GTA 5 is one of the biggest games on Twitch and has launched the careers of several well-known streamers. Twitch invited MeinMMO for a discussion and streaming expert Lydia spoke with Mike Minton about the success of GTA 5 and the plans for GTA 6.
Who is Mike Minton? As “Chief Monetization Officer” of Twitch, Mike Minton is responsible for everything that helps streamers make money. This includes paid subscriptions, the Twitch currency Bits, as well as partnerships with brands and advertising.
As such, he is also referred to as Twitch’s “Money Guy”.
MeinMMO talked to Mike about the success secret of GTA 5, the role of Twitch in it, and got a little insight into the plans for GTA 6.
The entire industry is eagerly waiting for GTA 6:
GTA 5 and the Magic of Twitch
MeinMMO: To what extent do you think the success of a game depends on how well it performs on Twitch?
Mike Minton: It depends on the game. The fact is that almost every gaming publisher and game developer in the world uses Twitch to market their games. In many cases, they have also learned to develop their games on Twitch. It has become part of their development cycle, which is really fascinating.
So they work with streamers from the very start, get advice, often bringing streamers in for early playtests. And when they go through some kind of early access, they do so in close collaboration with streamers who showcase the game and interact with the community. Often, the developers themselves are in the streamers’ communities and engage there.
So it was really fantastic to see the evolution of Twitch – not just as a marketing service or platform for games, but truly as a place that developers embrace throughout the entire development process.
And I think almost every game that has been successful in the last ten years had a targeted Twitch strategy and influencers as part of its success.
MeinMMO: Can you name a specific example where Twitch significantly increased a game’s popularity?
Mike Minton: Let’s take one of the biggest examples: Grand Theft Auto 5 in the last four or five years, with the introduction of role-playing servers where creators have driven stories and taken on roles, really building stories around those roles. That became extremely popular and revitalized GTA, based on the work that the creators have done.
That’s a really great example of the magic of Twitch – communities forming around a story and interaction with the audience.
I mean, GTA 5 is now, what, twelve years old? And yet it’s still huge – simply because the creators have poured so much passion into it. That has given the game a completely new lease on life.
Path of Exile is probably also a pretty good example. Such live-service games that go through seasons. I think they also had really good success on Twitch, both in using influencers to drive engagement for the game and making the launch of seasons big events. That is very much driven by influencers.
Everyone tunes in on Fridays to see what the latest build is and how to succeed in the new season.
And if you can’t catch the stream, you can find strong builds of course here on MeinMMO.
“We create a product that enables magic”
MeinMMO: You mentioned the community-driven aspect. What role do you see for Twitch in that regard?
Mike Minton: Yes. Our role is more behind the scenes. By that, I mean: We are in close contact with many studios on the developer side and support them with specific activations – such as through drops campaigns or by connecting them with suitable streamers to specifically push new content or events like a new season, as is often the case with GTA 5. So our role is to actively foster these relationships between developers and streamers.
On the streamer side, it’s mainly about developing tools that enable them to build a great environment and community around that content.
From clips that help streamers find new audiences on other services or maintain their connection with their audience on Twitch, to all the products that help them grow and monetize their audience. This also includes the subs we’ve already talked about.
So we are very present in this dynamic between developers, streamers, and new players, but we are more of a mediator in this relationship.
MeinMMO: Okay. So you see yourselves as the connecting element that brings them together.
Mike Minton: Well, we create a product that enables this magic. Right. And that’s in many ways the magic of Twitch: that you can have this interaction in a very safe environment.
I’m sure we are a place for the publishers of GTA where they want to see their content showcased. Creators feel comfortable with what they can do on the platform to promote interaction, and viewers know that when they tune in, they will have fun.
MeinMMO: You mentioned a safe space for showcasing games. We’ve seen some roleplayers in the past who may have been a bit too enthusiastic and got banned on Twitch for their roleplaying. How can Twitch help in such situations?
Mike Minton: I’m not familiar with the specifics of the mentioned examples, but our approach is more to inform, educate, and assist creators. That starts with our clear and consistent community guidelines that define what is allowed on the platform.
There are certain types of content that we allow on Twitch, but they must be labeled. Those who use strong language must label this content accordingly. This way, viewers can specifically hide it – and advertisers can also decide if they want to be associated with it.
My advice to creators who find themselves in such situations: Take a step back, read and internalize our community guidelines. I can’t speak about enforcement, the appeals process, and all that, but I know that we generally give streamers the opportunity to appeal if they feel we made a wrong decision.
We review these cases carefully and, of course, also reverse decisions. If it was a mistake, they express remorse, etc. Those are all important parts of this appeals process. So get back up and keep going, because in most cases, your audience will still be there waiting for you when you return.
“GTA 6 will be a wave that builds slowly”
MeinMMO: So it’s about finding the balance between creating a safe space for communities and allowing creators to express themselves. Okay. GTA 5 is still a huge hit, but GTA 6 is on the horizon, which will likely spark a whole new wave of interest in the RP scene. How much does Twitch plan to invest in the upcoming content?
Mike Minton: Yes. I think it will be a wave that builds over time. That’s why we will have a long-term perspective regarding the various phases of the game from the start.
First, the focus will be on the single-player campaign. That will be a key point. This game will likely be the biggest game of our lives, at least as we know it, and there will be a huge hype around it.
We will work with Take-Two and so on to make it as big as possible for them and activate it on Twitch as they want for the launch of their game.
Then there will probably be a cycle around the online multiplayer at some point later, which will be an even more important segment in the life cycle of this game on Twitch because that’s where the magic begins to happen.
And hopefully, as you say, roleplaying will be available, whether through the necessary mod support or direct support from the developers if they choose to go that route. I don’t know.
And then there’s also going to be a PC phase somewhere. They are only releasing it for consoles. So there are a lot of things and milestones in the launch of this game.
I hope for a long-lasting success for both them and us that fosters streamer and audience engagement for many, many years, just like with GTA 5. But I would say the long-term perspective is the most important.
MeinMMO: So you say you are working directly with Take-Two. You will be working directly with them to prepare for the launch.
Mike Minton: Yes. We have teams that mainly work in business development. We work hand in hand with the publisher on all these major launches, as they want to know from us how to achieve the greatest success for their game on Twitch.
So we have people who work both with the publisher and with Rockstar on the developer side and discuss what we have learned over the years. These are, for example, things like drops or other activations that can be done on Twitch through a big partnership with them. It’s both about marketing and business and the product itself.
MeinMMO: And might there be a more hands-on approach in the future, like official Twitch roleplay servers?
Mike Minton: Yes. I can’t say anything specific about that, but we are definitely having active discussions about how this game can become a lasting success. And I think Twitch will likely be part of that sustained success.
Mike Minton talks about a wave, others believe GTA 6 will hit like a meteor. Many developers and publishers are planning their releases so that they won’t land in the radius of the gaming blockbuster: Even the biggest publishers fear the release of GTA 6: “A huge meteor”
