The Twitch streamer Zack “Asmongold” Hoyt has repeatedly made headlines in recent times for his controversial statements. With comments on the Middle East conflict, he has now gone too far and has been banned from the streaming platform.
Update 10/17/2024, 1:00 PM – Asmongold has now commented on the ban and drawn consequences from his behavior: Asmongold is banned from Twitch, loses partnership and his companies – Explains what comes next and sounds like a new person
What did Asmongold say? In his stream on the night of October 15, 2024, our time, Asmongold commented on the Gaza War. The streamer referred to Sharia law and the treatment of women and queer people.
He accused Palestinians of having genocide already enshrined in their legal system. He stated that he didn’t care if those people became victims of genocide themselves. Specifically, Asmongold said: “I don’t give a damn. They are terrible people. […] They come from an inferior culture that is awful and kills people for their identity. […]”
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The statements caused a large outcry on social media, and partners and co-founders of his gaming organization One True King (OTK) distanced themselves from Asmongold. Now Twitch has also taken action and banned the streamer’s alternative channel, where he made the statements.
Stir in social networks
How did the situation develop? Asmongold’s comments on the Gaza War were quickly clipped and spread across social media. On X, a clip from the stream received over 35 million views.
The Twitch streamer “Tips Out”, co-founder and COO of the gaming organization One True King, reported on X about his own experiences as a child of Muslim immigrants in the USA.
He wrote: “For many who heard Zack’s [Asmongold’s] statements, the language he used, whether intentional or not, reminded them of the same dehumanization that plagued their ancestors, their grandparents, and in some cases still affects their families today.”
Tips Out wants to use the upcoming time to ensure behind the scenes that OTK’s employees are doing well and that the organization continues to thrive.
The YouTuber “Detective Seeds” announced on X that he would no longer partner with Starforge Systems following Asmongold’s remarks about Muslims, which is OTK’s PC brand. Later, he reported receiving death threats and review bombings as a result of his decision. Nonetheless, he stands by his choice (via X).
The statements also caught the attention of political streamer Hasan “HasanAbi” Piker, who has already extensively addressed the Gaza War. He commented on Asmongold’s remarks in his stream and subsequently engaged in a three-hour discussion via video call with the streamer. A recording of that can be found on YouTube.
Asmongold shows remorse: “My mistake”
Later, Asmongold expressed himself on his own X account regarding the situation. In retrospect, he stated he was “too much of an asshole” regarding the “Palestine issue.” He said: “My mistake.” No one deserves for their life to be destroyed, even if they do or express views that the streamer considers regressive.
In a comment, the streamer added that he had no problem apologizing if he was indeed wrong (via X). However, this apology did not prevent Twitch from banning his channel during the course of the day.
However, under Asmongold’s tweet, there is a lot of criticism of his statement. Some suspect it is only damage control and call the statement a “PR post,” while others consider the phrasing “My Bad” to be too weak in light of the statements made.
Twitch takes action against “hateful behavior”
What is known about the ban? Twitch reacted on the evening of October 15, our time, and banned the secondary channel of Asmongold, where he has primarily streamed for over a year. The length of the ban is currently unknown; reports suggest it is a temporary ban lasting 14 days according to Kotaku.
During this time, Asmongold is also not allowed to go live on his main channel or appear in Twitch streams of his organization. This falls under the “DrDisrespect rules“ from Twitch regarding circumventing bans.
In a statement to IGN, a spokesperson for the streaming platform said: “We take action when there are violations of our community guidelines, including rules on hateful behavior and other regulations.”
Asmongold’s statements fit into his development over the past few years. While the streamer was once seen as an authority on MMORPGs and was especially known for WoW, he increasingly shifted his content to reaction content starting in 2022 and repeatedly made controversial statements. Just recently Asmongold released a video explaining why he is the way he is.
