Twitch
Twitch
Destiny accuses Twitch streamer Ana Voir of stalking him
Olivia Richman
Twitch streamer Steven “Destiny” Bonnell has addressed some concerning drama with Ana Voir, accusing the fellow streamer of stalking him. Destiny and Ana Voir started talking casually, but the initially friendly interactions turned to drama in late September. Ana Voir tweeted that Destiny had gaslighted her by “publicly acting like she’s crazy” even though he was talking to her every day for months. She also accused him of manipulation for …
Twitch
Everything you need to know about WoW streamer Asmongold
Olivia Richman
Known equally for his World of Warcraft streams and his sometimes controversial opinions, Zack “Asmongold” is one of the most popular streamers on Twitch. With over 2.35 million followers and tens of thousands of average viewers per stream, Asmongold is the 23rd most-watched streamer on the platform. He has played World of Warcraft for over 6,200 hours. But Asmongold has recently been frustrated with World of Warcraft, his signature game. …
Twitch
H3H3 and HasanAbi team up for new Leftovers political podcast
Olivia Richman
After Ethan “H3H3” Klein lost Trisha Paytas as a co-host for the controversial “Frenemies” podcast, fans were wondering what would happen next for the YouTuber turned podcaster. Now, H3H3 has announced a co-host for a new political podcast, Hasan “HasanAbi” Piker. HasanAbi was recently announced as co-host of “Leftovers.” The first episode came out today, with H3H3 discussing the content for the new podcast. It will focus on politics and …
Twitch
Twitch reportedly leaking user data to “hoss bots”
Olivia Richman
Another bot problem has surfaced on Twitch. The streaming platform has finally started to crack down on hate raids but there’s another bot problem plaguing the site now. The bots are called “hoss” or “hoss00132” accounts. Hoss bots are Twitch accounts that all feature the word “hoss” followed by random numbers and words. They are a form of “follow bot,” which automatically follow streamers. Hoss bots are more concerning for …
Twitch
TimTheTatman signs to Complexity, new merch line coming
William Davis
Complexity just upgraded its stream team with a former member of Twitch royalty. American esports organization Complexity has announced the signing of Timothy “TimTheTatman” Betar. He will join the group as the 15th member of Complexity’s content creation team. The contract comes just weeks after TimtheTatman officially switched from Twitch to YouTube Gaming. This new partnership will be celebrated with an official Complexity x TimTheTatman merchandise line. TimTheTatman is one …
Twitch
Pokimane hits Immortal, shares tips on ranking up
Fariha Bhatti
Popular Twitch streamer Imane “Pokimane” Anys has finally hit one of the highest Valorant ranks and she has valuable tips for players stuck in low ELO. Pokimane has already earned her stripes as one of the top streamers on Twitch, but she’s now dipping her toes in first-person shooter games. The 25-year-old is proving that she’s also an excellent competitive Valorant player with her brand new Immortal rank. https://twitter.com/pokimanelol/status/1439296935257464832 The …
Twitch
Is Pokimane leaving OfflineTV for an esports organization?
Olivia Richman
In a recent stream, Imane “Pokimane” Anys discussed that she was sizable offers from esports and gaming organizations looking to sponsor her. Pokimane is currently with OfflineTV, a group of content creators based in Los Angeles, but she claims esports organizations keep offering her big bucks to sign with them instead. This is not unusual, since esports organizations tend to generate more money and more expediently grow their brands through …
Twitch
shroud talks why he likes Battlefield 2042 over CoD: Vanguard
Olivia Richman
Fans of FPS games have been anxiously awaiting Battlefield 2042. The futuristic shooter has been seen as a wake-up call for the Call of Duty series and now streamers like Michael “shroud” Grzesiek are already comparing it with Call of Duty: Vanguard before either game has launched. As more and more details come out about the two games, shroud has been analyzing what players know so far. Knowing how passionate …
As sinatraa ban ends, Dafran and Cle0h battle over accusations
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Daniel “Dafran” Francesca may just be a simple farmer these days, but he has been creating quite the uproar on Twitter ever since Jay “sinatraa” Won was accused of abusing his ex-girlfriend. Cleo “Cle0h” Hernandez accused sinatraa of mental and sexual abuse earlier this year, leading Sentinels and Riot Games to investigate the claims. Cle0h provided audio recordings of sinatraa allegedly pressuring her to have sex, which sinatraa later claimed …
Amouranth says she won’t burn out or stop streaming anytime soon
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Streamer Kaitlyn “Amouranth” Siragusa is one of the most controversial figures on Twitch due to the nature of her adult content that pushes the boundaries of Twitch’s Terms of Service. Some have wondered if she might stop streaming in the forseeable future, given how successful she has been. But her recent comments suggest otherwise. Despite the pushback from some elements of the streaming community, Amouranth has created a very successful …
We now know why Mizkif and Maya broke off their relationship
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Popular streamer Matthew “Mizkif” Rinaudo has given fans a heartbreaking relationship update. In a September 14 tweet, Mizkif shared a TwitLonger with fans that revealed his relationship with streamer and conservationist Maya Higa had ended. The two have broken up and both Mizkif and Maya wanted to tell the streaming community and their fans the reason behind the decision. https://twitter.com/REALMizkif/status/1437992869244063746?s=20 Mizkif and Maya started dating in the summer of 2019. …
Why did TimtheTatman and DrLupo leave Twitch for YouTube?
Steven Rondina
Twitch
Many have been wondering why famous streamers Benjamin “DrLupo” Lupo and Timothy “TimTheTatman” Betar left Twitch for YouTube. It may ultimately have been a simpler choice than many assumed. Back in August, the duo announced that they were set to leave Twitch and move to YouTube Gaming after signing big-money deals with the video streaming platform. According to a report from the Washington Post, their move stems from the fact …
Pokimane discusses her sexuality with fans on Twitch
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Fans are once again wondering about Imane “Pokimane” Anys’ romantic relationships. Pokimane’s sexuality, relationship status, and even if she would date a fan are all questions that have constantly come up during Pokimane’s streams. Now, Pokimane has decided to address a fan wondering about her sexual orientation. During a recent Valorant stream, a viewer asked Pokimane what her sexuality was, stating that she didn’t have to answer if she wasn’t …
Former RollPlay streamer Kaitlyn says itmeJP sent her porn
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Former RollPlay member Kaitlyn is once again calling out StarCraft content creator John Paul “itmeJP” McDaniel for sending unsolicited pornography to her. In 2020, Kaitlyn took to Twitter to accuse itmeJP of assaulting and abusing her. At the time, Kaitlyn claimed that itmeJP had a cease and desist oder on her that would not allow her to discuss her experiences with RollPlay on Twitch. itmeJP responded with a long blog …
Trainwrecks bashes Twitch streamers for gambling
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Twitch streamer Tyler “Trainwrecks” Niknam has had enough of content creators who gamble and allegedly scam their audiences. In a since-deleted tweet, Trainwrecks called out gambling streamers earlier this week. He felt that an abundance of gambling streamers were actually scammers. “I don’t give a f— who comes after me or who puts me in their sights. If you win every day, you’re a fake and a fraud,” Trainwrecks said. …
Jake Paul claims Floyd Mayweather wanted to have him killed over hat
Steven Rondina
Twitch
The Jake Paul vs. Floyd Mayweather beef isn’t over. The YouTuber-turned-boxer appeared on the FULL SEND podcast on Wednesday to discuss a variety of topics related to combat sports. Among them was his scuffle with Mayweather earlier this year. Though Paul didn’t discuss it in depth and didn’t even seem certain himself, he stated that the 50-0 boxer was looking to arrange his death in the spring. “He was trying …
Pokimane explains why she’s scared of doing IRL streams
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Imane “Pokimane” Anys recently admitted that she’s not comfortable doing IRL streams. IRL (in real life) streams are when content creators live stream from different locations, showing their activities at a gym, store, beach, or any other public place. This has often led to a lot of drama, including Herschel “Dr Disrespect” Beahm being suspended from Twitch for streaming from a bathroom at E3, or streamer JoeyKaotyk facing racist comments …
Valkyrae breaks down crying on stream after Twitter drama
Olivia Richman
Twitch
A recent tweet caused so much drama for 100 Thieves co-owner and content creator Rachell “Valkyrae” Hofstetter that she was brought to crying during a recent live stream. Earlier this week, Valkyrae saw a tweet from a Thomas “Sykkuno” fan that said they didn’t want to see Valkyrae’s ex-boyfriend, Sonii, on stream again. Valkyrae responded that she was “canceling the stream.” According to Valkyrae, the opinion had hurt her so …
Pokimane extends Twitch break due to burnout
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Imane “Pokimane” Anys is taking another extended break from streaming on Twitch. Pokimane recently revealed that she was feeling burnout more than at any time in the past. This has led Pokimane to extend her break from the streaming platform. Pokimane was last seen on Twitch on August 22. At that time, the Valorant player told her fans that she was taking a much-needed break from her busy work life. …
xQc calls out Felicia Day over “wrong” tweet on streamers
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Felix “xQc” Lengyel was not afraid to speak up when he saw a tweet he didn’t agree with from author and actress Felicia Day. In a since-deleted tweet, Day accused the “most popular streamer” of using derogatory slurs towards women and people of color. xQc responded that Day was “wrong on all counts” and demanded that she show proof. Day responded that she “wasn’t even talking” about xQc and that …
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.
