If you’re not familiar with Curse, it’s a global multimedia and technology company focused on generating content and tools for PC gamers. One popular Curse tool is its desktop client providing instant messaging, voice chat, an in-game overlay, and more. The company also serves up add-ons for World of Warcraft, Minecraft, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and many other popular PC games, along with a separate client for mobile devices.
“This acquisition will help provide gamers with the tools and resources they need to achieve the ultimate gaming experience, a mission shared by both Twitch and Curse,” Freitas said. “Together Curse and Twitch will help gamers connect, interact, and share information with one another.”
According to the Curse company biography, the website was originally created to organize CEO Hubert Thieblot’s collection of adds-ons for World of Warcraft. The site was mostly designed for himself and a few friends. However, by 2006, he had launched Curse as a business thanks to the increasing popularity of his “hobby” gaming portal. The company landed $11 million in financing during 2009, allowing his small business to become a “gaming information giant.”
According to the company, Curse serves up gaming news and content to more than 50 million visitors each month through the popular desktop client, its social media channels, its video channels, and so on. Before joining Twitch, the company had 141 employees in six offices spread out across the globe, including locations in the UK, Germany, and Australia.
Numbers provided by Curse reveal that its website has 32 million monthly unique visitors, one billion monthly page views, and has 16 million registered viewers. It’s video services generate four million monthly views, provides 280 years of watched content, and has reeled in 500,000 subscribers on YouTube alone.
Websites that reside under the Curse umbrella include LoL Nexus, Arena Junkies, MMO Champion, the Minecraft Forum/Wiki, Futhead, and MarriLand. Additionally, the Curse timeline shows that it released the desktop client back in 2009, followed by Union for Gamers in 2012, Gamepedia in 2013, and Curse Voice in 2014.
“We’ve long been fans of what they’ve been doing and we know a lot of you have been too,” Twitch’s Freitas said on Tuesday. “As discussions with Curse progressed, we have gotten to know their exceptional team who shares our passion for gaming and are equally committed to supporting communities with an enriched, and more enjoyable experience.”
Twitch is actually the property of Amazon, and was acquired by the online shopping giant in 2014. At the time, Twitch CEO Emmett Shear said his company approved of the Amazon acquisition because both entities shared the same long-term vision and values. As for the combined Twitch/Curse team, all parties involved seem rather hyped about the possibilities this new partnership will bring. That said, with Amazon’s backing, Curse can now take its current portfolio to a whole new level.
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