Marcel “MontanaBlack” Eris (34) is one of the biggest streamers in the German-speaking Twitch. With a well-publicized stream, he attracted thousands of viewers. Afterwards, opinions on the “pensioner stream” were divided.
This is MontanaBlack: The 34-year-old is the largest German Twitch streamer by followers. He is known for speaking his mind, openly discussing his drug past, and hosting “cool sex talks”.
But the streamer also has another side: He loves animals, follows a vegetarian diet, and his little pug Kylo is “like a son” to him.
Cool streamer becomes a child again in the wildlife park
What was that stream about? On October 18, MontanaBlack stirred the rumor mill with a mysterious announcement. No one should make plans for October 23. Fans were immediately sure: it would be a “Black Ops 3” tournament (via Twitter).
However, on Sunday, MontanaBlack surprised his fans with a completely different stream: the self-proclaimed animal lover streamed live from the Schwarze Berge wildlife park.
Here was the plan: MontanaBlack had planned the whole thing as a “chill IRL stream”. After a party weekend, his viewers were supposed to leisurely explore the wildlife park with him on a “underwear Sunday” and get a behind-the-scenes look.
The event had been in planning since his notorious stream from gamescom 2022, according to MontanaBlack. The anticipation was visibly written on his face: for him and many people from the area, the park was a part of their childhood.
This is how the stream went: MontanaBlack seemingly had a lot of fun. He listened intently to the explanations of the zookeeper. The raccoons brought out a childlike enthusiasm in the streamer: he couldn’t get enough of the cute little animals.
The unusual stream was rewarded: An average of over 50,000 people watched at the same time, and towards the end, MontanaBlack even reached a peak of 60,000 viewers. Only during gamescom and Black Ops were more viewers this year (via sullygnome).
And otherwise, MontanaBlack reached new heights: He overcame his fear of heights and climbed the 45 m high observation tower of the wildlife park, much to the delight of his viewers, who eagerly placed bets in the chat.
Divided opinions among the viewers
This is how the stream was received: MontanaBlack himself seemed satisfied. He said his expectations had been exceeded and thanked everyone for the great stream. This was reciprocated by many fans. Especially the enthusiasm with which MontanaBlack interacted with the animals was well received (via Twitter).
One viewer even senses a new meta:
The best IRL stream I’ve ever seen on Twitch. Zoo meta definitely became a thing today 🤝🏼
— Tretzi (@Tretziofficial) October 23, 2022
But not everyone was so taken with it. Some found the visit to the wildlife park apparently too boring. “Retirement IRL stream,” judged one viewer (via Twitter).
There was criticism: On Twitter, numerous fans expressed dissatisfaction with the stream. There were mainly three major points of criticism: the content, the wildlife park theme, and the behavior of MontanaBlack and his crew.
After the mysterious announcement, fans had high hopes. Some had even joked about postponing their wedding or a big family celebration for it. But apparently, they couldn’t engage with the wildlife park that much:
Huh, and that’s how it’s announced? Dude, you can go there every day. Monte is getting more disappointing lately. Just go back in time with your Rift
— yANNEECK (@y_anneeck) October 23, 2022
Others were also disturbed by the wildlife park, but for different reasons: Animals are kept there for the amusement of visitors, some animal friends said. They considered it animal cruelty and said it shouldn’t be supported.
And then there were those who were merely displeased with the behavior of MontanaBlack and his crew. They threw insults at each other and held a burp competition – inappropriate in a family outing destination, critics found (via Twitter).
What do you think of the idea of a stream from the wildlife park? A cool change, or should someone like MontanaBlack stay in his gaming den? Did you see the stream and have a personal highlight? Feel free to leave us a comment with your opinion.
Unfortunately, there are always dangers with such IRL streams:
German Twitch streamer is followed, harassed, and insulted on the street in the USA
