Twitch

Twitchcon’s show floor is notably lacking in video games. This makes sense; game makers have far less to gain from being at a show where most people are here to see streamers, not play games. In previous years, that didn’t stop a fair number of video game companies from having presences. This year, however, it’s…

Twitch’s Latest Crackdowns On ‘Sexual’ Content Are Leaving Streamers Baffled

Earlier this week, Twitch suspended a streamer named Quqco for wearing a cosplay of Street Fighter heroine Chun-Li on stream, deeming her outfit “sexually suggestive.” This took Quqco—and many others—by surprise, given that the outfit was not overtly risqué. But this was not an isolated incident. In the past few days, Twitch has been cracking…

Popular Streamer Tfue’s Use Of A Racial Slur Could Be His Last Strike On Twitch

Popular Twitch streamer Turner “Tfue” Tenney seemingly used a racial slur while streaming Minecraft earlier this week. Twitch has yet to take action, but if it does, this will be Tfue’s third violation of Twitch’s policies, which is grounds for being permanently banned from the service. As reported by The Verge, the Minecraft clip isn’t…

After Player Outcry, Fortnite Reverts Turbo Building Changes

In the wake of widespread outcry over yesterday’s changes to building, Fortnite developer Epic Games has done a 180 on its decision. A lot of Fortnite’s success comes from its building mechanic. Apex Legends and PUBG might also strand competitors in an inescapable death arena with tens of other people, but only Fortnite lets players…

Over A Million People Are Watching World of Warcraft Classic On Twitch

After two years of anticipation, WoW Classic is finally live. Top streamers from every corner of Twitch are streaming it right now, resulting in an audience of over one million concurrent viewers—and some seriously congested starter areas. As of this writing, the slavering horde of Horde (and Alliance) fans topped out at 1.1 million people.…

Twitch Suspends Popular Leftist Streamer After Controversial 9/11 Comments

During a Twitch stream earlier this week, popular leftist streamer Hasan Piker made a statement that would, by pretty much any measure, be considered incendiary. “America deserved 9/11, dude,” he said. “Fuck it, I’m saying it.” Today, Twitch suspended Piker for one week. Emotions had been running high in the leadup to the statement on…

The Top Streamers On Twitch Now That Ninja’s Gone

Last week, Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, much like his namesake, crept out of the figurative building—flanked on all sides by fanfare, cascading grey-blue mountains of Red Bull, and ill-considered jokes. Soon, he made his presence known under a different roof: Mixer, Microsoft’s competitor to Twitch. Blevins has left behind a void. The question is, who will…

As Police Investigate Threats To Twitch Offices, Employees Told To Work From Home

After multiple threats were sent to Twitch’s offices in San Francisco, California, the company has asked employees to work from home for the day. Police are investigating. Business Insider first reported on the situation earlier today. Twitch confirmed the publication’s report in an email to Kotaku “We were made aware of a threat against our…

What Mixer Has That Twitch Doesn’t (Besides Ninja)

Microsoft recently put their streaming service Mixer back in the spotlight by securing exclusive rights to Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, who had been one of the top streamers on Twitch. Exclusive streamers aside, there are several compelling reasons to stream and watch streams on Microsoft’s platform instead of Amazon-owned Twitch. Mixer started life as Beam, an…

Amidst Controversy, Twitch Confirms That Breastfeeding On Stream Is Allowed

Last week, Twitch partner Heather “HeatheredEffect” Kent breastfed her baby while talking to a friend and streaming on Twitch. She didn’t try to draw attention to the act; she did it then and there simply because babies gotta eat, too. However, Twitch ended up deleting a clip of the moment, and the incident sparked a…

Streamer Tries To Test PUBG Bug, Accidentally Lands Shot Of A Lifetime

Sometimes, there’s just no point in trying—for instance, when you’ve got to nail a shot on a target that’s several football fields’ worth of space away. Luckily for Twitch streamer Jake “ChocoTaco” Throop, he wasn’t trying at all. Or at least, he wasn’t trying to do that particular thing. Throop just wanted to demonstrate a…

Bernie Sanders Finally Appears On His Own Twitch Channel—During Amazon Boycott

Last time we checked in on endearingly grouchy democratic socialist uncle and presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders’ Twitch channel, it was notably lacking in Bernie Sanders himself. It also felt more like a campaign commercial than any sort of broadcast Twitch viewers were used to seeing. Yesterday evening, Sanders and company finally addressed one of those…

Some Streamers Are Boycotting Twitch In Support Of The Amazon Prime Day Strike

Unless you’ve got the world’s most powerful ad blocker, you’re probably painfully aware that it’s Prime Day, a holiday that Amazon made up because it could. Deals parade naked in the streets and the company hosts glitzy concerts, all to encourage Amazon Prime subscribers to stick around. For the second year in a row, however,…

The Twitch Streamers Who Put People To Sleep (Literally)

I don’t know if I’ve ever been fully conscious for an entire David “Dog” Caero Twitch stream. The Hearthstone personality (and now inaugural Masters Tour champion) lives in Nevada, which means that when he hits the internet, it’s already twilight in my Brooklyn apartment. There’s nothing to blame but human chemistry; Hearthstone is a sedate…

Despite boasting the most followers, Tyler “Ninja” Blevins is not the undisputed king of Twitch. Data from streaming utility company StreamElements shows that Turner “Tfue” Tenney had six million more hours watched from April through June. In general, Twitch’s top five is in flux, with others like Jaryd “Summit1g” Lazar posting strong numbers, as well.…

Dr Disrespect’s Return To Twitch Brings Big Numbers, Donations

Today, after a nearly month-long absence following his E3 bathroom stream suspension, Dr Disrespect returned to Twitch. His suspension lasted two weeks, during which he released a series of trailers for his return and tweeted an awkwardly worded apology “on behalf of the Dr Disrespect brand.” The result of all that hype? 80,000 concurrent viewers…

Twitch’s New Subscriber-Only Streams Might Violate Game Publishers’ Terms Of Service

Last week, Twitch announced a new feature that’s already proven divisive: subscriber-only streams. True to their name, they’re like regular streams, but only people who’ve subscribed (with real money) to a particular streamer are able to watch them. It’s an option that many streamers say they won’t be using, for fear of dividing their audiences.…

Dr Disrespect Apologizes For E3 Bathroom Stream ‘On Behalf Of The Dr Disrespect Brand’

Three weeks ago, Guy “Dr Disrespect” Beahm live-streamed himself walking into an E3 bathroom and, ultimately, walked out without a Twitch channel or an E3 badge. In the immediate aftermath of the incident, he didn’t seem to be taking his suspension very seriously, despite the fact that he may well have broken the law by…

Bernie Sanders’ New Twitch Channel Needs Fewer Campaign Ads, More Bernie Sanders

Bernie Sanders, America’s favorite curmudgeonly socialist grandpa who happens to be running for President, is now on Twitch. Last night, his channel aired its first two streams. Sadly, neither involved Sanders sitting in a chair that looks like it belongs in a race car and playing Fortnite as a means to demonstrate the ills of…

Longtime Twitch Streamer Is Thrilled To Be Teamfight Tactics‘ Best Player

Rumay “Hafu” Wang’s record is nothing to sneeze at. She’s won multiple major World of Warcraft tournaments, and she’s dominated Hearthstone’s rankings month after month. Still, she feels as though people don’t hold her accomplishments in the same regard as those of some of her male peers. That’s why she was thrilled to close out…