The robust, meme-filled chat feature on Twitch has long been one of the biggest selling points of the Amazon-owned platform. With its latest update, Twitch is helping out viewers who struggle to keep up with the discussion. It is introducing Chat History, which will display up to 50 messages for the benefit of stream newcomers.
Twitch announced Chat History through a tweet. The platform’s Twitch Support account revealed that the incoming feature will display the 50 most recent messages in a chat. If fewer than 50 messages are sent in an hour, Chat History will recap the chat’s last 60 minutes. The feature is being rolled out “over the next few days.”
📢 Starting today we’ll be rolling out Chat History for everyone!
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Catch up with what’s happening on the channel – chat will load the last 50 messages or last hour of chat, whichever is less.
This rollout will happen over the next few days, don’t panic if you can’t see it yet 💜
— Twitch Support (@TwitchSupport) February 6, 2023
On popular accounts, the last 50 Twitch chat messages may be nothing more than a rush of pogs and pepegas. For smaller streamers, however, Chat History will be a welcome update that stands to increase viewer engagement. Twitch’s rivals — specifically YouTube Gaming — have used in-stream chatboxes as the basis for monetization features.
By helping its viewers keep up with conversations, Twitch is drawing more eyes to one of its competitive advantages. In a year when the streaming platform plans to debut a number of new revenue streams, it is emphasizing the value of its iconic chat.
Chat History is not Twitch’s first attempt to bump old messages. Seven years ago, it unveiled Chat Replay, which allows users to relive the excitement of chat during thrilling stream moments.
