Apparently, the streaming service Twitch is facing a problem. The number 1 on the platform, the Fortnite streamer Tfue, has used a racist slur for which he should actually be banned. But that would be his 3rd ban and therefore permanent.
Why should Tfue be banned? The streamer Turner “Tfue” Tenney has lately been extremely upset about Fortnite – the game he owes his rise on Twitch to.
Therefore, Tfue was playing Minecraft, but a situation also escalated there.
As can be heard in a clip, he curses in a strange accent at one point. It could be meant ironically. However, he uses the word “Nigger” – and that is clearly against Twitch’s rules. Streamers have already been banned from Twitch for using the “N-word” – even if the word was hardly understandable.
As the site “The Verge” reports, Tfue deleted it later, but the clip is going around.
Tfue already banned temporarily 2 times
That’s why the ban would now be permanent: Normally, Tfue should be banned for this action. The ban would likely be over 14 days. However, Tfue has already received 2 temporary bans from Twitch:
- Once he was suspended in May 2018 for an unspecified reason. He did not want to comment further on it at the time. He said: “14 days – I got banned from Twitch for stupid, stupid stuff I did.” It wasn’t even serious, just stupid. (via dotesports)
- On the other occasion, he was banned by Twitch for calling a player “Coon” in August 2018 – that is also a racist slur. Tfue later stated that he certainly did not mean it racially and apologized for it.
Twitch follows a so-called “Three Strikes out” policy. This means: a third temporary ban from Twitch would be permanent. (via help.Twitch)
After two strikes, the next violation will result in an indefinite suspension, but some severe violations will result in an indefinite suspension on the first violation.
From the rules of Twitch.
Is Twitch losing its 2nd Fortnite star after Ninja?
That’s why it’s so delicate: With 7 million followers, Tfue is currently the largest active streamer on Twitch. Therefore, one wonders whether Twitch can really afford to be consistent and ban Tfue. That would surely be a setback for the platform, after they have already lost Ninja.
A statement from Twitch is still pending. They do not comment on “individual streamers,” they told The Verge in response to their inquiry.
In the past, there have been cases where Twitch showed mercy due to special circumstances.
How did Tfue’s rise begin? Tfue had already been a good player for a long time and was quite successful in games like Destiny or H1Z1. But it really took off in spring 2018 when the hype around Fortnite increased.
Tfue joined the eSport clan FaZe in April 2018. Since then, he has gradually become a huge hit on Twitch. Fans saw him as a worthy rival to Ninja. His channel grew enormously.
Just a few days ago, Tfue surpassed the streamer Shroud and is now the active streamer with the most followers on Twitch.
