Twitch lets Prime members vote for the indie title they’ll receive each month, while helping studios

Since Amazon’s acquisition of Twitch and the subsequent expansion of its Prime membership, the company has offered a free game each month to its premiums subscribers. Now, it’s shaking things up with its Indie Amplifier Program, built to help independent game studios while placing the choice in players’ hands.

Until March 11th, Prime members can vote for one of eight games that they want to receive at the end of the month, with the winner announced four days later on March 15th. Living up to its title, the program will offer the winner of the vote along with the two runner-ups $175,000 to aid them in their future ventures.

During the voting process, Twitch will coordinate streams to helps promote each game, giving each studio exposure and aiding Prime members in their decision. This includes interviews with developers in special livestreams and Ask Me Anything (AMA) events.

The eight games in the current selection are:

• Tales from Candlekeep: Tomb of Annihilation (BKOM Studios)
• Tumblestone (The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild)
• Treadnauts (Topstitch Games)
• High Hell (Terri Vellmann)
• I, Hope (Arconyx Studios)
• Shadow Tactics (Mimimi Productions)
• Kingsway (Andrew Morrish)
• SteamWorld Dig 2 (Image & Form)

Adding the choice into the mix is to help it further differentiate from previous offers implemented by Microsoft and Sony on their Xbox Games with Gold and PlayStation Plus respectively. Of course, the biggest reason is to give Indie games a bigger platform on Twitch.

Access to free games isn’t the only thing offered by Twitch Prime, with members also receiving the ability to view without advertisements, exclusive emoticons, extended chat options, a free Twitch subscription to any affiliated or partnered channel per month and a neat optional badge by the side of their name.

Of course, all of this is only beneficial for those that link their Twitch account to their Amazon.

KitGuru Says: Having already been a Prime subscriber for the One-Day Delivery, Amazon Prime TV and even to some extent the Prime Music selection, Twitch integration made the deal even sweeter. There’s also audiobooks included, if that’s your thing. As for this Indie Amplifier Program, it’s great to see Amazon pushing to help the little guys out there while giving its viewers control. Do you like the idea of the new initiative?

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