Moonbeam is a new streaming service
currently funding on Backerkit with the tagline “Join the live streaming revolution”. The service promises better moderation tools, collaboration between creators and fans, and 100% of monetization going to creators with a focus on tabletop roleplaying games.
The new moderation system is titled “Pyxis” and promises to be a dynamic automated system to pre-emptively block messages of “cyberbullying, harassment, hate speech, and toxicity”. From the Backerkit:
“Chances are you or someone you know has experienced cyberbullying or harassment online. It’s a pervasive issue that makes the prospect of going live daunting, with the fear of becoming the next target of hate raids or vile trolls. This is where Pyxis comes in—our revolutionary moderation technology that proactively shields you and your community from cyberbullying, harassment, hate speech, and toxicity. Don’t want to see toxic language? Simply adjust your settings, and Pyxis will filter out those messages as if they never existed—moving beyond static keywords to a dynamic solution.
“What sets Pyxis apart is its understanding of the nuances of human language and sentiment. Pyxis enables you to preemptively defend your community from cyberbullying and toxic speech, ensuring a safe and positive live streaming viewing experience. Pyxis learns and adapts to your boundaries, fostering a healthy community free from constant vitriol and hate.”
If that sounds close to the currently controversial use of algorithmic generation and large language models (LLMs), Moonbeam has an answer for that:
“We are committed to using new technologies morally and ethically—to keep individuals safe online. Pyxis was created using ethically sourced data and does not generate visual media or art—zero, zilch, nada! We value all members of our community—this is why we are using Pyxis to address real problems that existing live streaming platforms have been unable to solve.
“As we developed Pyxis, we focused on keeping our environment safe. We're proud to say that even now, Pyxis's environmental impact per user per day is 65g CO2e. This is six times less than brewing a cup of coffee, which is equivalent to 400g CO2e. Our goal is to push for even lower environmental impacts as we grow.”
Moonbeam’s major “gimmick” separating it from Twitch, Kick, and other streaming platforms is the use of Realms.
“On Moonbeam, you don’t start a mere channel; you create a Realm—a community hub where you can chat via text and enjoy live streams or other video content together.
“As a Realm Owner, you can assign creative roles, such as streamer or producer, or even create your own unique roles. Grant someone the streamer role, and they can broadcast live within your Realm according to your rules. This flexibility allows streamers to broadcast across multiple Realms, delivering incredible video content to engaged communities on Moonbeam 24/7.
“Moonbeam’s approach lets Realm Owners concentrate on nurturing and growing their community, while streamers, producers, and moderators can focus on their craft—creating—without juggling multiple roles. Our modular system means one size doesn’t fit all; if you prefer to manage your Realm solo as a streamer/producer/moderator, you can still do it your way.”
Monetization is a big departure from Twitch as well, though it looks very similar on the surface. The service boasts all the normal monetization avenues – subscriptions, donations, merchandise sales, etc. except Moonbeam promises 100% of revenue goes to creators without the service taking a cut. There is also a premium currency called “moonstones” similar to “bits” on Twitch, where viewers can purchase moonstones from Moonbeam for an increased price, but all money from those donations goes to the creator. For example, 750 moonstones donated to a streamer is equal to US$7.50, but viewers purchase moonstones for a slightly inflated price of US$9.99.
Moonbeam will also offer the ability for creators to provide a revenue split to their team through the web interface. Moderators, video editors, guest hosts, players, and other collaborators on a stream can be assigned a percentage of all monetization done through Moonbeam to be split automatically and paid directly through Moonbeam.
So far, Moonbeam has multiple partners on board including Gen Con TV, Monte Cook Games, Evil Hat Productions, Kobald Press, Green Ronin Publishing, and others. Monte Cook is
currently offering grants to streamers willing to dedicate to making Cypher System content on the new service.
At the time of writing, Moonbeam has raised over $40,000 on a $10,000 goal with funding lasting until August 9, 2024. The service is already live in “pre-alpha” with an alpha phase expected in Q4 2024 and a beta phase in Q1 2025.
