Streamlabs OBS, a leader in live streaming software, is removing the term “OBS” from its name after criticizing it from multiple sources, including popular streamers and other companies. As of today the company is called “Streamlabs”.
On Tuesday, the company was also alleged to have copied its website descriptions and design from a competitor called Lightstream. Streamlabs responded to this claim by Lightstream in a public tweet: “Text on the landing page was placeholder text that went into production by mistake. This is our fault. We removed the text as soon as we heard about it. Our intended version is now live. The Lightstream team is great and we reached out to them directly to apologize. “
On Wednesday, Streamlabs made a statement say that it would remove the “OBS” from its name and that it would take “full responsibility” for its actions. (The explanation was not related to Lightstream’s allegation.) Polygon has approached both Streamlabs and Lightstream for comment, but received no response prior to posting.
Streamlabs’ decision to remove “OBS” from its name follows a public tweet from the original developers of the open source software OBS. OBS’s tweet claims that Streamlabs asked to include “OBS” in its software title prior to launch. OBS asked Streamlabs not to do this, but Streamlabs did it anyway. “We tried to sort this out privately and they were uncooperative at every turn.” said the tweet from OBS.
Near the start of SLOBS, @streamlabs contacted us about using the OBS name. We kindly asked them not to. They did so anyway and then applied for a trademark
We tried to sort it out privately and they were uncooperative at every turnhttps://t.co/r1eXr3VxcJ
– OBS (@OBSProject) November 17, 2021
For strangers, Streamlabs OBS is free, open source software that makes streaming more user-friendly. Its software is based on another open source software called OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) that came before it. One way to think about it is that Streamlabs OBS is a newer, shinier version of OBS that is easier to use. But the name wasn’t the only problem the company faced.
On Tuesday, the company launched Streamlab Studio, cloud-based streaming software that enables content creators to share live gameplay without a capture card, PC, or third-party software. It also allows streamers to customize the look of their stream using their phones. It’s supposed to give console gamers the ability to stream without needing all of the fancy tech. It was announced as part of a partnership with the streaming platform Twitch.
The main problem is that similar software already exists. It’s called Lightstream and just like Streamlab Studio, it gives developers the ability to stream from their consoles and customize their streams using a mobile browser. As if that wasn’t enough, the actual website for Streamlab Studio also looks very similar to Lightstream’s website for the software – which Lightstream pointed out on their page official Twitter account.
This led to a lot of people piling up Streamlabs and accusing the company of copying from Lightstream, both in terms of the software concept and the actual website. This, coupled with the fact that this new service is offered as a premium service, with subscriptions starting at $ 4.99 per month or $ 49.99 per year, has also been criticized.
The popular streamers Hasan “Hasanabi” Piker and Imane “Pokimane” Anys called the company out Piker threatens Streamlabs “never to use” again if the company hasn’t resolved the matter. Years similar said she would ask to take her face off the platform if Streamlabs didn’t resolve these issues.
streamlabs solves this whole thread of problems better or I will ask them to take my face off the platform + use another donation service. https://t.co/jfJoxIvc0y
– imane (@imane) November 17, 2021