Twitch
Twitch
Who is TheGrefg? The Spanish streamer taking Twitch by storm
William Davis
TheGrefg is almost unknown in the United States, but the Spanish-speaking streamer is a massive deal on Twitch. David Cánovas “TheGrefG” Martínez is a Spanish Twitch streamer. His channel is currently the seventh most-followed channel on the platform with just under 17 million followers. He began posting on YouTube in 2012 before later switching to Twitch. Now TheGrefg runs one of the most popular channels on Twitch. He mostly streams …
Twitch
Valkyrae’s RFLCT skincare line shuts down following backlash
Fariha Bhatti
Rachell “Valkyrae” Hofstetter’s skincare line RFLCT has been terminated after backlash from the community. YouTube streamer Valkyrae’s venture into the skincare industry has reached a dead end after two weeks of drama and controversy. The website for the product has been taken down from the internet, with a message that reads, “RFLCT is no longer available.” “While we believe in the formulations created, after further reflection, we have decided to …
Twitch
Asmongold reveals loss of his mother, WoW fans offer support
Olivia Richman
World of Warcraft streamer Asmongold revealed on Twitter that his mother has passed away. The personality revealed on social media that is family had suffered a serious loss, with his mother dying earlier in the week. It’s unclear what the cause was, but Asmongold made it clear that he was deeply wounded by her passing: https://twitter.com/Asmongold/status/1454215911183892484 Asmongold is a prolific World of Warcraft streamer and has become one of the …
Twitch
Sodapoppin brushes off Pokimane’s “boring” RTS announcement
Olivia Richman
Not everyone is excited by what Imane “Pokimane” Anys claimed to be as the “biggest announcement” of her career. Earlier this week, Pokimane teased that she was going to share a huge career move the next day. Speculations ranged from Pokimane moving to YouTube Gaming to starting an OnlyFans. But Pokimane cleared up the confusion on October 27 by unveiling a talent management company for esports and streamers, RTS. “Our …
Twitch
xQc continues critique of Valkyrae over RFLCT controversy
Olivia Richman
Felix “xQc” Lengyel is continuing to criticize Rachell “Valkyrae” Hofstetter for how the streamer has handled the backlash to her RFLCT skincare line. Valkyrae has been under fire after announcing the upcoming launch of RFLCT, a skincare line aimed at protecting gamers’ skin against the damage that can allegedly be caused by blue light pollution from monitors and phones. Valkyrae finally came forward about the controversy in a recent stream, …
Twitch
Valkyrae streams, says she wants out after RFLCT controversy
Olivia Richman
Rachell “Valkyrae” Hofstetter has finally made an official statement about her skincare line RFLCT as controversy continues over the validity of its blue light pollution claims. Valkyrae recently revealed a new skincare line called RFLCT that claims to protect gamers’ skin against blue light pollution from their monitors and phones. It was immediately met with skepticism from the streaming and gaming communities at large, with many accusing her of potentially …
Twitch
xQc not happy with Los Angeles, reveals move in the near future
Olivia Richman
Felix “xQc” Lengyel may soon be on the move again. xQc is already not feeling Los Angeles. The big-name streamer moved to the entertainment capital after dealing with armed intruders and other disturbing encounters at his previous home. After moving around for a while, including a brief stint spent staying with fellow streamer Sodapoppin, xQc landed in Los Angeles. Whilen LA, xQc stayed with HasanAbi in his new mansion before …
News
Valkyrae promises “sources” to come on RFLCT skincare claims
Fariha Bhatti
Rachell “Valkyrae” Hofstetter has finally broken her silence and has promised to add “sources” to her RFLCT skincare line product’s website. Two days after the release of RFLCT, Valkyrae has responded to the growing criticism towards her new product. The streamer called the brutal reaction “warranted” and promised that sources explaining RFLCT’s purpose would soon appear on its website. https://twitter.com/Valkyrae/status/1451299256657068034 “I also was very upset and confused when I saw …
Valkyrae responds to backlash over RFLCT blue light skincare
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Rachell “Valkyrae” Hofstetter recently revealed her new RFLCT skincare line, a business venture that’s been in the works for two years. But the gaming community has responded with skepticism and criticism. On October 19, Valkyrae announced the launch of her RFLCT skincare line, focused on protecting gamers’ faces from blue light pollution. The website included two skincare routines, using a variety of moisturizers and balms. The site also made clear …
Why are fans skeptical about the new Valkyrae RFLCT beauty line?
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Star streamer Rachell “Valkyrae” Hofstetter is a powerhouse on YouTube and a co-owner of 100 Thieves. She’s now added “beauty guru” to her list of accomplishments, but fans are quite skeptical of her new brand. RFLCT is a skincare line that’s all about protecting gamers’ faces from blue light pollution, which comes from phone and PC screens. Valkryae announced on Twitter that she’s the co-founder of the company. https://twitter.com/Valkyrae/status/1450498051013943297 According …
Emiru impersonates Cr1TiKaL on recent Twitch stream
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Emily “Emiru” has decided to embrace her voice, even comparing it to the Moist Man himself, Charles “Cr1TiKaL” White. In a recent live broadcast on Twitch, the League of Legends streamer opened up about her insecurities when it comes to her own voice. According to Emiru, she’s recently been getting a lot of comments regarding her voice and how it sounds like other people, including famous content creator and streamer …
xQc has frustrating stream after moving to Los Angeles
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Felix “xQc” Lengyel’s living situation has continued to wreak havoc on his streaming career. xQc’s first Los Angeles-based stream created a lot of issues for the popular personality, causing xQc to end his broadcast early. In the middle of his reaction stream, xQc’s broadcast suddenly cut out, leaving viewers staring at a blank screen. This was just two hours after his stream started. xQc usually streams for around eight hours …
Everything you need to know about TSM QTCinderella
Olivia Richman
Twitch
QTCinderalla (real name Blaire) is well known as a streamer and for being fellow streamer Ludwig Ahgren’s girlfriend. QTCinderella has carved out a very successful career in content creation. Here is everything to know about QTCinderella. QTCinderella was born in 1994 in the United States. She grew up in a religious family with an older sister. She currently has a dog named Swift and a cat named Ders. After graduating …
Velvet_7 back on Twitch after 18-month suspension
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Popular content creator Velvet_7 is back on Twitch. The popular Korean streamer has been unbanned from Twitch after having her channel suspended for almost 18 months. In June 2020, Velvet_7 was suspended for “sharing or engaging in sexually suggestive content or activities.” This occurred after Twitch changed its clothing guidelines, leaving fans enraged on behalf of the sexy streamer. After one year of being suspended from Twitch, Velvet_7 reached out …
All about H3H3’s YouTube & podcast journey, Ethan Klein’s drama
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Ethan Klein is the man behind H3H3 and is a popular commentary YouTuber-turned-podcast host that’s consistently been a big name in and around the gaming community. While Klein is currently known for his political takes and high-profile dramas, he used to be known for beanies, his comedy skits produced with his wife, and his vaping. So who really is Klein, and why did his content shift so significantly? Here is …
Amouranth is back on Twitch after fifth ban ends
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Kaitlyn “Amouranth” Siragusa is back on Twitch. The controversial adult content creator saw her Twitch, TikTok, and Instagram accounts simultaneously suspended three days ago. While Amouranth’s TikTok and Instagram accounts are still down, Amouranth is back on Twitch after just over three days and 35 minutes. https://twitter.com/StreamerBans/status/1447663111964708866?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1447663111964708866%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dexerto.com%2Fentertainment%2Famouranth-has-been-banned-on-twitch-again-1671487%2F This was Amouranth’s fifth ban from Twitch. All of her suspensions so far have been three days or less, so the streaming community …
xQc is not impressed with first impressions of Overwatch 2
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Twitch streamer Felix “xQc” Lengyel is not impressed with Overwatch 2. Overwatch fans are anxiously awaiting the release of Overwatch 2, which will feature new competitive game modes and maps, hero-driven campaigns, and the introduction of five-person teams. Overwatch League players got to test out the new Push game mode on September 25, giving the first competitive look at the one-tank team compositions in action. But according to xQc, the …
MoistCr1TiKaL income revealed, he responds to Twitch leak
Olivia Richman
Twitch
The latest Twitch leaks have been a hot topic ever since streamer incomes were officially revealed to the world. Charles “MoistCr1tiKaL” White is one of the Twitch streamers to have their Twitch income blasted out to the public, revealing him to be one of the top earners on the platform. Cr1tiKal made $118,000 on Twitch in September 2021 alone. The outspoken YouTuber decided to make a video about the Twitch …
Amouranth suspended from Twitch, TikTok, and Instagram
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Kaitlyn “Amouranth” Siragusa is no stranger to being banned on Twitch but this time the adult content creator saw her TikTok and Instagram accounts disappear as well. Amouranth was suspended from Twitch on October 8 but nobody was quite sure why. Fans and haters alike are also wondering how long she will be gone from the platform this time since it’s her fifth ban. All of her previous bans have …
Destiny banned by Twitch for sharing staffer’s personal info
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Political streamer Steven “Destiny” Bonnel has been suspended from Twitch. On October 7, Destiny told his fans on Discord that he was suspended for showing a Twitch employee’s email address. This happened during a stream the previous day when Destiny was discussing the massive security breach and salary leak at Twitch. The leak also included a list of creators that Twitch allegedly refuses to ban. While discussing that there are …
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.
