Official reason
Mixer shutting down; partnership with Facebook Gaming.
Microsoft · Gaming
Mixer
RIP
2016–2020 · 4 years in market
Beam, then Mixer. Ninja’s exclusive did not move the culture. Twitch remained home.
Launched
Jan 1, 2016
Discontinued
Jul 22, 2020
Cause of death
Lost to a competitor
What actually happened
Buying a streamer is not buying a community. FTL tech was real; the chat was empty.
Lesson
Exclusivity deals rent attention. They do not relocate a hangout.
Similar products that survived
Amazon
Twitch
Still where the raiders go.
Related autopsies
Microsoft
RIP
Internet Explorer
1995–2022 · 27 yrs
The browser that won the first war and lost the next three. Retired in favor of Chromium Edge.
Developer Tools/Replaced by successor+41
Microsoft
RIP
Windows Live Messenger
1999–2013 · 14 yrs
MSN Messenger’s last name. The after-school chat of a generation, retired for Skype.
Messaging/Replaced by successor+34
Microsoft
RIP
InfoPath
2003–2015 · 12 yrs
Enterprise form designer. Power users loved it; Microsoft wanted Power Apps.
Productivity/Replaced by successor+32
Microsoft
RIP
Windows Mixed Reality
2017–2023 · 6 yrs
PC VR headsets from Acer, HP, Samsung. SteamVR and Quest made the Windows-branded aisle irrelevant.
VR / AR/Hardware miss+32