a new way for brands to advertise inside video games.
Partners like Domino’s and Peloton will have their own worlds in the game, designed to reflect their brand identity. For example, players can visit a Domino’s pizzeria and take part in a “pizza party” to restore health during the game.
🚨 TwitchCon San Diego day one event schedule!
💜 We’re keeping this pinned, but make sure to take a screenshot just in case! #TwitchConSanDiego #TwitchCon pic.twitter.com/ZULtwYcfKZ— Twitch (@Twitch) September 20, 2024
Changes in Moderation
One of the major announcements was the removal of the Strike System, which was previously used to moderate behavior on the platform. It’s being replaced by a more flexible and comprehensive system. In addition, the Twitch Safety Advisory Council, formed in May 2020, has been dissolved. This group, made up of industry experts, streamers, and moderators, advised Twitch on policies, updates, and safety features, while also advocating for marginalized communities.
Going forward, the new council will be made up of platform users or ‘ambassadors’ who have been chosen for the positive impact they’ve had on the community.
TwitchCon – it’s back! Get ready for
🇳🇱 Rotterdam, June 29-30
🇺🇸 San Diego, September 20-22 pic.twitter.com/MQBEcIokTA
— Twitch (@Twitch) January 17, 2024
Platform Changes
On the user side, they’ve announced the release of the HEVC (H.265) codec, which had been in closed beta before. This update will let streamers send multiple versions of their video at different resolutions or bitrates. Directly from computers with NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPUs, boosting video quality by up to 25% compared to the older H.264 codec.
As for streaming, the platform will start supporting 1440p streaming next year, though it will initially only be available in select regions, with plans to expand to more areas the following year. They’re also working on introducing 4K streaming in the future.
One of the standout new features is that Twitch will now let content creators stream both horizontally and vertically at the same time. Plus, the mobile app is getting an update to improve navigation and make clip creation easier.
While some of these changes might be seen as controversial, they seem to be aimed at putting Twitch in direct competition with TikTok, which is currently one of the most popular social platforms in the world.