Google to Buy Live Gaming Service Twitch for $1 Billion

Signals new direction for YouTube

Google has closed a deal to purchase livestreaming gaming service Twitch for $1 billion, according to VentureBeat, which cites anonymous sources close to the matter.

Neither Google nor Twitch have commented on the deal, and it’s unclear so far what the exact purchase price is and when the deal will be officially announced.

Variety first reported in May that Google “had reached a preliminary pact to acquire Twitch for $1 billion.” The acquisition, handled by Google’s YouTube division, will bolster Google’s live Internet streaming offerings considerably, and likely represents a “significant transformation of YouTube’s business,” according to VentureBeat.

Twitch was created in 2011 by Justin Kan and Emmett Shear, who also cofounded the livestreaming website Justin.tv.

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