Coin-Ops Raw Thrills Makes Splash At TwitchCon 2016

SAN DIEGO, CA -- Twitch.TV, a live streaming video platform gaming site, held its second annual conference from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2. TwitchCon, held in San Francisco last year, moved south to larger quarters at the San Diego Convention Center. While the final visitor figures are not yet available, initial estimates show an attendance jump of 75%, with more than 35,000 registrants.

This year's confab featured a healthy helping of arcade games, with Raw Thrills holding the marquee coin-op spot. The videogame company exhibited its MotoGP racer and popular Big Buck HD games. It also hosted the PJSaltan finals, in which four popular Twitch eSports streamers -- Dyoshi, ProtonJon, iKasperr and Ezekiel III -- competed against each other on the coin-op motorcycle racer. The four contestants were also challenged to take on Big Buck HD ladies world champion Sara Erlandson. The competition, which was streamed on the Raw Thrills Twitch.TV portal, was said to attract more than 20,000 viewers.

In addition to eSports and other attractions, showgoers were treated to a performance by EDM superstar Steve Aoki. Twitch, which was purchased by Amazon.com Inc. in 2014 for $970 million, boasts an estimated 45 million to 50 million users. Raw Thrills has used the gaming portal to stream its Big Buck Hunter World Championship and its regularly scheduled talk show broadcast Buckin' Around.

A WHOLE NEW GAME:ESports champs, more accustomed to competing on their couches at home, test their skills at some good, old-fashioned coin-op on Raw Thrills' MotoGP during the recent TwitchCon 2016.