XSplit integrates custom overlays into its livestreams with two major acquisitions

XSplit is expanding its platform today by purchasing two tools for livestreamers.

SplitmediaLabs, which owns and operates the XSplit service that enables you to simply broadcast video to Twitch and YouTube, revealed today that it has acquired the custom-overlay and video-graphics company Strexm for an undisclosed sum. More than 150,000 people use Strexm to bring interactive animations and other onscreen popups to their Twitch and YouTube gaming livestreams. SplitmediaLabs also acquired Steam Overlay Pro, which is a similar service that is still in development. Now, XSplit can provide a popular feature for livestreamers directly to its 8 million registered users.

As part of this deal, XSplit will also get Strexm v2.0, which is an upgraded take on the service. This update will improve the user interface and simply the creation tools. Strexm is also bringing in 150 new overlay templates based on popular games like Overwatch, Doom, and League of Legends.

These moves come as part of SplitmediaLabs $10 million strategy to invest in a variety of services for gamers. While the company has established itself with XSplit, it wants to provide a more complete platform. That led to SplitmediaLabs acquiring tournament-management site Challonge and social-network Player.me earlier this year.

“My cofounder, Jon Young, and I are incredibly proud of what we’ve built with Strexm, and our market leadership came at the perfect time for alignment with the dominant broadcasting software, XSplit,” Strexm cofounder Gareth Reynolds said in a statement. “The team behind XSplit has an incredibly convincing vision for what it will evolve into, particularly following the acquisitions of Player.me and Challonge, and the fit was obvious.”

The idea is to give gaming-related content creators an end-to-end experience for building videos and tournaments. With Challonge, you could start a tournament and use Player.me to find participants. Then you could build a custom overlay for your competition using Strexm before livestreaming the event through XSplit. It’s a clear strategy that could make SplitmediaLabs irreplaceable for many consumers.

“With these resources behind us, Strexm will continue to build into the premier stream-overlay editor for video creators and, together with XSplit, morph into the next-generation platform for broadcasters, players, and fans to connect around their favorite games,” explained Reynolds.