Streaming giant Twitch was dealt a major blow Thursday when Tyler “Ninja” Blevins announced via Twitter that he is leaving the platform to stream exclusively on a rival platform, Mixer.
Blevins posted a video titled “The Next Chapter” in which he participated in a mock news conference answering questions from … himself.
Twitch is an online platform that allows users to stream or view video broadcasts, and it is primarily used for users to stream themselves playing video games.
Blevins is the biggest name in online gaming and arguably the most popular “Fortnite” player. His Twitch channel has over 14.7 million followers, more than twice what the No. 2 channel has.
“So, I have been holding on to this for quite some time, and I’m just super excited to let everyone know. Obviously, I’ll be streaming on Mixer full-time now, and I’m honestly at a loss for words,” Blevins said in a video on Twitter. “I’m freaking out in the best of ways. I feel like I’m going to get back to the streaming roots, and that’s what it’s all about.”
Mixer, owned by Microsoft, was launched in 2016 under the name Beam and rebranded in 2017. The platform has struggled to compete against Twitch and YouTube, but it will probably get a major boost with Blevins joining its roster.
“We’ve loved watching Ninja on Twitch over the years and are proud of all that he’s accomplished for himself and his family, and the gaming community,” Twitch said in a statement. “We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.”
