Twitch
Twitch
What happened to Inquisitor Ghost on TikTok?
Olivia Richman
A popular Call of Duty cosplayer and TikToker known as Inquisitor Ghost has allegedly taken his own life. The aftermath unfolded on a TikTok Live, leaving fans horrified and concerned. The cosplay community has been sharing emotional TikToks of Inquisitor Ghost after the cosplayer took his own life during a TikTok Live. Now fans want justice, claiming he was driven to end his own life over allegedly false grooming allegations. …
Twitch
IShowSpeed has been unbanned on Twitch
Olivia Richman
In a surprising twist, Darren “IShowSpeed” Watkins Jr. has been allowed back on Twitch. Previously permabanned for sexist behavior, IShowSpeed is being given a second chance to stream on Twitch. IShowSpeed is known for his wild antics, including an accidental flashing incident that got him booted from YouTube for a bit and then recently almost passing out from a science experiment gone wrong. Despite his bad behavior, however, IShowSpeed is …
Twitch
Drake FaceTimes Kai Cenat during livestream
Olivia Richman
Drake just dropped an album and then dropped into Kai Cenat’s livestream. Kai Cenat has blown up over the past few years thanks to his subathon and over-the-top behavior. While he has definitely had his fair share of controversies — including arrests — it hasn’t stopped Cenat from becoming a massive success and being close to celebrities. Recently, Ice Spice, Offset, and other rappers have appeared on Cenat’s livestreams. This …
Twitch
Deepfake MrBeast attempts to rip off fans
Olivia Richman
A lot of fans are skeptical after Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson recently claimed a giveaway he was doing was actually a deepfake scam. Deepfake is nothing new in the online world. There are a lot of deepfake videos of celebrities and streamers, including entire TikTok accounts dedicated to the trend. While some deepfake is just used to be creative and wholesome, others have taken it too far. Recently, MrBeast claimed that …
Twitch
Elon Musk streams Diablo 4 to more than a million viewers
Fariha Bhatti
Elon Musk has taken a major step towards turning X into an “everything app” by streaming Diablo 4 for over 50 minutes. It’s no secret that the world’s richest man is a gamer at heart. Elon Musk’s love for Overwatch and Diablo 4 isn’t hidden from the world, and now the business tycoon is sharing it with his followers by streaming on his own social media platform, X. When Twitter …
Twitch
MrBeast Samsung partnership sparks controversy
Olivia Richman
YouTuber Jimmy “MrBeast” has found himself in some sponsorship controversy, but this time most of the streaming community is on his side. Recently, MrBeast announced a partnership with Samsung and would start using the Galaxy S23 Ultra as his vlog camera on his main channel. This is nothing new in the streaming community, with content creators getting paid partnerships all the time. But this time, a news article had MrBeast …
Twitch
Kyedae says she’s completed her chemotherapy for cancer
Tokoni Uti
Popular Twitch streamer and content creator Kyedae Alicia Shymko has said that she’s off chemotherapy and will continue her other treatment on her road to recovery. A few days ago, Kyedae said that she’s finished chemotherapy, which is used to treat cancer by utilizing chemicals to kill the cells in the body. She still has other treatments to complete, but she shared the good news with her fans and the …
Twitch
xQc gets $1,500 knife skin in first hour of CS2
Olivia Richman
While Felix “xQc” Lengyel may have a wonky personal life, his cash is up right now thanks to Counter-Strike 2. Counter-Strike 2 has been out for a solid hour and xQc has already unboxed skins worth thousands on the market. After months and months of hints, CS2 finally launched and the FPS community has jumped on the bandwagon, including xQc. The stream decision has paid off big time. https://twitter.com/JakeSucky/status/1707143054002683988?s=20 Counter-Strike …
What happened at Horseshoe Bay with Ice Poseidon?
William Davis
Twitch
Paul “Ice Poseidon” Denino is making headlines for the recent controversy that split the Kick community. Unfortunately, this is not the first time Ice Poseidon takes things too far. One of his worst controversies happened in Horseshoe Bay, Texas. Ice Poseidon is no stranger to controversies and getting banned from the platform of his choosing. Earlier this month, Ice Poseidon hosted a problematic stream that is forcing Kick to change …
Twitch users can now see why they were banned from chat
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Twitch has introduced a moderation feature that will now reveal the reason users are banned from chat. Chat moderation has become more and more important as streaming grows and channels become bigger. It can be difficult for larger streamers to watch what’s going on in their chats, meaning trolls and toxic people can sometimes try to get away with harmful behavior. Twitch is attempting to make it easier for streamers …
What’s xQc’s real name, and why does he have an accent?
Fariha Bhatti
Twitch
The streaming world’s golden boy, Félix “xQc” Lengyel, eventually became a familiar name for a broader audience in 2023. But what is his real name, and why does he have an accent? A large chunk of xQc’s personal and professional life is available online. Still, his recent drama with ex-girlfriend Adept and Sidemen charity match appearance has caught the interest of a new audience interested in knowing more about the …
SteveWillDoIt challenges Tekashi 6ix9ine to a fight
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Controversial personality Steve “SteveWillDoIt” Deleonardis has picked up his beef with rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine, this time accusing him of being a pedophile. SteveWillDoIt was banned from YouTube in 2022, but that hasn’t stopped the content creator from being a massive online personality. This time around, he has taken to Instagram to continue a big beef with Tekashi, a flamboyant rapper who’s no stranger to serious allegations himself. This time around, …
Twitch streamers facing “Hacked by atomic” threat while live
Fariha Bhatti
Twitch
Twitch streamers are raising concerns about a malicious hack by an individual named atomic, who is using hacked accounts to post offensive messages, threats, and Discord links. While Twitch generally maintains a strong level of security against external hacks, an unusual situation has arisen since this morning. Streamers have been reporting a “hacked by atomic” message appearing on their profile when live. Twitch has yet to officially acknowledge or address …
Should you play Baldur’s Gate 3 or Starfield?
Olivia Richman
Twitch
If you ask Michael “shroud” Grzesiek, you should play Baldur’s Gate 3 instead of Starfield. Here’s why. Baldur’s Gate 3 and Starfield are the biggest games of the summer, with both fighting for the number one spot on Steam. Both are massive games, but there’s not much else in common aside from their expansive worlds. Baldur’s Gate 3 is a Dungeons & Dragons-inspired RPG, while Starfield is an open-world space …
Nadia accuses Call of Duty of sexism
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Streamer Nadia has accused Activision Blizzard of sexism after not getting invited to Call of Duty Next. CoD Next is one of the biggest Call of Duty events of the year, with fans coming from all over the world to meet popular Call of Duty competitors and creators. It should also have a lot of information on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. In preparation for the big event, invites …
xQc abuse allegations closed, speaks on past relationships
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Felix “xQc” Lengyel recently went public with the results of a sexual assault and domestic violence investigation. A criminal investigation was recently opened up against xQc after his former wife Samantha “Adept” Lopez made sexual assault and domestic violence claims against him. It was the latest of ongoing drama between the two content creators, a public split that has resulted in a lot of tension and concerning accusations. On June …
Amouranth is ready to sell something else again
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Another day, another business venture for Kaitlyn “Amouranth” Siragusa. The streamer has recently announced that another business is incoming. Amouranth is no stranger to investing in businesses and creating her own products, everything from gas stations to farts in a jar. Now, Amouranth is looking to tackle the notoriously challenging beverage industry with a drink of her own. On August 24, Amouranth shared the news with fans on social media. …
Streamer claims she was kidnapped and held captive
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Popular Just Chatting streamer Cheon “Berry” Yeseo had fans worried when she suddenly disappeared from social media. Now she has returned with a horrific story to tell. On August 14, 2023, fans became concerned when her stream ended in an unexpected way. After a few days, Berry posted on Instagram that she had been kidnapped and tied up. Meanwhile, the attacker had hacked into her accounts and was posting as …
Is IShowSpeed banned from YouTube?
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Controversial YouTuber Darren “IShowSpeed” Watkins had fans worried when he exposed himself on stream. But it looks like YouTube is blushing and turning the other way. On August 16, IShowSpeed decided to stream himself playing Five Nights at Freddy’s on YouTube. The popular horror game includes a lot of jump scares from demented animatronics and apparently one of those shocking moments prompted IShowSpeed to start thrusting. After yelling, IShowSpeed exclaimed: …
MoistCr1TiKaL has Twitch contract terminated
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Charles “MoistCr1TiKaL” White is no longer streaming on Twitch. Moist is known for his hot takes and hilarious commentary on YouTube, where he posts videos of him talking about a variety of relevant gaming and culture topics. But a lot of the content from those videos actually comes from his streams on Twitch. Unfortunately, Twitch has now terminated his contract. On August 15, Moist announced in a video titled “Goodbye …
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.
