2019 seems to be the year of Apex Legends and streamer Shroud on Twitch. Apex Legends has dethroned Fortnite as the top game on Twitch. Shroud is the new star, and his career plans differ drastically from those of his predecessor Ninja.
Who is the face of Twitch? In recent years, there has always been a big game and a streamer who represented it, enjoying tremendous success alongside the game:
- In 2017, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds was the big game, and the streamer was DrDisrespect, a guy with a mustache and a huge ego
- In 2018, Fortnite was the hit game, and Tyler “Ninja” Blevins was the star on Twitch with an aggressive play style, an energetic personality, and a lot of ambition
- In 2019, it seems that Apex Legends will be the big game of the year, and here is Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek at the top. Shroud is calm, not a showman, but an outstanding shooter. Nickname: “Human Aim-Bot.”
The respective streamers were considered the “face of Twitch” during their time.
All three streamers have been very successful before and after their “peak,” but, so far, there has often been only room for one at the top.
Shroud and Apex Legends replace Fortnite and Ninja in February
How successful is Shroud: Currently, Shroud has the fastest growing channel on Twitch by far, as shown by the site “Twitch-Metrics.”
This coincides with the rise of Apex Legends on Twitch. It surpassed Fortnite in February, after Fortnite had been the most-watched game for 11 consecutive months.
Since Fortnite completely entered the mainstream in March 2018, it had been at the top. But now Apex Legends is here.
Shroud himself is surprised by this success. The former CS:GO pro has been on Twitch for years and was already a big player with PUBG, but he likely did not expect this rise with Apex Legends.
“Play until I die”
This is how Shroud deals with success: What is interesting is how Shroud envisions his future. In a stream, he says:
A lot of people in my position would now try to do more. They would try to take advantage of the moment and grow bigger and bigger.
I’m not interested in that; I just want to play games.
I don’t care about going to events or meeting stars – but that’s exactly what one has to do to grow and later pursue another career.
But I don’t want that. I just want to game until I die. That’s my plan.
Shroud on his future plans
This is what’s behind it: Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, the Fortnite star, did exactly what Shroud rejects for himself. He sought the company of celebrities. His plan was clear: to grow bigger and bigger.
Shroud has a different idea. Apparently, each game will also get a streamer that somehow fits it.
