The American Ali “Myth” Kabbani (21) is currently one of the biggest streamers on Twitch. His career began when he was thought of as a kind of “Fortnite God” in 2017. Those times are long gone. Today he says: He was pretty bad at Fortnite. Nevertheless, he is currently one of the biggest streamers in the world.
How was Fortnite in the beginning? Fortnite Battle Royale launched in September 2017. At that time, nobody really had the game on their radar. It was considered a leftover of a failed co-op game and quite a blatant copy of PUBG, as many thought back then. PUBG even sued Epic.
However, some streamers recognized the potential of Fortnite early and began showcasing it on Twitch:
- The player Ninja actually came from popular battle royale games like H1Z1 and PUBG – originally he was a Halo player
- The now-popular Tfue originally started with Destiny before switching to H1Z1 and later Fortnite
- The streamer “Myth” was previously unknown. He came from the now-defunct Paragon and had an average of 58 viewers there
Today, the three are at the absolute top of Twitch and entertain tens of thousands of viewers on average: Back then, hardly anyone watched them.
Myth was the first to build properly in Fortnite
The overall skill level in Fortnite back then was low. Many players tried the game for the first time in 2017, having no idea how to build or play properly.
Therefore, players like Ninja or Myth were able to dominate a lobby. They could kill “countless normal” players and were regarded by their viewers as Fortnite gods.
The young Myth earned a reputation during this early phase as a “Fortnite God” because no one dominated the building system like he did. He methodically advanced step by step and was able to win games cleverly.
While Ninja relied more on pure shooter skills, Myth was considered “innovative” and “clever” – he played Fortnite like no one else. He became the team captain of Team SoloMid, a major US esports team.
Younger pros are overrunning Fortnite and replacing the streamers
Here’s how Myth’s journey continued: This phase of “dominant streamers” like Myth and Ninja ended relatively quickly.
By 2018, more and more pro players were joining Fortnite, especially younger players who were faster and approached the Fortnite project more efficiently.
They played not for the show and for the viewers but effectively to win. They trained specific building sequences in creative mode, worked on their paths in the game, and methodically invested time to get better.
Players like Myth were unable to win anything at the first tournaments: This disappointed their fans. Myth quickly lost his charm and seemed surprisingly beatable.
By 2019 with the World Cup, unknown young players had definitively taken control of Fortnite. Streamers like Myth or Ninja could not qualify for the World Cup. They were already considered old news.
This is what Myth says now: In a stream, Myth talks about his Twitch career and his shooter skills. For him, it has gone very well:
Honestly, I did a great job keeping my Twitch career alive. I was at the top of Fortnite and then down, down, and hey, we’re still here.
Other streamers had to be pros and really good at their games. I was a pro and I was bad. And I’m still here, baby!
Myth
People love Myth as a person, not as a gamer
This is what’s behind it: Myth has managed to undergo a wild transformation: He went from gamer prodigy to a true entertainer in just a few years.
Myth initially looked so incredibly strong in Fortnite because everyone else was so bad and he at least played with dedication and effort.
However, when it got “serious”, his weaknesses in gameplay became painfully evident:
- he got nervous in important games
- fell to his death
- was torn apart by fans
- and complained publicly about the pressure that destroyed his enjoyment of the game.
In 2018, he was only 19 and struggled to cope with the hate on Twitch.
Others might have broken at that point, but Myth grew stronger.
He then changed his program: At a certain point, he was no longer a “Fortnite God”, but people liked him because they found him genuinely funny.
He appeared relaxed and easygoing, doing really good impersonations of streamers like xQc and has successfully provided viewers with a place where they can relax and laugh.
Today, Myth with 6.8 million followers is the fourth largest streamer on Twitch after Ninja, Tfue, and shroud. He only plays Fortnite occasionally now.
His fans also appreciate that Myth is a bit playful and sometimes goes off the rails. He has also done some provocative things. In a clip, he showed himself in a bathtub filled with money and asked viewers to support him with the free Twitch Prime subscription.
He ironically addressed the fact that streamers are people who become rich by receiving donations from those who have much less than they do:
Fortnite: Twitch streamer Myth bathing in money, asking fans for more support
