Twitch announced today that it will have the exclusive third-party streaming rights for some of Blizzard’s biggest tournaments through 2018. As part of the deal, Blizzard is also giving Twitch Prime members in-game content for Overwatch, Hearthstone, and Heroes of the Storm. These are some of the most popular competitive games in an esports industry that’s projected to reach $1.5 billion by 2020.
Blizzard games are among the most viewed on Twitch. Overwatch and Hearthstone are both in the Top 5 most-watched games of 2016 (based on minutes watched) on the streaming site. World of Warcraft isn’t far behind at No. 6.
Twitch has detailed the plans for Overwatch goodies coming to its Prime subscribers. Twitch Prime is included with Amazon Prime, an $11 a month subscription that gives Amazon users discounts and free shipping. Twitch Prime offers ad-free viewing and game content promotions like this.
From June 20 to August 10, Twitch Prime subscribers will get a golden loot box in Overwatch. This will guarantee at least one legendary item, the rarest cosmetic drop in the game.
