Number 3: Rachel “Valkyrae” Hofstetter
How successful was she on Twitch: Valkyrae was one of the few successful women on Twitch, but with 940,000 followers, she was not yet at the absolute top. She was also only relatively new to Twitch, just having made a name for herself with Fortnite and joined the e-sports organization 100 Thieves in 2018.
How important was she on Twitch: As one of the few successful gaming streamers, Valkyrae was certainly important for Twitch’s perspective to reach new audiences. Valkyrae is also excellently networked.
At the time of her switch to YouTube on January 13, 2020, she was still relatively early in her career and had not yet achieved the outstanding position on Twitch that she would later occupy on YouTube.
Why did she switch? As a leaker revealed at the time, her agency got Valkyrae an excellent contract with YouTube. The talk was of a multi-year exclusive contract that paid her “much more” than on YouTube, but less than a million US dollars.
The head of YouTube Gaming later stated that he had recruited her because he saw incredible potential in her.
This is how things went for Valkyrae on YouTube: The transition started off rocky because the streamer was undergoing a personal crisis along with the platform switch. However, her channel exploded on YouTube when she took advantage of the gaming trend surrounding “Among Us”. In the pandemic, the need for social interaction was high and “Among Us” hit the nerve of the time: Never before was lying and murdering so beautifully possible in a game about deception on a spaceship.
A clique of other streamers quickly formed around Valkyrae. Through synergy effects, the popularity of the streamers increased. Today, Valkyrae has over 3.5 million subscribers on Twitch, is considered the largest gaming streamer in the world, and is certainly the showcase case that Wyatt presents to everyone as proof that one can be successful in YouTube Gaming.
Additionally, the 29-year-old is now a co-owner of 100 Thieves.
