Twitch adds server-based video call support to Curse

By Gabe Gurwin December 6, 2016

twitch adds video calls curse twitchlogo — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Twitch will soon roll out support for video calls to its Curse application. Starting today, the feature is releasing on Mac, Windows, and Chrome, with mobile support to follow in the future.

Engadget was told by Twitch that the new video call service will support up to five people at once, and users will also be able to screen-share with others.

To prevent against DDoS attacks, the calls will not be peer-to-peer, but rather server-based.

Curse has been touting its system as superior against DDoS attacks for quite a while now. Back in 2015, the company — not yet owned by Twitch — emphasized that its “Curse Voice” used cloud-based technology instead of the peer-to-peer systems used by services like Skype.

“We work with a lot of streamers,” Curse CTO Michael Comperda said at the time. “We’re all gamers, so we’ve actually experienced DDoS ourselves, our websites included. People attempt to DDoS our websites pretty much every day.”

In addition to its communication services and YouTube partnership program, Curse also offers a series of World of Warcraft mods that have become nearly essential for dedicated players. Deadly Boss Mods and BigWigs are both extremely useful for large raids, while the Omen threat meter allows players to easily tell when they need to stop attacking and allow their teammates to increase “aggro.”

Twitch acquired Curse back in August, with plans to integrate Curse’s services directly into the Twitch platform. At the time of the acquisition, Curse has 30 million monthly users across its applications, web services, and video channels.

“While it’s still early days for Twitch and Curse, we’re kindred spirits in many ways and are looking forward to working together to enhance our users’ gaming experience,” Twitch CEO Emmett Shear said in August.

Will you plan to use the new video service, or will you stick with other, non-Twitch-integrated options? Let us know in the comments!

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

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