In early September 2022, the Fortnite streamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins (31) announced a break from Twitch and social media. Now he makes a ridiculous comeback, but it is not well received by everyone.
Background:
- Ninja had his big breakthrough with Fortnite in late 2017 and subsequently achieved an unprecedented career: He was constantly present on Twitch, even invited to talk shows and is probably the first true mainstream streamer.
- Even years later, he still has the Twitch channel with the most followers, but his glory days are over: Ninja is now a “normal streamer” with an average of 10,000 viewers.
- On September 1, Ninja caused a stir with a mysterious tweet and a suddenly cut-off stream; he seemed to be overwhelmed. He said: “I can’t take it anymore, buddy – I’m fed up” – We asked you: Is this real or just a show?
- At the same time, Ninja’s exclusive contract with Twitch also ended; he no longer has the status of a “partner” – this led to speculation: Is a switch to YouTube being prepared, or is he burnt out and quitting entirely?
- In the meantime, it seems as if Ninja faked the burnout to announce a unique comeback.
Ninja discovered Fortnite at just the right time and became huge. Everything you need to know about the colorful shooter from Epic can be found here:
Muted reactions to Ninja’s big comeback: Interesting, but …
This comeback is about: On September 9, a little over a week after his alleged burnout, Ninja announced his comeback, and the video received over 700,000 views on Twitter. The twist: Ninja wants to stream everywhere – apparently simultaneously.
The whole thing is set to kick off tomorrow, September 10, 2022, at 7:00 PM our time.
Ninja is set to appear on these platforms: Ninja announced that he wants to be “live everywhere”. He listed all the common platforms: Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He didn’t completely rule out Patreon and Onlyfans, although the latter is likely just a joke.
What makes this special: As esports journalist Jake Lucky reported, Ninja is the first major streamer to want to livestream on every site. However, he saw it as a sign that there weren’t any major exclusive offers for Ninja (via Twitter).
The action could be linked to a recent rule change by Twitch: Streamers now have more freedom to stream on other platforms, with restrictions for partners. DrDisrespect had already thought in a similar direction:
However, Jake Lucky also mentioned that he is curious how the combined audience would look. This sentiment also seems to be shared by MMORPG streamer Zack, better known as “Asmongold.” He reacted to Ninja’s announcement video and said: “There’s nothing really exciting about it.”
This is Asmongold’s take: The WoW streamer likely thinks this is not a good idea. He fears that interaction with viewers and overall quality could suffer from the multistreaming. One single stream with 7,000 viewers is preferable to 7 streams with 1,000 viewers each.
Given the changed rules from Twitch, Asmongold is also curious about this development. Because if Ninja is successful with the action, others will surely follow suit soon. He is basically trying it out for everyone.
Nevertheless, he seems to consider the step a wrong decision: Ninja should have simply moved to YouTube, as he is popular there.
Asmongold thinks Ninja doesn’t need this
Did Asmongold have anything positive to say? Absolutely. In Asmongold’s eyes, Ninja has “won the game.” He is the most successful gamer. However, one cannot always be as popular as Ninja was in 2018, that is just the way things go.
I have the impression that [Ninja] should just sit back and relax. He should enjoy being, in my opinion, the first mainstream gaming celebrity. Screw the viewers, just do what you want.
Asmongold via Twitch
Asmongold seems unable to really understand why Ninja is going to such lengths. He could simply spend time with his wife and friends.
What do you think of Ninja’s comeback? Is it an interesting experiment or rather a desperate attempt to cling to past glory? Would you be interested in such multi-platform streams and if so, where would you prefer to see them? Feel free to leave a comment with your opinion.
When Ninja is not streaming on half a dozen platforms simultaneously, he is trying to help others on their path to success as a streamer. However, his streaming course receives a lot of criticism.
The largest streamer on Twitch offers a “masterclass” for 200 € – But testers mock it.
