The current measures to contain the coronavirus have not only negative sides, as it seems. Many streamers, especially on Twitch, and also video games benefit. However, the situation does not lead to enormous growth everywhere.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, the everyday life of many people is changing. One of the biggest changes: People have to stay at home, working partly from home, even as game developers.
The result is that many people are seeking distraction. This has led to a drastic increase in demand for certain online games. Clearly, because MMOs help to distract from the crisis and to think about other things.
Despite the restrictions, some parts of the gaming industry are thriving at the moment – especially streaming. More people are at home and looking for something to do – so they watch others do something. Like playing games, for example.
Fewer viewers for Ninja
Not every streamer benefits from the situation. The originally largest Twitch streamer Ninja has been found on the competing platform Mixer since August 2019. There he now regularly streams. However, the new circumstances bring him hardly anything.
As the statistics page MixerStats.com shows, Ninja has not only not gained viewers recently, but has even lost some (via MixerStats, as of March 20):
- Average viewers in the last 7 days: 7144
- Average viewers in the last 14 days: 7490
- Average viewers in the last 30 days: 7763
In general, the switch to Mixer does not seem to have been positive for Ninja in terms of viewers.
Growth for shroud
Also shroud switched to Mixer in October 2019 – permanently. However, he can record an increase in viewers, and a relatively significant one.
His statistics on Mixer are (via MixerStats, as of March 20):
- Average viewers in the last 7 days: 8627
- Average viewers in the last 14 days: 7517
- Average viewers in the last 30 days: 5661
However, he also shows significantly more content of the new Battle Royale Call of Duty: Warzone.
Warzone has already caused a huge boom on Twitch and is probably besides the virus the trigger for shroud’s growing viewer numbers. Ninja on the other hand complains about Warzone.
Although shroud can report growth, it does not reach his numbers from back then on Twitch. And even other streamers on Twitch are currently doing significantly better.
Twitch benefits
This is how Twitch is developing: In the past two weeks (March 6-20), Twitch has significantly gained viewers and is partly much more successful than at the beginning of the year, as the numbers above show.
The statistics page sullygnome shows that on average, more people streamed on Twitch and also watched streams than in January.
Twitch numbers in the last 2 weeks (via sullygnome, as of March 20)
- 503,982,999 viewer hours
- 1,499,949 average viewers
- 59,768 active channels on average
- 2,716,482 viewers simultaneously
Twitch numbers in January 2020 (via sullygnome, as of March 20)
- 1,010,010,231 viewer hours
- 1,349,367 average viewers
- 52,875 active channels on average
- 2,400,513 viewers simultaneously
In the past two weeks alone, over 500 million hours of streams were watched, and the first week of March and the remaining eleven days of the month are missing. This could also break the mark from January (slightly over a billion hours).
Who is the big winner here? The currently most-watched streamer on Twitch by viewer hours is Summit1g. In the past 14 days, he generated almost 400% more followers than in the previous two weeks, during which he had nearly 5 million hours watched (data via sullygnome, as of March 20).
Like many other streamers, Summit1g benefited from the massive hype around CoD: Warzone on Twitch, which he has mostly played in recent days.
By comparison: Summit1g has an average of 30,602 viewers in recent weeks – nearly twice as many as shroud and Ninja on Mixer combined. And that, despite or perhaps because he experiences quite embarrassing moments.
The influence of Corona on gamers: The coronavirus currently affects many gamers and the entire industry. It’s not just about people who have to stay at home, but also the companies – and streamers:
