2024 has so far been the year of Zarbex on German Twitch. After years of reaching only a few viewers, the 26-year-old finally made his long-awaited breakthrough in the summer of 2024. With shameless openness and clever collaborations, Zarbex is the favorite for the title of “Newcomer of the Year” on German Twitch, but now he has hit the first bump in his steep rise this year. A collaboration with MontanaBlack has rubbed many the wrong way.
Who was Zarbex for so many years? Zarbex started on Twitch in January 2018 but was relatively unsuccessful for years, even though he has been streaming a lot since 2021.
In 2021, despite being live for 1600 hours, he had only about 70 viewers on average. At that time, he mainly showcased gaming content: Rust, Grand Theft Auto IV, some Valorant. Also in 2022, success continued to elude him: 100 people watched him on average, even though he streamed for 1,700 hours.
As he later said, it was a tough time. In the eyes of his girlfriend, however, he wasn’t a great catch in 2021 – she jokingly referred to him later as “some homeless guy”.
In 2023, Zarbex switched his content to Just Chatting and slowly began to rise, reaching 320 viewers. At that time, however, Zarbex was still the outsider, looking at the big guys from the outside and often becoming the butt of the jokes. He played an unfortunate role in the Gamescom drama involving Filow, which he is still embarrassed about today.
If things continue for Zarbex like this, he’ll soon be among them:
Shameless and vulgar – and exactly that makes him successful
When did he really take off? Zarbex’s rise began in the summer of 2024. Suddenly, he reached more than 5,000 viewers, his clips spread around, he was everywhere, and earned a fortune solely from Twitch subs.
This is also due to how well-connected Zarbex is; he is often seen collaborating with streamers like Schradin or Papaplatte. He is entertaining, has a surprising sense of humor, and is quick-witted. He works best in a duo with former TV presenter Max Schradin, who Zarbex can constantly shake his head about.
Zarbex succeeds with a certain kind of shameless openness. He frequently makes jokes at his own expense, is vulgar and obscene, and is reprimanded for it by his girlfriend or mother:
- A typical line from him is “I shit longer than I fuck” – he received almost 10,000 likes for that on Twitter.
- For “The female orgasm? Not my department, sweetheart” he got almost 14,000 hearts.
By now, it is a self-fulfilling prophecy. That he is so successful and earns so much money, which he never expected, is a recurring theme in his streams.
Zarbex as a brand ambassador for Gönergy
This is being criticized now: About a week ago, it became known that Zarbex is the first brand ambassador for MontanaBlack’s energy drink Gönergy. Previously, he often collaborated with the most relevant streamer in Germany, who is simultaneously one of the most controversial.
Gönergy presents Zarbex as “Newcomer of the Year”, which is somewhat ironic given that he has been active on Twitch for so long (via Instagram).
However, the collaboration with MontanaBlack is now sparking a heated discussion among his fans:
- For some, MontanaBlack is unacceptable; he is “problematic”. They are disappointed in Zarbex, who has always stood for “good values”.
- Some criticize Zarbex for selling out, and say MontanaBlack will “exploited him in the same way” as previous friends.
- Others say: He should do his thing and take the money. Whether from Holy or other partners doesn’t matter.
- Still, others congratulate Zarbex on the backlash; anyone who “was canceled from the left” has greatly benefited recently.
Zarbex between “Brandsafe” and “Vulgar”
This is what it boils down to: In summary, the advertising industry distinguishes between two types of streamers, provided they have reached a certain size and are relevant for advertisers:
- Those who are “family-friendly” or “brand-safe” are eligible for advertising with large corporations, where the big money is made. These are people who are not controversial. These streamers are also eligible for exclusive deals with streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube. They are the “face” of a platform. YouTube has poached many such “brandsafe” streamers from Twitch over the years.
- On the other side, there are streamers who do controversial things, comment on politics, engage in gambling, or show bare skin. Streamers who promote controversial products – those who generally cause friction. Many of these streamers have switched to Kick in recent years.
- MontanaBlack is one of the few examples who, despite controversial statements, appears as a promoter at REWE. He also repeatedly emphasizes how much he has changed and that he is now a better person and reasonable.
The interesting thing here is that in the eyes of his fans, Zarbex stands for “good values” and is considered “family-friendly”.
But at the same time, Zarbex makes jokes about masturbating in the sink and being called an “old pig” by his own mother. Zarbex is unlikely to be the ideal candidate for the next advertising booking from Coca-Cola and McDonald’s; instead, the door to Gönergy is wide open for him: Three years ago, he had not a cent; today, Zarbex is making a lot of money on Twitch – his girlfriend wonders what happened.
