Twitch
Twitch
CookieLoL’s apology stream backfires amid grooming, scamming accusations
Olivia Richman
League of Legends streamer Jakob “Cookie” Fransson, aka CookieLoL, has responded with an apology video after being accused of scamming viewers and flirting with minors. CookieLoL is a big streamer on Twitch known for his helpful advice and insight for League of Legends players. He currently has 141K followers on Twitch. The former pro player has remained at the top level of the competitive MOBA, but a 90-page document was …
Twitch
“Chris isn’t my nightmare”: MrBeast lashes out at haters
Olivia Richman
Chris Tyson has been in the spotlight ever since fans started noticing that his appearance was changing. YouTuber SunnyV2 caught wind of the drama and claimed that Tyson would be a “nightmare” for friend Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson, leading to a harsh response from the charitable content creator. MrBeast is the biggest name on YouTube, boasting over 145 million subscribers (even beating PewDiePie). With so many eyes on his content, it’s …
Twitch
Adin Ross admits to opioid addiction on YouTube
Olivia Richman
Adin Ross recently opened up about his struggle with opioid addiction. After a lot of controversies over on Twitch, Ross has moved to Kick, where he is free to gamble, spread Andrew Tate’s rhetoric, and show porn to his young viewers. While there has been a lot of drama throughout his streaming career, Ross recently said that he wanted his platform to be a place where other people can get …
Twitch
Adrianah Lee lawsuit asks OTK for $2 million in damages
Olivia Richman
More details have come out about Adrianah’s defamation lawsuit against OTK and its prominent members, revealing that she’s asking for more than $2 million in damages. Lee filed the lawsuit with the 200th District Court in Austin, Texas on March 16, 2023, naming Matthew “Mizkif” Rinaudo, Maya Higa, and CrazySlick. This followed a situation where Lee claimed she was sexually assaulted by CrazySlick, but was told to not come forward …
Twitch
Kick vs. Twitch — What platform pays more?
William Davis
As more controversial yet popular content creators join Kick, more up-and-coming streamers are looking into it as an alternative to Twitch. The reason? The revenue split. Does Kick pay more than Twitch? We have the answer for you. The revenue split is a hot topic in the streamer sphere. Content creators want to monetize their communities in a way that is fair to them. Platforms take a cut of any …
Twitch
Is Chris Tyson trans? YouTuber opens up about identity
Olivia Richman
YouTuber Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson recently posted a video that had people questioning Chris Tyson’s identity, and the creator has decided to respond. Chris Tyson is a popular YouTuber that’s very close with MrBeast, constantly appearing in his videos. Over the past few months, people have noticed a big difference in Tyson’s appearance, with their face and body seemingly changing drastically along with a longer haircut. On Twitter, a fan asked …
Twitch
“I was embarrassed”: xQc explains why he ghosted Valorant team
Olivia Richman
As more and more content creators buy Valorant teams, it has come to light that Felix “xQc” Lengyel may have ghosted a pro team that he almost acquired, Turtle Troop. Now, xQc has responded to the backlash he has received for this entire situation. Ludwig Ahgren recently became co-owner of Moist Esports, followed by Jeremy “DisguisedToast” Wang purchasing an all-female Valorant team — just to fire them days later for …
Twitch
Controversial YouTuber LeafyIsHere is back with new content
Olivia Richman
LeafyIsHere might be back. Again. This time, the controversial content creator is streaming on Rumble. Calvin “LeafyIsHere” Vail became big on YouTube back in the 2010s with videos that featured him providing commentary on different content creators while playing games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. He was often the subject of controversy due to his harsh videos that would often lead to other YouTubers getting harassed and threatened. Eventually, Leafy was …
YouTuber gets shot while recording failed prank video
Olivia Richman
Twitch
A YouTube prank went horribly wrong when Tanner Cook ended up getting shot. Prank channels are big on YouTube. While the trend has died down a bit, it’s still quite common to see videos of YouTubers approaching random people on the street to catch their reactions on camera. A lot of these videos are scripted, but Cook decided to do it the old-fashioned way, resulting in a near-deadly reaction. Over …
xQc has leaked his DMs again, this time with Amouranth
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Twitch star Felix “xQc” Lengyel has accidentally leaked his DMs. Again. This time, it may have revealed sensitive information, however. xQc recently freaked out when his DMs on Twitter popped up during a livestream. At the time, fans wondered if xQc had been talking with Adin Ross about moving to Kick. But xQc claimed that he was simply asking him where he can get custom jewelry. Now, however, another incident …
Naomi Ross addresses controversy after Adin Ross views her fake OF video
Fariha Bhatti
Twitch
After Naomi Ross’ fake explicit went viral, Adin Ross invited his sister on livestream to clear the air. Adin Ross is known for his controversial IRL content and drama-centered videos. Recently, the Kick streamer was in the headlines for being an “Andrew Tate devotee” and spreading his message while the former was behind bars. Now, Adin Ross is back under the spotlight, but for a bizarre reason. In a recent …
Is Asmongold in a relationship in 2023?
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Streamers are usually known for their gaming content, but fans often feel close to the streamers they watch every day and become invested in their private lives. That’s why a lot of viewers have been wondering what’s going on with Asmongold’s romantic life. Asmongold is a massive World of Warcraft streamer who has been very candid about his life, whether it’s opening about mental health issues, his mother, or his …
Ludwig under fire for Fansly sponsorship, xQc reacts
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Streamers have been arguing back and forth over some content creators taking a sponsorship from Fansly, an OnlyFans competitor. Felix “xQc” Lengyel is the latest to weigh in on the situation. Fansly is a subscription-based social media platform that is largely associated with adult content. Despite this mature reputation, Fansly has sponsored Ludwig Ahgren and his show JUICED, which is hosted by xQc himself. This was brought up to xQc …
Is Amouranth leaving Twitch for Kick?
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Twitch star Kaitlyn “Amouranth” Siragusa has become one of the most controversial figures on the streaming platform thanks to her suggestive streams and career on OnlyFans. As Twitch continues to stiffen its regulations and guidelines, will Amouranth eventually leave for Kick? Kick has become the next Twitch competitor. Promoted by Tyler “Trainwrecks” Niknam, Kick has boasted a 95/5 sub split and has promised to not be as strict with their …
xQc calls out Twitch for allowing Neymar to gamble
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Despite being prohibited on the streaming platform, gambling has continued to be a controversial topic on Twitch. This time, Felix “xQc” Lengyel called out Twitch for hypocrisy after he saw that Brazilian soccer player Neymar da Silva Santos, Jr. was gambling on his broadcast. Twitch made headlines when the streaming platform announced it was banning the use of certain gambling websites and no longer letting streamers do slots. A lot …
Is Trainwrecks in debt from gambling streams?
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Tyler “Trainwrecks” Niknam has become known for his gambling streams, which is why he recently moved to Kick after Twitch banned most gambling-related activity. But even his own fans have become a bit concerned with just how much Trainwrecks has been losing while doing his gambling streams. Trainwrecks started as a gaming streamer that liked to push the boundaries when it came to his commentary and jokes. But as Just …
Counter-Strike 2 hacker gets into beta, shocking TimTheTatman
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Timothy “TimTheTatman” Betar was one of the lucky streamers to get a hold of the coveted limited Counter-Strike 2 beta. But a few days later, TimTheTatman came face to face with a hacker that ruined his experience. During a recent livestream, TimTheTatman encountered a cheater that wasn’t even trying to hide their hacks. The streamer immediately called him out, seeming shocked that he’d run into a hacker before the game …
MoistCr1tiKaL calls out Creator Clash 2.0 for dropping Froggy Fresh
Olivia Richman
Twitch
The streaming community has been discussing Tyler “Froggy Fresh” Cassidy being booted from Content Clash 2.0, including Charles “MoistCr1tiKaL” White standing up for the controversial figure. Froggy Fresh was set to fight Chris Ray Gun at the highly anticipated Creator Clash 2.0 but the organization shook up the scene when they announced that he was being removed from the event. He was allegedly removed from the event for previous remarks …
xQc gets criticized for using a coach to beat Forsen’s Minecraft speedrun
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Felix “xQc” Lengyel is looking to beat Sebastian “Forsen” For’s Minecraft speedrun record but some fans think he may have taken it too far. xQc and Forsen have been in a back and forth rivalry for a few years now, with both streamers looking to have the top Minecraft 1.6 speedrun record. Most recently, Forsen blew xQc’s record from earlier this year out of the water. On March 23, Forsen …
FaZe Banks opens up about FaZe Clan drama and struggles
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Adin Ross and FaZe Clan’s co-owner Ricky Banks have been in talks about the possibility of FaZe 2.0. FaZe Clan has been in a bit of inner turmoil the last few months after various members of the org have come forward with allegations against the esports company. This includes Jakob “Teeqo” Swaerden accusing FaZe Clan of not “giving two f—s” about him. Meanwhile, FaZe Clan has considered going private after just …
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.
