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 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.

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.

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.

View full profile

Read Also

Fortnite

When does the current Fortnite season end? Zachary Roberts When does the current Fortnite season end? This is a question that's always important to know the answer to. For one thing, many elements of the season, such as the items and characters, will go away at that time. That is also when players will no longer be able to earn battle pass rewards. So, when does the current Fortnite season end? Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 3 just began, but ...

Fortnite

Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 3 Battle Pass leaks early, here are the characters Zachary Roberts Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 3 is coming in a matter of days, so now is a great time to keep your eyes peeled for leaks. They'll be flowing pretty freely in the lead-up to June 5, which is when the current season ends. Unsurprisingly, the battle pass has and will continue to be a big part of that. While we don't know every item that will be included, we do ...

Fortnite

Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 3 leaks reveal possible name and theme Zachary Roberts Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 3 is nearly here. In early June, Season 2, the Showdown season, will come to an end. On June 5, Season 3 drops, which puts it less than two weeks away. Sadly, that means there are only two weeks left to claim current season rewards, but it also means the leaks are going to start flowing in. They always do when a new season nears. Every ...

Fortnite

The rarest Fortnite Skins out there Zachary Roberts Wondering about the rarest Fortnite skins that have been part of the game? Plenty of people do. While they're not like Pokémon cards and do not carry real-world for being rare, it is still a little bit of a flex to have some of these uncommon skins. In some instances, extenuating circumstances caused a skin to be unavailable for the rest of time (Travis Scott), while other times, gamers just ...

Twitch

Here’s what we know about Clix’s net worth Khizar Mundia Cody “Clix” Conrod is a famous Fortnite streamer who has recently gone on record talking about his yearly income. This has led to fans to speculate as to what Clix's net worth is, given his huge growth in popularity in recent years. American streamer Clix may have started his career by playing Fortnite, but he soon became one of the more popular content creators around regardless of game of choice. ...

Fortnite

How to spectate your friends playing Fortnite M Alzamora Sometimes, it's nice to take a break from battling in Fortnite and spectate instead, and here's how to watch the game rather than compete. There are a number of reasons why players might choose to act as Fortnite spectators rather than actually participate. Watching can provide valuable insight into strategies and new tricks, especially for those newer to the game. In some cases, it can even help give teams a ...

Fortnite

Does Fortnite BR have global chat? Here’s how to turn it on Fariha Bhatti Fortnite has added a global chat option, and players can finally hear each other mid-match, for better or worse. Text chat is pretty common in multiplayer games because it's an easy way to communicate. Not everyone has a mic or feels like using one, so having a text chat option is often seen as a must-have. The same can not be said about global chat. Most gamers agree such a ...