Contraction is eliminating a badge that indicated game developers in a chat stream. The removal goes into effect today, October 21 (or “soon after”), and accounts with the badge will automatically lose it without any input required.
The badge was first introduced in 2022 as a way for developers to “be more visible and auditable in chat,” said developer relations manager Jon Bulava. He acknowledged that the feature was “useful”, but was cut to “reset the review process of our developer organization”.
According to Bulava, the current version of the badge has “challenges to overcome” and “there are no plans” to bring it back.
What changes with Twitch eliminating its developer badge
Developer organizations allow studios to create extensions or collaborate with other Twitch developers and get analytics on how a game is performing on the streaming platform.
Bulava revealed that after the launch of the developer badge, this led to an increase in the volume of requests from organizations, both legitimate and otherwise. In turn, Twitch had a “noticeable lag” in reviews and the queue became “increasingly difficult to manage.”
By deactivating the badge, the organization's current queue will be cleared so Twitch can start over. Developers who submitted a request (and including a game ownership claim) before November 1, 2024 will receive a completed review by December 1.
In contrast, the developers who submitted a request without a complaint before November 1st will receive a request denial email, which will “reset” the review process.
You can read more about the Twitch badge and the consequences of losing it Here.