Ninja returns to stream on Twitch, but is he back for good?

Olivia Richman Published 05/08/2020

Ever since Mixer shut down, Tyler “Ninja” Blevin’s fans have been wondering what the Fortnite superstar was going to do next.

Ninja has been busy since Mixer’s shutdown. The streamer revealed that he was pursuing a career in Hollywood. His fans also appreciated Ninja’s new shoe line with Adidas. But they still had a burning question: where was Ninja going to stream now? Would he return to streaming at all?

A few weeks ago, Ninja hosted a stream on YouTube that saw many of his followers tuned in to watch him play Fortnite with some of his streaming friends. But despite rumors that Ninja would sign a deal with YouTube Gaming, Ninja never announced a partnership with the platform.

Ninja most likely signed to youtube, he currently has a test stream scheduled, probably didn’t mean to make it public but this is a huge hint.. pic.twitter.com/e4bd6lhD8M
— HYPEX (@HYPEX) July 7, 2020

Ninja streams on Twitch with Dr Lupo

Yesterday, Ninja hinted that he would be streaming with Benjamin “Dr Lupo” Lupo in the early morning, but didn’t mention where.

Tomorrow
8 am@DrLupo — Ninja (@Ninja) August 5, 2020

Early on the morning of August 5, Ninja surprised his fans again by tweeting out a link to his Twitch channel. The reaction from his fans was immediate.

Fortnite with @DrLupo https://t.co/QC3Dpr8MTr
— Ninja (@Ninja) August 5, 2020

Despite Ninja’s sudden announcement, the stream hit over 100,000 viewers in its early hours. It currently has over 70,000 viewers and Ninja’s usual, active chat.

Even though fans were quick to tune in to the surprise stream, some questioned his return to Twitch. Many of his followers recalled Ninja’s reasons for leaving the platform to begin with, including restrictive contracts and the toxicity of the Fortnite community in his chat. Ninja’s wife, Jessica Blevins, has also opened up in interviews about the negative aspects of partnering with Twitch, mentioning very restrictive outside brand deals that didn’t allow her husband to grow outside of streaming.

“With the wording of how that contract was going, he wouldn’t have been able to grow his brand much outside of gaming,” Blevins had told Business Insider when Ninja first moved to Mixer.

Is Ninja back on Twitch for good?

Even though Ninja had a lot of viewers on his return stream, there’s no proof that Ninja will stream consistently on Twitch in the future. While it’s possible, Ninja has yet to announce any sort of partnership. There’s also no streaming schedule outlined on his Twitch channel.

Ninja has already reportedly turned down Facebook Gaming’s alleged eight-figure offer after Mixer’s shutdown, leaving Twitch and YouTube as his most likely options if Ninja decides to stream full-time 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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