Pokimane calls out Twitch streamers for their subscriber tactics

Olivia Richman Published 07/05/2021

Anys “Pokimane” Imane is one of the most popular female streamers in the world, and she has some strong opinions about how other streamers are attempting to gain subscribers.

Pokimane has seen enough of streamers “begging” and “tricking” followers into subscribing. She said that these types of marketing tactics are “greedy” and “unnecessary” when it comes to increasing subscriber counts. This comes after an abundance of streamers have announced subathons and used other tactics to make more money off of their viewers.

“People who have like 50K subs and they’re saying ‘let’s get 51K’ all the time… I hate saying potentially controversial stuff or telling people what to do, but I find that off-putting,” Pokimane said.

In Pokimane’s eyes, this is simply a way to convince followers to give them even more money. She said it was not necessary, especially for streams that already “make so much money.”

Pokimane clarified that she wasn’t referencing any particular streamer. But many in the chat pointed to “hot tub” streamers and some big-name gamers who consistently announce sub goals. Others noted that they are just “playing the game” and it’s all a part of Twitch at this point. But Pokimame wasn’t so sure.

Pokimane calls out other streamers for being greedy about subscribers

While Pokimane clarified that trying to earn a better living on Twitch isn’t a bad thing, her beef is with streamers who don’t need the extra money and still use these tactics to encourage more fans to subscribe.

“There’s greediness. There’s wanting to just accumulate a lot of wealth. That’s not a bad thing. But you have to consider the fact that, when you’re streaming, a lot of the wealth that you’re accumulating is from other people’s pockets. Typically people that make less money than you,” Pokimane ranted.

The popular Valorant and Among Us streamer added that she won’t use these kinds of tactics to “squeeze money out of people” when she is not in need of the income. Pokimane noted that there’s a balance to using these kind of marketing ploys and when someone is already doing well she feels it might be on the greedy side of that balance.

Pokimane has stayed true to her passionate rant on marketing tactics herself. In 2020, Pokimane capped her tips at $5 max. At the time, Pokimane said she felt “lucky” to be where she was and wanted to thank her fans for supporting her. She added that any donation above five dollars felt “unnecessary.”

Still, others have argued that Pokimane does play on lonely men to get her donations. Her fans are often called a “simp army” by critics, with some in the streaming community joking that most of Pokimane’s followers are men who give her money just to be noticed by her. When it came out that Pokimane might be hiding a relationship to maintain her single status for viewers, this became an even bigger drama surrounding the streamer. But Pokimane has continuously denied that this is a tactic of hers.

Pokimane currently has 7.7 million followers on Twitch and over 9,000 subscribers. She is one of the top-earning female streamers on Twitch.

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