Mixer announces that annoying 24/7 spark farms and ‘follow for follow’ streams are going byebye

One of Mixer’s most annoying “features” is being cut back next week, announces Microsoft.

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Mixer is Microsoft’s Twitch competitor and made headlines last year when they began signing major Twitch talent like Shroud and Ninja into exclusivity deals. However, things haven’t exactly been smooth sailing at Microsoft’s nascent streaming service as of late.

A few partners have been expressing their annoyance about the platform as of late, with issues ranging fromarchaic clothing rulesto unstable stream feeds.

One big sore point has long been 24/7 streams, where a user just sets their stream on some radio station and goes AFK, billing themselves as a “spark farm,” Mixer’s currency for viewing streams. There’s also been a rise of “follow for follow” spammers, who aren’t actually actively streaming. Some of these streams end up trending on the front page, taking precious space away from legitimate streamers on a platform that isn’t exactly awash with viewers.

Today, Microsoftannouncedvia Mixer’s LevelUpCast that it’s taking action, along with a few other useful Mixer updates.

With Mixer’s founders departing the platform last year, Mixer still feels like it’s going through a lot of “growing pains” as a platform and a community, but hopefully Microsoft will start to pick up the pace if it wants to play with the big boys at Twitch and YouTube.

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Jez Corden is the Executive Editor at Windows Central, focusing primarily on all things Xbox and gaming. Jez is known for breaking exclusive news and analysis as relates to the Microsoft ecosystem while being powered by tea. Follow onTwitter (X)andThreads, and listen to hisXB2 Podcast, all about, you guessed it, Xbox!