H1ghsky1 appears to have been banned from streaming on Twitch.
The popular Fortnite streamer’s channel has been shut down, with all videos disappearing and his page yielding nothing but an error message. The vanishing act comes days after reports circulated that his parents and sponsor lied about his age.
H1ghsky1 garnered attention as one of the youngest esports talents ever seen, placing highly in Fortnite tournaments and receiving a major sponsorship from FaZe Clan at just 13 years old. But last month, fellow FaZe Fortnite player Turner “Tfue” Tenney filed a lawsuit against the organization, with his court filing alleging exploitative practices and unfair contractual stipulations. Among his claims was that FaZe had signed an 11-year-old player, “lied about the minor’s age,” and “pressured the minor and his family to do so.”
Many assumed that Tfue was referring to H1ghsky1 and that was confirmed last week by Upcomer. The outlet sifted through archived social media posts made by H1ghsky1’s parents and discovered references to their son’s age that confirmed Tfue’s allegations. The posts suggested that H1ghsky1 is now 12 years old.
Though one could argue that this makes H1ghsky1’s success in Fortnite tournaments even more impressive, his age greatly impacts his ability to cultivate an audience. Most social media platforms demand users be a minimum of 13 years old, with Fortnite developer Epic Games also adopting that policy for its competitions. The revelations about the child’s age threaten to unravel his massive followings and keep him out of the professional Fortnite scene for the near future.
Neither FaZe nor H1ghsky1 have yet released a statement on the topic.
Though H1ghsky1’s Twitch channel has been shut down, other social media platforms have not yet taken action. His 960,000 follower Instagram account and his YouTube channel with 850,000 subscribers both remain active.
It is unknown whether Epic Games will allow him to continue competing in the Fortnite World Cup Qualifiers.
