Sony Online chief to game marketers: Ignore livestreaming at your own peril

SAN FRANCISCO — Livestreaming gameplay on Twitch has become one of the most effective marketing channels for spreading the word about new video games, according to a panel at the Game Marketing Summit.

Companies like Sony Online Entertainment have figured out that traditional game advertising doesn’t work nearly as well as the authentic and fan-driven word-of-mouth enthusiasm of Twitch streamers, who can broadcast their gameplay to other spectators. Twitch on the PC and the new consoles has become a huge marketing channel because it is the trusted social currency of the day, and it is part of a do-it-yourself movement toward marketing authenticity.