Cloud9 Ziqo is back from ban on Twitch earlier than expected.

Olivia Richman Published 27/01/2021

World of Warcraft streamer Mohammed “Ziqo” Beshir is back on Twitch after six days, six hours, and 35 minutes.

While his fans celebrated his return, Ziqo didn’t seem so pleased about the situation. The streamer still demanded an explanation from Twitch. The streaming platform had never told him exactly why he was banned aside from a “copypasta” email that told Ziqo he’d used a hateful slur.

Ziqo noted that he didn’t recall ever using harmful language and even reached out to Twitch to find out what was said. But according to a recent video, Ziqo was ignored by Twitch completely.

“I was never given any context. I was never given the clip. I was never given anything other than a vague reason,” Ziqo ranted.

Unbanned on Twitch – still don’t know why or what happened https://t.co/529sldOdGr
— C9 Ziqo (@Ziqoftw) January 26, 2021

According to Ziqo, he had reached out to numerous Twitch employees, sometimes even asking for a five-minute discussion about what got him banned. While Ziqo noted that he told employees it was fine if they couldn’t get him unbanned, he just wanted to make sure his side of the story was being heard.

“It felt like they were ignoring me and hoping I’d just be quiet,” Ziqo recalled.

Why was Ziqo banned from Twitch?

Even though Twitch never told Ziqo what exactly got his account suspended, the World of Warcraft player did some digging of his own. With help from Cloud9’s manager, Ziqo spent the entire day filtering through VODs in an attempt to find the clip that got him suspended before they finally found something.

During a game of World of Warcraft, Ziqo yelled, “Fuck it, I’m ice blocking here” during an encounter. While Ziqo was simply saying he was “going all in” on defense, Ziqo realized that the term “fuck it” was misheard as a homophobic slur by some of his fans.

After bringing the clip to some viewers who confirmed that was the harmful slur Twitch was referencing, Ziqo brought the issue back to Twitch once again. In the appeal, Ziqo explained the entire situation. He then demanded that they immediately lift the ban and have his strike revoked. He also asked for a new account manager, since he felt like he was being “left out to dry.”

Once again there was no response. While Ziqo doesn’t blame individual employees at Twitch, he expressed frustration with the company for mishandling the situation and never offering a clear explanation or even a chance to discuss the problem.

Streaming community mad at Twitch, supports Ziqo

When Ziqo first announced his suspension and the lack of explanation from Twitch, popular content creator Felix “xQc” Lengyel immediately called out the platform.

“If I get a VOD timestamp when I get suspended, he should too. Twitch Support, please give this man a timestamp or fix. Streamers lose traction overnight. Stop stalling,” xQc said on Twitter.

Twitch has continuously been under fire over the past year thanks to the company’s inconsistent ban policies and suspension lengths. It’s always seemed as though Twitch provides special treatment to certain content creators, most often female streamers.

One recent example is model MissBehavin only being suspended for three days after accidentally sharing a three-minute live stream of her dancing naked and exposing herself. Meanwhile, popular streamer Sebastian “Forsen” Fors was banned for over a month after he accidentally showed a clip featuring horse genitalia for a few seconds.

To many in the streaming community, this seems unfair. Streamers have consistently asked Twitch for more transparent policies and clearer reasons behind the durations of their punishments. As they await an explanation, the streaming community has called out Twitch yet again.

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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