The developers of the hardcore shooter Escape from Tarkov have been banned on the streaming platform Twitch for the second time.
Twitch bans EFT developers: The hardcore shooter Escape from Tarkov (short: EFT) is regularly a massive success on Twitch. Whenever there is a wipe in the game, meaning all player progress is reset, the viewer numbers on the streaming platform skyrocket.
From December 27 to 29 alone, the numbers jumped from 49,000 to 509,000 viewers at peak (via sullygnome.com).
For many players, the wipe day is the perfect moment to play, stream, or at least watch a stream of Escape from Tarkov. Sometimes, Twitch drops further boost viewer numbers, just like in recent days (via escapefromtarkov.com)
Yet, the developers are currently unable to participate in the streaming success of their shooter, as the official Battlestate Games account has been banned on Twitch – for the second time. This has prompted fans of the shooter on reddit to ask: “How can this happen again?”
What kind of ban is this? On the Twitter channel “StreamerBans”, viewers can find out when a streamer has been banned.
This happens repeatedly and can have various causes, as we see in the case of streamer HasanAbi, who was recently banned. He suspects political reasons for his ban.
In general, it is often only speculation about the reasons for a Twitch ban. This is also true in the case of the developers of Escape from Tarkov. An official reason is not known.
The Twitch channel of Battlestate Games was banned on January 1 for the second time. What type of ban it is and when the developers may stream again is also not known. During Battlestate Games’ last ban about three years ago, the channel was unbanned after 14 days.
Fans speculate about the reason for the ban
What speculations are there? On Twitter and reddit, players are circulating several speculations about what the reason for the ban might be. For instance, Twitter user wallytreats suggests that specifying the wrong streaming category could be involved (via Twitter).
During a stream by Battlestate Games, the developers showcased the broadcasting of DJ “John B”, but reportedly indicated “Escape from Tarkov” as the category. John B also confirms on Twitter that his appearance was shown on the developers’ channel.
Another speculation from the players is that the developers jokingly pointed a weapon at people during a stream. Even if it were not real or functional, threatening would violate the TOS of the platform (via Twitch.tv).
It is currently unclear whether the developers actually pointed a (not real) weapon at someone. There is no clip of the mentioned scene, and the VoD is also not accessible due to the ban.
If a video emerges that shows the possible reason for the ban or if detailed information about the background becomes known, we will update the article.
If you enjoy the gameplay of Escape from Tarkov and are looking for alternatives to the extraction shooter, you might be interested in these six games on Steam.
6 games on Steam that you should play if you like Escape from Tarkov
