The Google deal sounded like a sure thing. News sites were so confident the deal was happening, TechCrunch's startup database CrunchBase had Google listed as the game-streaming platforms' acquirer from May until about an hour after the Amazon acquisition was confirmed. (The listing has since been updated.)
Why'd the Google acquisition fall through?
Anti-trust issues, according to Forbes' Ryan Mac. He writes:
Google was unable to close the deal, said sources familiar with the talks, because it was concerned about potential antitrust issues that could have come with the acquisition....One source noted that because of the concerns, Google and Twitch could not come to an agreement on the size of a potential breakup fee in case the deal did not go through.
Twitch is the largest acquisition Amazon has ever made. Before Twitch, online shoe shop Zappos was the largest; it was acquired for $850 million in 2009.