Twitch launches new tools for esports organizers

Twitch is expanding its commitment to uplifting esports on its platform by starting a new initiative aimed at giving tournament organizers tools to make their events work.

Versus by Twitch, which has a closed beta starting today, is an “end-to-end suite” of tools that will allow people to create and manage competitions geared toward streaming.

The closed beta will begin with select organizers that include Twitch Rivals, collegiate esports leagues, game developers, and some content creators.

For those who want to get a chance at organizing some esports competitions themselves, there’s a waiting list for the beta that you can sign up for.

This move by Twitch comes shortly after the platform added in an esports directory earlier in the spring. The directory was made to put all esports competition in one place for viewers who aren’t as interested in personality-driven content as they are esports.

Twitch has not yet announced how long it intends to run the closed beta for Versus. 

The set of tools seems to work similarly to the way that Twitch Rivals events do. Events can be made with a name, description, date, format, rules, and more.

The emphasis with Versus, though, seems to be that anyone will eventually be able to organize events in a seamless way that will connect directly to Twitch, getting rid of any need for tournament organizers to use a third-party website for organizing.