At the moment, 3 of the biggest streamers in the world are without a platform. They are the three former faces of Twitch: Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, Michael “shroud” Grzesiek, and Guy “Dr Disrespect” Beahm. Two of them have not been seen for more than a month. How did this situation come about, and where will it lead?
These are the free faces of Twitch: The three streamers Ninja, shroud, and Dr Disrespect have been “the faces of Twitch” in the last 3 years:
- Dr Disrespect (4.5 million followers) dominated the platform in 2017 with PUBG.
- Ninja (14.7 million followers) took over in 2018 with Fortnite and elevated gaming to unprecedented heights.
- shroud (7 million followers) had his moment in the spotlight in 2019 when Apex Legends skyrocketed.
But all 3 streamers are away from Twitch and currently not visible at all.
Together, the three streamers have 27.2 million subscribers on Twitch, along with millions of followers on YouTube and social media.
It is clear that they will shape the streaming platform they end up on. But which one will it be?
2 Top Stars Not Seen for Over a Month
When was the last time the streamers were seen?
- Shroud was last seen on Mixer 39 days ago. He played Escape from Tarkov with DrLupo on June 20. On June 22, it was announced that Microsoft is shutting down Mixer and the contract of ex-exclusive streamer shroud is being dissolved and allegedly compensated.
- Dr Disrespect was last seen on Twitch 33 days ago. He streamed on July 25 for his normal 7 hours, with an average of 27,743 viewers. By the end of the stream, he seemed a bit contemplative. The next day, on June 26, the mysterious Twitch ban occurred, the reason for which is still unknown.
- Tyler “Ninja” Blevins has not been seen for 21 days. He was left behind due to the surprising exit from Mixer with allegedly obscenely large money, but without a platform. However, Ninja popped up on YouTube on July 8 and played Fortnite with his friends, other big streamers, and made fun of Brime.
How have the streamers reacted since the end?
There has been no comment from shroud for a month. He is simply saying nothing.
Tyler “Ninja” Blevins continues to be active as if nothing happened. He just isn’t streaming, but he is maintaining his brand as “Gamer Number 1” and moral authority on all matters. Ninja has hinted that he will continue in some form soon. But he isn’t saying how specifically.
Guy “Dr Disrespect” Beahm has been silent for a long time and then gave interviews. He will not return to Twitch. But he is planning his return as Dr Disrespect. However, he says he will not seek an exclusive deal.
Twitch, YouTube or Facebook – The 3 Options
Where could the streamers switch to?
The streamers Ninja and shroud are both represented by the agency “Loaded”. It’s quite possible that both will settle somewhere again as a package. Streamer Dr Disrespect, on the other hand, is represented by a large Hollywood agency.
It is likely that Ninja and shroud are again aiming for an exclusive deal that brings them financial benefits while Dr Disrespect will proceed without such a deal. One can only speculate about the reasons: Perhaps he is currently “too hot” for other providers after his mysterious Twitch ban.
Twitch is certainly the obvious option for shroud and Ninja. They have huge fan bases here. If they return, Ninja would immediately regain the largest channel ahead of Tfue and shroud would also be right at the front.
On Twitch, the streamers would definitely have the highest relevance and viewer base. The market value for advertising deals would be high, and after a time in “exile,” they could finally participate fully again. Especially Ninja seemed to be affected by Twitch streamers mocking him that no one was watching him.
YouTube is an attractive option for all three streamers. As Twitch streamers, the 3 have built a second pillar on YouTube: here, viewers usually watch “Video on Demands,” clips from live streams that are repurposed for YouTube.
YouTube Gaming does not yet have a “live streaming” culture like Twitch – but it is apparently willing and ready to invest here.
Facebook Gaming would probably only be an option if they lured with a lot of money and a strong concept. Allegedly, shroud and Ninja both rejected outstanding strong deals and preferred to “explore their options” rather than switch directly from Mixer to Facebook Gaming. According to the German top streamer, Marcel “MontanaBlack” Eris, Facebook Gaming is “just garbage.”
“An independent solution” was brought up by Dr Disrespect: He could just stream on his own website. But such experiments seem unlikely. Streamers who aimed for such solo solutions only broadcast to a small audience in the past. Even PewDiePie is now back on YouTube. He was on “DLive” for a year but apparently couldn’t achieve the intended relevance there.
Even though it pains fans not to see their favorite entertainers daily, shroud and Ninja are certainly in an excellent financial position. They fell softly after the end of Mixer, as it is heard. It was different for small streamers on the platform:
While Ninja and shroud are cashing in, small Mixer streamers are completely finished
