With the rise of various streaming services over recent years, livestreaming video games has become a popular pastime, both for playing and watching others play. The biggest streamers on platforms like Twitch have managed to accrue millions of viewers and turn what was once a hobby into a lucrative career. Streaming is more popular than ever, with celebrities like Soulja Boy trying out Twitch and the platform featuring on well-known TV shows has catapulted it into the mainstream.
Some platforms have come and gone like Microsoft's Mixer, failing to make a splash among the more established names. However, with Amazon-owned Twitch topping the pile in terms of popularity and viewership in the past few years, this doesn't mean that it will continue to dominate. Other contenders for the top spot have emerged, such as Facebook Gaming and YouTube Gaming, and these services have even caused some of Twitch's biggest names to make the switch to an alternate streaming platform.
Why The Switch From Twitch
Not only are platforms like Twitch and YouTube battling it out for streamers, but they're also trying to outdo one another at every turn with better offers, higher quality content without that ever-annoying lag, and coverage of all the popular games. With livestreamers and platforms like Twitch becoming more lucrative as their popularity increases, it's no wonder that platforms are vying for the top spot as ferociously as they have been.
That being said, money isn't the only motivation. Former Twitch streamer Ludwig Aghren explained that his decision to leave the platform for its competitor YouTube was based on how he felt he was treated by both. YouTube continued to fight for him even though he showed reluctance to make the switch, whereas Twitch didn't seem too concerned by his decision leading to Ludwig feeling undervalued. Other longtime Twitch streamers echoed this sentiment, and although more of them have decided to change platforms, it is yet to be determined if YouTube will successfully overtake the streaming giant in the future.
A big problem for streamers that often leads to them switching allegiances when it comes to streaming platforms is the frequency of bans. From copyright issues, bad language, to mushroom emotes that look "too sexual," Twitch can be known to be fairly heavy-handed when it comes to issuing bans. While a lot of them will be deserved for players or streamers breaking rules or causing offense, the frustration that unreasonable bans can cause are a reason for streamers to leave Twitch in favor of platforms that might be a bit more forgiving.
Every Streamer Who Changed Platform In 2021
With high-profile streamers making the change from Twitch to YouTube as early as 2019, it's only in the last year that YouTube has really ramped up its tactics when it comes to acquiring popular streamers. DrLupo was YouTube's first well-known defector in 2021 when he made the decision to leave Twitch. DrLupo announced his lucrative new deal with YouTube in August 2021, prompted by a desire to spend more time with his family and avoid the demanding schedule required for a successful Twitch streamer.
DrLupo was swiftly followed by TimTheTatman a day later — a much more devastating blow for Twitch as reportedly one of its top 10 highest-paid content creators. Timothy Betar, otherwise known as TimTheTatman, was a prominent Twitch streamer and joined the platform almost a decade ago. TimTheTatman's decision to leave the platform after such a long tenure is perhaps a sign of the troubled waters over at Twitch.
Ludwig was another of Twitch's top earners, and left the platform on November 29, although he left the door open for further collaborations. Losing Ludwig was another blow for Twitch, as he'd previously smashed Ninja's subscriber record during his month-long subathon. This event saw the streamer add time to a countdown for every new subscriber that joined, and ended up making Ludwig stream continuously for a month. He interspersed his video game playing with workouts, cooking, and even inviting friends over in order to entertain his viewers, making history on the platform for subscriber numbers.
These streamers join other big names like Valkyrae, CouRageJD, LazarBeam, and Muselk who made the switch in previous years, leaving behind Twitch to join forces with YouTube Gaming. Each has amassed millions of followers on their new platforms, although some streamers like Valkyrae still criticize YouTube for being behind the curve when it comes to many of the features that Twitch already has.