Twitch
Twitch
Is it best to stream on Twitch, Kick, or YouTube?
gabhernandez
Newbies aspiring to stream may wonder which of the three major platforms is best: Twitch, Kick, or YouTube. Streaming online has been around as early as the 2000s, but it kicked off in popularity in the late 2010s. Streamer culture began to permeate modern life, from the antics of Kai Cenat to the unabashed squeaks of Ironmouse. These streamers showcased a new form of live entertainment that appealed to millions …
Twitch
Asmongold is out of OTK Network; here’s what happened and why
Steven Rondina
Zack “Asmongold” Hoyt has split from OTK Network, the streaming network he founded, after a string of controversies. OTK Network has been involved in a string of controversies. While the company has been able to churn out plenty of lighthearted content like the OnlyFangs World of Warcraft guild and fan-focused watch-alongs with Will Neff, there have also been explosive controversies involving the group. Now, a few months removed from John …
Twitch
Destiny vs Pxie lawsuit details released: Here’s what to know
gabhernandez
A lawsuit from Twitch streamer Pxie against Steven “Destiny” Bonnell II has officially been filed, and many of its details are now available to the public. The streaming world has played host to many problematic figures. Every year, more speak out against famous figures who used their platform to take advantage of fans and fellow streamers at their most vulnerable. Destiny, a controversial streamer even before these latest allegations, has …
Twitch
Who is sunglitters, OnlyFangs’ breakout streamer star?
Khizar Mundia
The World of Warcraft hardcore streamer guild OnlyFangs has no shortage of popular content creators on its roster, and breakout star sunglitters has become particularly popular among the guild’s fans and viewers. OnlyFangs is known for its fraught gameplay and interpersonal drama that keeps viewers entertained and on the edge. Tyler “Tyler1” Steinkamp’s drama is the most recent and he put the guild on blast after his character Tonkatonk died …
Twitch
Divorce documents reveal Nmplol, Malena were married
Hannan Mundia
While Twitch streamer Nick “Nmplol” Polom and former partner Malena Tudi broke up in late 2024, a divorce petition suggests the former couple was actually married, much to the surprise of many of their fans. While dating and relationships are usually private matters, it’s hard for streamers to keep their fans entirely in the dark. With their lives already on public display, many streamers opt to feature their partners on …
Twitch
Tyler1 dies in OnlyFangs raid, blasts guild in heated rant
Steven Rondina
The life of Tyler “Tyler1” Steinkamp’s WoW Classic character Tonkatonk has come to an end during his first Molten Core raid as OnlyFangs’ leader, and that may mark the end of his time with the guild. OnlyFangs has been a constant source of both excitement and drama for Twitch viewers. The World of Warcraft guild brings together many of the biggest streamers on the platform and some of the biggest …
Twitch
HasanAbi versus Ethan Klein drama continues with more claims
Olivia Richman
Political streamer “HasanAbi” Piker and podcast host Ethan “H3H3” Klein have been taking hits at each other over the past year, and the drama has continued in a recent episode of the H3 Podcast. On February 5, Klein took a further jab at HasanAbi, this time with a claim that he owes his career entirely to Steven “Destiny” Bonnell. Essentially, HasanAbi and Destiny have been beefing with each other even …
Twitch
The Quin69 and StaySafeTV drama explained
Khizar Mundia
Quintin “Quin69” Crawford is beefing with Matt “StaySafeTV” Morse, but what sparked the drama? Twitch has always been a hotbed for controversy, and with increasingly rising tensions from current events, it has only magnified. In 2024, Twitch banned multiple notable figures, raised subscription prices, and even appeared on the news for the alleged proliferation of bigoted communities. Amidst the drama of 2024, StaySafeTV was banned for what he claimed to …
Everyone who died during the first OnlyFangs WoW raid
Hannan Mundia
Twitch
World of Warcraft Classic hardcore has been heavily featured with the OnlyFangs streamer guild finally holding its first raid day of 2025, and quite a few characters died during the guild’s big debut run. With over a decade of history, World of Warcraft has seen its ups and downs in relevancy. While the game has always had a dedicated fanbase, it fell off the mainstream pedestal until the OnlyFangs guild …
What’s going on with the PirateSoftware DMCA drama?
Khizar Mundia
Twitch
Jason “PirateSoftware” Thor Hall is again in the drama cycle, this time for allegedly censoring other creators with DMCA claims. PirateSoftware has recently come under fire in the public eye due to back-to-back controversies. Earlier in January 2025, PirateSoftware was kicked from the OnlyFangs guild. OnlyFangs is a streamer-only hardcore World of Warcraft guild that has the likes of Tyler “Tyler1” Steinkamp, Thomas Chance “Sodapoppin” Morris, and Matthew “Mizkif” Rinaudo …
Here’s the roster for the first Onlyfangs WoW raid of 2025
Khizar Mundia
Twitch
Onlyfangs has settled on the roster for its first raid in 2025, and it proved surprisingly spicy for fans. World of Warcraft is one of the longest-running MMORPGs ever. Through all the ups and downs of Blizzard, World of Warcraft remained a reliable performer for the company. Even in 2025, the game still garners thousands of viewers on Twitch. The streamer guild Onlyfangs accounts for a lot of those thousands. …
Dr Disrespect re-monetized on YouTube, so what’s next?
Steven Rondina
Twitch
Guy “Dr Disrespect” Beahm’s streaming career took a much-needed positive turn, with the personality telling his fans that he was re-monetized on YouTube. 2024 was a disastrous year for Dr Disrespect. The former face of Twitch answered the long-standing question of why he was banned from the top streaming platform, confirming that he had exchanged sexual messages with a minor on Twitch. While the bombastic streamer was able to rebound …
TheNicoleT gets 9th Twitch ban, and it may be permanent
Steven Rondina
Twitch
Nicole “TheNicoleT” Turnbull has been banned from Twitch and it’s looking like this one is actually permanent. When it comes to often-banned streamers, many think of Kaitlyn “Amouranth” Siragusa. Newer fans of Twitch might instead think of Jessica “asianbunnyx” Ly. Right in the thick of things when it comes to getting regularly banned is TheNicoleT. From 2022 to 2025, the ASMR streamer was banned a whopping nine times, something that …
Erobb banned from Twitch; here’s why and if it’s permanent
Steven Rondina
Twitch
Eric “Erobb” Robbins’ 2025 is off to a rough start after an unfortunately hectic 2024, with the streamer being slapped with a ban from Twitch. Erobb was at the center of several big stories regarding Twitch last year. The streamer went through a high-profile separation from his partner during the year, which was allegedly due to his infidelity. Around the same time, he announced a hiatus from streaming due to …
Yamato survives Gurubashi Arena, new OnlyFangs drama ensues
Khizar Mundia
Twitch
OnlyFangs member and popular streamer Yamato was sent to Gurubashi Arena as a punishment in World of Warcraft hardcore, and fans are angry that he somehow survived. It’s almost impossible for WoW hardcore guilds to avoid drama because of the number of players involved with the game and the stakes of hardcore mode. It’s no secret that OnlyFangs in particular encourages at least some light dramatics for content and views. …
Stasia latest to accuse Destiny of sharing explicit media
Khizar Mundia
Twitch
Steven “Destiny” Bonnell II has been in hot water since streamers began to accuse him of inappropriate behaviors, and now another alleged victim, Stasia, has come forward with her story. Destiny has seen no shortage of drama and controversy during his time in the limelight. He has been at the center of public spats with other streamers and livestreaming platforms, and has found himself banned from multiple streaming sites. Destiny …
Pxie accuses Destiny of non-consensually sharing photos
M Alzamora
Twitch
Steven “Destiny” Bonnell II may have found himself in serious trouble if he is guilty of sharing non-consensual photos of streamer Pxie. Destiny has gained traction over the years as both a political and gaming streamer. He has accounts on YouTube and Kick as well as his own popular podcast. Fans may know him equally for his interviews with important liberal political figures as well as his beef with other …
CottontailVA receives her first Twitch ban, and here’s why
M Alzamora
Twitch
Vtuber and voice actress CottontailVA has received her first Twitch ban after half a decade of streaming, much to her loyal fans’ chagrin. CottontailVA first debuted in November 2020 as a “Just Chatting” streamer on Twitch. Fans follow her to watch a collection of variety and horror games, her Confessional Booth, and her consistent engagement with her chat. In more recent years, CottontailVA has expanded into more NSFW content as …
PirateSoftware responds to removal from WoW OnlyFangs guild
M Alzamora
Twitch
After being kicked from the popular OnlyFangs streamers guild earlier this week, Jason “PirateSoftware” Thor Hall has pledged to quit hardcore WoW altogether. The streaming world is no stranger to controversy and drama, but World of Warcraft collaborations seem to be taking center stage. Notably, the WoW hardcore OnlyFangs guild has had a number of player removals, cheating scandals, and more. The latest casualty of the group was PirateSoftware, kicked …
Asmongold involved in Elon Musk drama after mocked POE2 run
M Alzamora
Twitch
In the latest drama to hit the streaming community, Zack “Asmongold” Hoyt is now entering an argument with X’s main man, Elon Musk. Twitch streamer Asmongold is no stranger to controversy. From issues with the FBI to multiple Twitch bans, he always seems to find a way to stay relevant in the public eye. Most recently, his commentary on Elon Musk’s gaming performance in Path of Exile 2 may have …
Twitch is the largest of all the major livestreaming platforms in and around the gaming world, but it wasn’t always that way. Th platform’s history dates back over many years and to a form of the service that had little to do with gaming. So how did it arrive to the top of the gaming marketplace from those humble beginnings?
Twitch transcends justin.tv, is acquired by Amazon
Twitch was originally born out of justin.tv, an early livestreaming website that focus more on general lifestyle streaming than on any one particular niche, gaming included. justin.tv, named after co-founder Justin Kan, was launched in 2007 and went on to feature multiple categories of streaming options. Among these was gaming, a category which quickly outpaced the growth of platform’s other categories.
Responding to this growth, justin.tv spun out its gaming section in 2011 into a new service called Twitch.tv, and that is the true starting point of Twitch as it exists today.
It would still be some time before Twitch would resemble its modern-day operation. The biggest move towards that progression came in 2014, when the streaming platform was purchased for just shy of $1 billion in cash by services and technology giant Amazon. That move transitioned the company being a private operation largely funded by private investment and internal revenues to one of many arms of one of the world’s largest and richest companies.
Twitch dominates gaming livestreaming
The growth of Twitch largely coincided with the growth of livestreaming the world over, and gaming was a key driver of that growth as audiences flocked in droves to watch charismatic personalities play through their favorite games both new and old. Some of those personalities would become so popular that they would rival mainstream celebrities in notoriety with younger audiences, from Tyler “Ninja” Blevins to Imane “Pokimane” Anys.
Some of those personalities would be poached by rival streaming platforms that cropped up in response to the runaway popularity of Twitch. Microsoft’s Mixer and YouTube’s YouTube Gaming both signed streamers with massive audiences to exclusive streaming deals via big-money contracts. But Twitch proved resilient; no matter how popular the streamers were when they were signed away, someone else seemed prime to fill their spot. Twitch had become more than just a vehicle through which popular personalities could stream. It was itself a destination for its audience.
Twitch does still continue to compete with rival platforms. Kick is perhaps its biggest competition today, offering generous
subscription revenue splits
in an effort to sway streamers away from Twitch. But Amazon’s platform remains the most popular.
Twitch finds controversy over moderation, censorship
Given the nature of the Twitch platform, one that is entirely reliant on user-generated content, it should come as no surprise that moderation and censorship have long been hot topics of conversation. Consistency, or lack thereof, is often cited as Twitch’s biggest issue as its moderation team struggles to pass judgments across a litany of streamers producing a great variety of content.
Those content types have only grown over time. While Twitch found massive popularity by moving away from the greater variety of justin.tv and focusing specifically on gaming, the platform has ironically pushed back into other categories in more recent years, attempting to find additional growth by emphasizing the streaming of art, music, and its popular “just chatting” content that sees streamers talking directly to their audience without any particular activity driving their engagement.
But while Twitch is now a lightning rod for controversy and discussion given its great size and breadth, that controversy has shown no real risk to lessening its grip on the livestreaming industry. Twitch has become the dominant name in its category, and with its biggest streamers continuing to
set new records, all signs point to that dominance continuing for the foreseeable future.
