Twitch acquires IGDB to bolster search and discoverability capabilities

Streaming outfit Twitch has acquired IGDB (also known as the Internet Games Database) to bolster its search capabilities and help users more easily find the right content. 

As reported by TechCrunch, the acquisition will see IGDB's database feed directly into Twitch's search and discovery feature set, although the IGDB website will continue to operate separately. 

There's no word as to how much the deal cost Twitch, although the small size of the IGDB team combined with the fact the company has only raised $1.5 million to date means it likely didn't break the bank. 

"Millions of people come to Twitch every day to find and connect with their favorite streamers and communities, and we want to make it easier for people to find what they’re looking for," commented a Twitch spokesperson. 

"IGDB has developed a comprehensive gaming database, and we’re excited to bring them on to help us more quickly improve and scale search and discovery on Twitch." 

As for IGDB, it claims the move will help it finally create the "most comprehensive gaming database in the world" by harnessing Twitch's experience, skills, and considerable recourses.

There will, however, be a few changes moving forward. For starters, IGDB will merge its premium and free tiers into a single new free tier, meaning all users will now contribute information to Twitch as well as IGDB. 

The devs also wants to clean up some features and migrate infrastructure in order to free up room for new and improved tools, which we be detailed further down the line.