The streaming game service Twitch will soon no longer be an online-only phenomenon. Today, the company announced TwitchCon, a two-day San Francisco meetup for fans, developers, and streamers. What will they be doing on September 25th and 26th? Besides the obvious networking and fan mingling, Twitch says attendees can "experience live content" and "learn from the community's thought leaders," in a truly masterful display of vagueness. The schedule, a "call for content," and more information (hopefully including the ticket prices) will be released in the coming months.
The event is co-produced by ReedPop, the prolific event coordination company behind New York Comic Con and Penny Arcade's PAX gaming convention, which will take place the month before TwitchCon. ReedPop has rapidly expanded its conference roster in the past couple of years; among other things, it's acquired Seattle's Emerald City Comic Con, launched a Paris Comic Con, and started a second New York Comic Con focused exclusively on comics. Twitch, meanwhile, has moved beyond its roots in video game broadcasting, hosting live concerts and encouraging musicians to license their songs to streamers. Whatever it has in store for TwitchCon, this is yet another step from video platform to institution.