N.Y.-based server-side rendering firm Genvid Technologies wants to make e-sports broadcasts "more compelling to watch, bringing multiple camera angles and interactivity into the live streams of furious game matches," according to Dean Takahashi of VENTURE BEAT. The company said that this could help e-sports companies "achieve what has been lacking so far: better storytelling, more emotion, a focus on the most-exciting players and action, and a step up in broadcast quality." Genvid Founder & CEO Jacob Navok said, "One of the main problems we identified is that interactivity is gone from multicast streaming. We are working with developers to improve the way that they broadcast. ... There’s a massive audience out there that developers could monetize directly if they had the right tools." Takahashi noted a spectator "might be able to control the camera view," or the camera "could automatically focus on who is the most popular at the moment" (VENTUREBEAT.com, 6/6).
LIVE & DIRECT: Blizzard Entertainment announced yesterday that it will "soon implement" Facebook's live-streaming application program interface (API) "into its video games so that people can broadcast their gaming sessions directly to Facebook with the push of a button." RE/CODE's Kurt Wagner noted this is the "first gaming integration of its kind for Facebook, but if this setup goes well, expect more like this down the line" (RECODE.net, 6/6).
