Valkyrae leaves Twitch for YouTube, contract details revealed

Olivia Richman Published 16/01/2020

One of Twitch’s most popular female streamers, Rachel “Valkyrae” Hofstetter, has signed an exclusive deal with YouTube. The 100 Thieves influencer revealed the news on her Twitter with a short video that was later uploaded to YouTube.

“You’ve watched me grow into the person I am today. And I’m so excited to keep moving forward. It’s time for the next chapter. Are you ready for something new?” she asked, alluding to the change in platform.

The video starts with Valkyrae playing some old-school games as a child, complete with some Froot Loops in the background.

“Throughout my entire life, there’s always been one thing that’s remained consistent. After the longest of days, it’s what inspired me to keep going,” she said.

A young adult-aged Valkyrae then appears in the video, sporting headphones and playing games online with friends. On the bottom of the video, a follower count rapidly increases, showing just how successful Valkyrae became during her journey as a gamer and streamer.

“And through my most difficult moments, this community has always been there for me. These past few years, every aspect of my life has changed. Because of you all, I’ve been able to give back to others. Especially those I love,” Valkyrae said.

In this part of the video, she shows her sick grandfather in the hospital, as well as some photos of her with him when she was younger. She also reenacts the moment she helped purchase a house for her mother.

Details leaked on Valkyrae’s deal with YouTube

Esports insider Rod Breslau was first to break the news, reporting on January 13 that she was set to make the move.

While that was big news on its own, Breslau also had behind-the-scenes details to share with his followers. Breslau stated that Valkyrae’s contract with YouTube had “significant terms,” but it was still less than the multi-million dollar deals that other major streamers have been getting by splitting from Twitch.

Valkyrae’s agency, United Talent Agency, negotiated the move, he said. United Talent Agency’s clients also include Pokimane, Disguised Toast, and qtpie. Breslau compared the agency to Tyler “Ninja” Blevin’s agency, Loaded, which helped him get an impressive deal with Mixer in August of last year.

Twitch continues to lose top streamers

As more and more big names from Twitch leave to stream elsewhere, it’s unclear if Twitch plans to address any of the issues streamers are having with the platform. Inconsistent ban rulings, censorship, and restrictive contracts are all problems that have been mentioned by streamers many times throughout the past year.

Meanwhile, Twitch and Valkyrae seem to be on good terms.

“Thanks for everything, and good luck to you and Mika! P.S. We’ll be on the lookout for your Attack on Titan Season 4 thoughts,” Twitch tweeted at her after she announced the move.

Valkyrae tweeted back that “it’s been an incredible five years.”

The amicable breakup between Twitch and Valkyrae is notable. Amazon’s streaming platform previously handled streamers leaving with passive aggression, with the most notable example being Twitch repurposing Ninja’s abandoned channel to advertise other streamers.

Many, including Ninja himself, saw this as pettiness on the part of 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.

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