The Twitch streamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins was a big deal in gaming in 2017 because he dominated the online shooter Fortnite. By 2024, he plays hardly any role anymore. He believes this is because he received a shadow ban on YouTube. But viewers see other reasons.
This is what Ninja believes: The streamer thinks he received a shadow ban on YouTube and therefore has significantly fewer viewers than before.
At his peak, 4 to 6 years ago, Ninja’s YouTube videos where he dominated Fortnite had views ranging from 17 to 51 million. His latest videos have views in the range of 124,000 to 230,000. Comparing the most extreme changes, that is a drop of 99.76 %.
For Ninja, it is clear: he received a shadow ban on YouTube years ago. He sees it as confirmation, as a viewer recently explained to him that he thought Ninja had quit YouTube because he suddenly was no longer seen in the video feed of the YouTube user.
What is a shadow ban? A shadow ban is a restriction on the reach of a content creator without them being notified. In a shadow ban on YouTube, the creator’s videos simply no longer appear in the feed of their followers. Their reach is limited.
Viewers believe Ninja is still stuck in the past
What do others think? Ninja unfortunately has to listen to some rational explanations for the drop in viewers on X, formerly known as Twitter, which he probably wouldn’t appreciate:
He is told that he has less reach than before because his metrics are simply worse today. Because if people click less on his videos and watch him less, they are simply shown less. YouTube sees no reason in 2024 to promote and favor him as before.
Another explains to him: Ninja is stuck in time. He uploads too long clips – they have gone out of fashion. And gameplay clips like the ones he makes are more suitable for short formats. A currently trending YouTuber – PirateSoftware – uses the algorithm to their advantage.
A third one tells Ninja that he stopped watching his videos because he only complained about Fortnite or because he promised explanations about Fortnite in his videos but then only talked for 10 seconds and afterwards showed gameplay without commentary.
Others say that the mistake is that he still shows Fortnite at all while most others have long since left the game.
The general opinion seems to be that the “meta” on YouTube has shifted in favor of short clips and that what worked 6 years ago simply doesn’t work anymore in 2024. Without dark powers playing a negative role here: Ninja and his friends became famous on Twitch with Fortnite – But now no one plays with him anymore
