Twitch
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 …
Twitch
Asmongold admits he was wrong in OTK Friendsgiving drama
Olivia Richman
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 …
Twitch
Will Mizkif and Maya Higa get back together after breakup?
Olivia Richman
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 …
Twitch
Disguised Toast back on Twitch after contract controversy
Olivia Richman
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. …
Twitch
The 3 most subscribed female streamers on Twitch in 2021
William Davis
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 …
Twitch
Who is Ewok, and why is the streamer leaving FaZe Clan?
William Davis
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 …
Twitch
Fans want to cancel MrBeast over Squid Game tournament video
Olivia Richman
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 …
Twitch
Summit1g spends thousands on racing simulator setup
Olivia Richman
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 …
HasanAbi’s new merch line raises $126K to support strike funds
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Popular and sometimes controversial streamer Hasan “HasanAbi” Piker has raised over $126,000 towards strike funds after dropping his new merch line. HasanAbi’s first-ever merch line features a t-shirt supporting unions, with faceless workers holding up signs and megaphones. The shirt went up for pre-sale a few days ago, with HasanAbi stating that all profits would go to strike funds. The orders will ship in December. Even though there is still …
Trainwreck accused of not paying artist for t-shirt commission
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Update: Tyler “Trainwreckstv” Niknam responded to accusations of not paying an artist for commissioned t-shirt designs. In a tweet, the streamer said that the work was given to him too late and that he had made clear ahead of time that artists would only be paid if the art was used. “I don’t use PG-inspired art,” Trainwreck added. “You’re all bats—.” https://twitter.com/Trainwreckstv/status/1457821887426297858?s=20 Original story: Trainwreckstv has been accused of not …
Mizkif turns down $300K NFT sponsorship, doesn’t want “hate”
Olivia Richman
Twitch
NFTs are a big topic in the gaming industry, but the conversation isn’t always positive. This skepticism over NFTs has led to Matthew “Mizkif” Rinaudo turning down a $300K NFT sponsorship. The popular Twitch streamer revealed in a recent stream that he turned down a hefty NFT sponsorship over fear of getting hate. “I didn’t want to get hate on [Reddit]. Now I’m like, why the f— am I such …
What is the Twitch Animals, Aquariums, and Zoos channel?
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Amid all of the controversy and adult content drama, Twitch has introduced a wholesome streaming category called Animals, Aquariums, and Zoos. This new Twitch category is all about cute pets, animal rescue live streams, and informative streams from animal experts. Other channels have been using the category to broadcast beekeeping, taking care of ducks, and revealing what it takes to run a farm. Twitch announced that it would launch Animal …
Twitch Rivals: Ultimate Challenge schedule, competitors
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Some of the most popular streamers on Twitch are currently in Las Vegas competing in the Twitch Rivals: Ultimate Challenge. This live event started November 4 and is continuing today, bringing a blend of IRL physical challenges and video game-related competitions together for a one-of-a-kind entertainment experience. This is the first major live event Twitch has held since 2019. 32 creators were flown to Las Vegas to create 16 duos …
MrBeast shares updates, photos for upcoming Squid Game challenge
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson is known as one of the highest-paid content creators on YouTube. Now, the charitable influencer is looking to give away some money in one of the most viral ways possible; a Squid Game recreation. Squid Game, a Korean drama in the battle royale genre with a focus on class and capitalism, is one of the most popular shows on Netflix at the moment. It has also become …
Sodapoppin floods Twitch Rivals hotel room, shares it on Twitter
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Thomas Chance “Sodapoppin” Morris few to Las Vegas for the upcoming Twitch Rivals event and didn’t have a good night, judging from Twitter. Sodapoppin revealed that he had flooded his hotel room. According to the streamer, he was put in a nice hotel for the event. He started a bath and “messed up” by falling asleep. The water kept running and it eventually flooded. “My bad,” Sodapoppin said, admitting that …
SquidGame Twitch streamer in hot water over social media handle
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Twitch streamer Lydia “SquidGame” Ellery is in trouble once again over her handle due to the popular Netflix series of the same name. In October, Ellery was banned from Instagram over her handle despite her having it since 2012. Now, Ellery has opened up once again about backlash she’s received from being known as SquidGame. This time, Ellery said she may change her handle. “I’ve lost two amazing presenting opportunities …
Everything you need to know about the Lofi Girl
Steven Rondina
Twitch
There are few people who regularly use YouTube that haven’t stumbled across “lofi hip hop radio – beats to relax/study to” and the iconic Lofi Girl that serves as the channel’s avatar. But who is she? There’s a great deal of mystery surrounding the character and the March 2021 rebrand of the associated lofi music channel has only made people more curious. Alongside this, the creator of the lofi hip …
HasanAbi says he is sick of “deranged” trolls, may leave Twitch
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Political Twitch streamer Hasan “HasanAbi” Piker said in a recent live broadcast that he was thinking of quitting Twitch for some time due to ongoing harassment. HasanAbi opened up to fans about the situation on October 28, telling them that it was something he had been thinking about for a while. HasanAbi admitted that it “doesn’t feel good” when he streams thanks to trolls and his family being both doxxed …
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.
