Are in-browser game demos Twitch’s entry into the booming live shopping industry?

If you could watch a streamer play a game and then try it out for yourself without leaving your seat, would you be more likely to purchase the full version of that game? Twitch is putting that theory to the test.

An experimental feature on the Amazon-owned platform is titled Game Lift, and it reimagines Twitch’s position in the gaming world. Titles featured via Game Lift will be playable within Twitch, adding an interactive twist to the platform’s offerings.

Zach Bussey, an analyst who often reports on new Twitch features, was among the first people to spot game lift in the wild. He described the horror adventure game Reanimal as the first title promoted via the feature, and he checked out the demo for himself. Twitch users who search for Reanimal will now be prompted to try out a 20-minute gameplay sample.

Game Lift represents a rare intervention from Twitch’s parent company. Since acquiring the streaming hub in 2014, Amazon has done shockingly little to synergize with its subsidiary. Some of the most promising Amazon integrations on Twitch have been discontinued before taking off, and Twitch seems to be hurt by its association with its parent company as often as it’s helped. The alliance between the two companies is best known for its squandered potential

Recently, that relationship has started to evolve. Amazon has souped up Twitch’s affiliate marketing business and is now providing a “lift” for game studios that want to convert stream viewers into paying customers. Game Lift was “developed by Amazon” as an ad product, Bussey reported.

Game Lift has potential for developers and distributors, but the experimental feature’s relationship with the Twitch community is equally intriguing. We’re in the midst of a social shopping boom, with platforms like TikTok and YouTube generating billions of dollars of quarterly sales. Ecommerce on social media is particularly big among Twitch’s core Gen Z demographic, and other streaming hubs — especially Whatnot — have harnessed a live shopping industry that now accounts for about $22 billion of annual sales.

Live shopping is too big for Twitch to avoid, and Game Lift is a sensible way for Twitch to bring more ecommerce to its shores. If studios can reliably use Twitch to distribute demos and sell video games, ad dollars will surely follow — and consumer interest won’t be far behind.