Twitch
Twitch
Are xQc and Adept back together after a public breakup?
Olivia Richman
Felix “xQc” Lengyel had a tough 2021. It was a year full of armed break-ins, moving from one location to another, internet outages, and a breakup with his long-time girlfriend Sam “Adeptthebest.” But now it seems that xQc and Adept are dating once again. In August 2021, xQc confirmed that he was no longer with Adept. He told fans that the breakup had occurred after a fight, although he didn’t …
Twitch
Who is Projekt Melody? Twitch’s most risqué virtual streamer
gabhernandez
Projekt Melody is famous for many things, including her bubbly personality on Twitch. But there’s much more to the popular streamer. Projekt Melody is an American virtual streamer who operates on popular streaming platforms including Twitch. She is famous for her approach to the digital streaming world. Her merchandise, which includes a variety of mousepads and pillowcases, is also very popular. Melody’s explicit association with streaming and adult entertainment is …
Twitch
Botez sisters accused of defending slavery in Dubai during Q&A
Olivia Richman
Chess stars Alexandra and Andrea Botez have been accused of defending slavery in Dubai. The Twitch streamers were conducting a Q&A when they appeared to defend what some refer to as “modern slavery” taking place in Dubai. The Botez sisters are currently located in Dubai during a world tour that has them playing chess pros from different countries. While in Dubai, the chess stars hosted a live Q&A session. One …
Twitch
Ludwig already suspended on YouTube over copyright claim
Olivia Richman
Ludwig Ahgren has already been suspended from YouTube, just days after making the switch from Twitch. Ludwig left Twitch for YouTube last week, making waves in the streaming community. Many were shocked that the subathon record-breaker was leaving Twitch so suddenly after his big break, but other streamers affirmed that switching to YouTube was the right choice for the streaming superstar. Now Ludwig is in hot water over playing the …
Twitch
Valkyrae explains why Ludwig, other streamers are joining YouTube
Olivia Richman
The streaming community was shocked when “Ludwig” Anders Ahgren announced he was leaving Twitch for YouTube after accumulating a record-breaking number of Twitch subscribers. But streaming superstar Rachell “Valkyrae” Hofstetter has come forward to approve of his decision, stating that YouTube is the “only real option” for streamers. Valkyrae signed a contract with YouTube in early 2020 and hasn’t looked back since. She quickly became the biggest female streamer on …
Twitch
Ludwig announces he is leaving Twitch for YouTube Gaming, but why?
Steven Rondina
Ludwig “Ludwig” Ahgren is the latest personality to leave Twitch in favor of YouTube Gaming. The popular streamer announced that he is leaving his Twitch channel behind in order to join numerous other streamers that have transitioned to YouTube in 2021. He will join the likes of Benjamin “DrLupo” Lupo and Timothy “TimTheTatman” Betar, who left Twitch in September in order to start streaming anew on YouTube. The announcement was …
Twitch
shroud explains MMO viewership for World or Warcraft, New World
Olivia Richman
Many top Twitch streamers have been turning to MMOs such as World of Warcraft, New World, and Final Fantasy XIV Online. This includes Michael “shroud” Grzesiek, who is primarily known for his Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Valorant prowess. While shroud used to be a CSGO pro, he has more recently been enjoying World of Warcraft and New World while streaming. On Twitch, shroud has put over 2,600 hours into streaming …
Twitch
Amouranth purchased a Circle K for $10 million, and this is why
Olivia Richman
Kaitlyn “Amouranth” Siragusa has made another big purchase. The OnlyFans content creator and controversial Twitch streamer has just purchased a Circle K convenience store, similar to the more famous 7-11 convenience stores, for $10 million. This comes just weeks after Amouranth bought a gas station, although in that case Amouranth bought it with a $1 million loan knowing she would receive a $1.1 million tax deduction, making the purchase worth …
Asmongold admits he was wrong in OTK Friendsgiving drama
Olivia Richman
Twitch
World of Warcraft streamer Asmongold has responded to Felix “xQc” Lengyel’s take on the Friendsgiving drama, saying that the controversial content creator is right and that he feels like a “d—.” On November 21, members of the One True King collective got together for a live stream where they played some games. One of the attending streamers, Minx, was offered alcohol by Malena but OTK member Esfand said that Minx …
Will Mizkif and Maya Higa get back together after breakup?
Olivia Richman
Twitch
It’s no secret that streamer Matthew “Mizkif” Rinaudo took the breakup with his long-time girlfriend Maya Higa hard. The two had a very public relationship and their fans loved seeing them together. But will they ever date again? Will Mizkif and Maya get back together? Can they ever reconcile things after how their relationship ended? Mizkif shocked the streaming community on September 14 when he shared a TwitLonger explaining that …
Disguised Toast back on Twitch after contract controversy
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Jeremy “Disguised Toast” Wang fans are not surprised to see the streamer back on Twitch, but it’s still an exciting update. The popular streamer made the announcement on Twitter, celebrating his return to Twitch by awkwardly eating a cake by himself. “I didn’t think I’d be back here so soon but here we are. This place was my home. A lot of viewers and fans watch me on this platform. …
kkatamina subathon ends she becomes most-subbed female streamer
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Kim “kkatamina” Mi-young just ended her stream after a record-breaking two-week Twitch subathon. kkatamina stopped her 14-day stream on November 22. She now has 73,618 subscribers, the third-highest subscriber count on the platform behind only xQc (80,000) and Critical Role (76,800). During the two weeks, kkatamina made more than $360,000 in subs. “Thanks for having me. This has been the greatest two weeks of my life,” kkatamina said. kkatamina reached …
Pokimane calls questions on personal life “weird and obnoxious”
Olivia Richman
Twitch
From her weight to the intimate details of her dating and romantic experiences, Twitch sensation Imane “Pokimane” Anys has had her private life in the spotlight for years. Fans are constantly asking Pokimane personal questions and she seems to have finally had enough. Pokimane is one of the most popular Twitch streamers on the platform with over 8.4 million followers. While she plays video games and is quite good at …
Amouranth speaks out on sexist business partner, spars on Twitter
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Kaitlyn “Amouranth” Siragusa has been dealing with backlash after she accused a business partner of attempting to exploit her. On November 17, Amouranth posted a TwitLonger about a negative experience with a former business associate. Amouranth claimed that the man had told Amouranth he would be in town and asked her to dinner, which Amouranth declined. This led to the business partner becoming hostile towards the famous streamer. “As a …
The 3 most subscribed female streamers on Twitch in 2021
William Davis
Twitch
The most subscribed women on Twitch represent a mix of gaming, chatting, and music production. While the video game industry has for many years been male-dominated, that has changed in recent years. In fact, several female streamers have risen to the very top of of the streaming ranks in and around gaming. Twitch subscriptions are one of the better ways to judge streamer popularity, as they cost real money and …
Who is Ewok, and why is the streamer leaving FaZe Clan?
William Davis
Twitch
Ewok is known for breaking barriers in the gaming world, but many fans don’t know his origin story. Soleil “Ewok” Wheeler is a popular battle royale streamer who is currently taking a hiatus from content creation. After a long tenure with FaZe Clan, the 16-year-old streamer has decided to go it alone for his future career. Here’s why Ewok’s time on FaZe was so important and why they decided to …
Fans want to cancel MrBeast over Squid Game tournament video
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Fans were excited when YouTuber Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson first shared his idea to recreate all of the games in Netflix’s Squid Game in real life. But some in the streaming community is now attempting to cancel MrBeast for appearing to misunderstand the point behind the popular series. MrBeast excitedly shared behind-the-scenes photos of himself and his crew building Squid Game set pieces. At the time, fans learned that the YouTuber …
Summit1g spends thousands on racing simulator setup
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Streamer and former Counter-Strike: Global Offensive pro Jaryd “Summit1g” Lazar may be known for his FPS skills but it looks as though he is set to pivot to a different genre in the near future judging from his impressive new racing sim setup. Summit1g has recently played Grand Theft Auto, Fortnite, Escape From Tarkov, and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, firmly settling into a variety streamer role. Still, fans were surprised to see …
Valkyrae discusses mental health troubles after RFLCT scandal
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Rachell “Valkyrae” Hofstetter is trying to put the RFLCT drama behind her. The popular streamer and 100 Thieves co-owner endured a huge PR hit when she revealed the RFLCT skincare line. The company focused on protecting gamers from “blue light pollution,” something that hasn’t actually been proven to exist. A conversation Valkyrae had with Ludwig supposedly leaked, showing she discussing her frustration with the company’s decisions. But for many in …
Why did Amouranth just buy a gas station for herself?
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Kaitlyn “Amouranth” Siragusa says she was was paid to purchase a gas station. Amouranth tweeted earlier this week that she had purchased a gas station for -$110,000. Amouranth then claimed that anyone can do this at any time, and as many times as they want, and then told her followers how she did it. So how does one purchase a gas station for -$110,000? Amouranth paid $1 million upfront by …
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.
