Maximilian “HandOfBlood” Knabe (31) announced unexpectedly in mid-January that he would be scaling back video production on YouTube and instead becoming active as a streamer on Twitch. Now he reflects on his journey.
Isn’t that this YouTuber? Those who only occasionally follow HandOfBlood may have missed the big announcement in recent weeks: The content creator announced on January 16, 2024, that he would be streaming regularly on Twitch as a “Daily Streamer”. Consequently, the content on YouTube will be significantly reduced.
On January 17, he made a grand debut on the streaming platform with up to 43,000 viewers. Since then, HandOfBlood has been climbing the German Twitch charts. In a new video, the newly minted streamer reports on how things have been for him since the transition.
The wacky roles that we have come to know and love will be less frequent in the future:
“A lot has really fallen off me”
In his video from January 29, HandOfBlood talks about how he has experienced the time since his switch to Twitch. It all began immediately after uploading his announcement: he took the bus home and read through comments, watched the first reactions to his video.
At home, he sat down at the computer and noted that a lot had “really fallen off [him],” the 31-year-old reports. Apparently, the time before the announcement was a significant burden for HandOfBlood. The announcement of the switch marks the “stop of this marathon” for him.
For him, it was an “emotional rollercoaster.” “I cried at first, cried like a stable man,” HandOfBlood reports.
The support expressed under the announcement of his switch to Twitch from both his YouTube community and content colleagues visibly moves the streamer. However, he quickly had to realize that such a change can also come with negative aspects.
On the second channel, where compilations of his streams are posted, there was a lot of negative feedback. HandOfBlood has already published a statement there, admitting his mistakes: he did not clearly communicate the upcoming change on the second channel in advance and did not create the right expectations.
However, the streamer is optimistic: now it’s simply about getting used to it. You can watch the whole video here:
HandOfBlood reflects: Exactly the right step
At the end of the video, the 31-year-old summarizes: The switch to Twitch was exactly the right step for him. It simply feels right, as if a knot had burst, says HandOfBlood. “It fits very well with the Max in the here and now to take this step,” he explains.
He is particularly happy about the joint appearances with other content creators, as he seems to not want to sit alone and isolated in his streaming room, like some of his colleagues do. But he is also visibly pleased about the prospect of simply gaming for 4 hours straight during a stream.
The overall positive mood is also felt by the viewers, who express their opinions in the comments under the video. Many write how nice it is to see the content creator so motivated and satisfied, or express their support for him going his own way.
Others seem to follow the change with a mix of happiness and sorrow: they miss the videos from earlier, as the streams are simply not for them. It remains to be seen how the fans will cope with the switch in the long run. However, the first success is likely to strengthen HandOfBlood in his decision: HandOfBlood has been streaming on Twitch for 2 days and is already surpassing (almost) everyone
