War Owl briefly loses his YouTube verification
Popular Counter-Strike: Global Offensive YouTuber and steamer War Owl briefly lost his YouTube verification.
He confirmed the news in a statement on Twitter and opened up on what had happened.
“I lost channel verification on YouTube. Be careful of people impersonating me asking for skins/money or advertising gambling (which currently happens on Twitter and Steam) not sure why this happened, I get impersonated all the time,”
wrote War Owl on Twitter. Right after this tweet, War Owl clarified that while he still had his verification checkmark, he received an email from YouTube notifying that he would be losing it soon.
The incident happened after YouTube announced new criteria for channel verification. Previously, any channel with over 100,000 subscribers was eligible to receive a badge. Under the new criteria, channels must go through a more in-depth process. YouTube announced that they would only verify channels that are relevant and prominent in the platform.
The change affected all types of content creators, including many in the gaming industry. Small content creators rely on the verification mark to increase their engagement with other YouTubers and avoid copycats. Steamers use YouTube as a way to offer highlights of their streams to fans and engage with a new audience.
The decision drew the ire of many YouTubers, as well as their fans. As a result YouTube amended their decision and returned the verification badges of many content creators, including War Owl.
“Wow, YouTube actually listened and will be giving back verification to all of the channels affected. Credit where credit is due,”
wrote War Owl on Twitter
after YouTube announced that verified content creators would keep their verification checkmark.
YouTube is still reviewing channels so they can protect content creators from channels that steal or repurpose their content.
At the moment of this publication, War Owl’s channel is verified and has 1.19 million subscribers.
Read Also
Esports Betting
Here’s the complete Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 schedule
Hannan Mundia
The Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 has finally arrived, and here’s the complete schedule for the event to ensure you don’t miss anything. While it isn’t exactly the newest name in the esports scene, the EWC has quickly become a leading event for esports fans worldwide. It brings together professional players and fans from various games, combining them into one long event that everyone can enjoy. 2026’s Esports World Cup ...
Counter-Strike
XSE Pro League 2026 in China: Teams, format and prize pool
Owen Harsono
Counter-Strike is back after the IEM Cologne Major, as the XSE Pro League 2026 is the first notable event since then. 16 teams book flights to China to compete in the million-dollar event. Here’s everything you need to know about the XSE Pro League 2026 event. Top-tier Counter-Strike returns to the passionate grounds of China, as the event will take place in the city of Guangzhou. Teams will play in ...
Esports Betting
Will Valve add Cache in the CS2 Premier Season 5 Active Duty map pool?
Wasif Ahmed
Following the highly anticipated return of Cache to Counter-Strike 2 earlier this season, the competitive community has almost started believing that the legendary industrial map would soon make its way into the Active Duty map pool for Premier Season 5. This expectation followed a pattern set by Train, which Valve brought back late last year before quickly pushing it into the main professional tournament rotation. However, in a recent Twitter ...
Counter-Strike
IEM Cologne Grand Final: Team Falcons vs FURIA best betting predictions
Owen Harsono
Coming into the IEM Cologne Major, nobody would have expected a grand final series between Team Falcons and FURIA, but here we are. Will NiKo finally win his first Major, or will FalleN win another one before retiring at the end of the year? Here are our IEM Cologne Major Grand Final predictions. Tournament: IEM Cologne Major 2026 Stage: Grand Final Game: Counter-Strike 2 Format: Best-of-five Betting tip: Team Falcons ...
Counter-Strike
Team Spirit vs Team Falcons IEM Cologne Major: betting predictions and picks
Owen Harsono
We’re in for a treat, as Team Spirit will take on Team Falcons for a spot in the IEM Cologne Major grand final. Will NiKo finally get another shot at winning a Major, or will donk and company prevent him from accomplishing his lifelong goal? Here are our IEM Cologne Major Team Spirit vs Team Falcons predictions. Tournament: IEM Cologne Major 2026 Stage: Semi-Final Game: Counter-Strike 2 Format: Best-of-three Betting ...
Counter-Strike
Vitality vs Falcons betting predictions and best picks: IEM Cologne Major 2026
Owen Harsono
We’re treated to a possible grand final matchup here in the quarterfinal of the IEM Cologne Major, with Team Vitality taking on Team Falcons in an elimination match. These are two of the highest-profile teams in the game right now, but only one of them can continue their chase for the trophy. Here are our IEM Cologne Major Team Vitality vs Team Falcons predictions. Tournament: IEM Cologne Major 2026 Stage: ...
Counter-Strike
IEM Cologne Major 2026 playoffs preview: matchups & predictions
Owen Harsono
The top eight teams at the IEM Cologne 2026 Major are set. Most of the favorites easily secured their spots, but we also have promising underdogs sneaking into the bracket. To keep you up to speed, here’s everything you need to know about the IEM Cologne Major playoffs. We started with 32 teams and are now only down to eight. After a grueling Stage 3, teams have been seeded into ...
