The Fortnite streamer Ninja was originally known for his vulgar streams on Twitch. However, since reaching the peak of his success, he has become nicer and more family-friendly. He says he does this for the overall reputation of gaming.
This is what the streamer says about his outbursts: Many of his viewers wish the old Ninja back, who didn’t hold back and would sometimes erupt in foul-mouthed tirades when an opponent dared to defeat him.
Ninja has now responded to these remarks, explaining that the new Ninja is better for the gaming image in the mainstream.
He explains that no vulgar streamer could survive in the mainstream and that they would tarnish the reputation of gaming. So, Ninja is intentionally being nicer because it benefits gaming and its image in the mainstream.
This is how Ninja wants to improve the reputation of gaming
These statements were made by Ninja: In a stream, Ninja addressed the topic and said: “The things I have done, and the things I no longer say, and that the majority of my streams are now family-friendly, I do all of this for the gaming community and esports.
Do you think that anything I said when I was 21 and vulgar would make it into the news and on television in the mainstream? No, it wouldn’t. They would never show it.”
What does Ninja mean by this? With this statement, Ninja presents himself as a fighter for the good reputation of gaming. If he continued to stream so vulgarly with his reach, the media would only report negatively about him.
He would serve as an example of how immature and aggressive the gamer community is, further damaging the image of gaming.
So according to Ninja, he is family-friendly so that the general public has a positive image of gaming.
This is what Ninja says about other streamers: Ninja also addresses other streamers and says:
“Put any other streamer who talks and swears like he does into the mainstream media. Don’t you think the media would put him down and drag gaming through the dirt?”
Ninja sees the danger here in the major news networks in the USA and social media.
Can we agree with Ninja’s opinion? The fact is that Ninja is also a popular face outside the gaming community. For example, he was booked for a Super Bowl commercial and appeared on New Year’s Eve in Times Square.
For this, it is probably important to be “brand-safe,” meaning to be someone who is presentable. If he were a swearing troublemaker, he likely wouldn’t have received the lucrative deal with Red Bull. It’s important for him to be presentable.
Therefore, there is certainly something to what Ninja says. Although he himself benefits massively from this “mainstream success” personally, and surely not only “for gaming’s sake,” but also for the sake of money.
What is it like in Germany? Germany’s biggest streamer, MontanaBlack, is known for his direct but also honest choice of words. Recently the streamer wrote a book that promptly became a bestseller. MontanaBlack flirts with his gangster image but makes sure to not go as far as other German streamers.
So ApoRed, according to his own statements, was accused by Epic of not being “brand-safe”: This led to disadvantages in his collaboration with Epic.
Another streamer who is also known for being vulgar recently commented on Fortnite:
