Twitch’s biggest streaming star is back.
Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, the professional gamer who jumped from the Amazon-owned platform last year to set up shop on Microsoft’s Mixer, has signed an exclusive new multiyear deal with Twitch. The move comes a couple months after Microsoft shut down Mixer, the game streaming platform it launched four years ago.
“I am excited to get back to streaming full-time and connecting with my loyal fanbase,” Blevins said in a statement. “I really took my time to decide which platform was best and Twitch has been supportive throughout this process and understanding my overall career goals. In this next chapter, I’m going to make it a point to elevate and bring more eyes to underrepresented creators. I am looking forward to working with Twitch to demonstrate how this amazing community of gamers can make a meaningful impact.”
A new chapter, only on @Twitch pic.twitter.com/cv2qFFFI0p
— Ninja (@Ninja) September 10, 2020
Microsoft was reported to have paid Blevins, a Fortnite pro with 40 million global fans, between $20 million and $30 million a year to make the move to Mixer. Microsoft ended up shutting down Mixer and partnering with Facebook Gaming to move the Mixer community to the social media giant’s gaming platform.
The streaming market has seen a big boost in overall popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, with home audiences turning to live-streamed content for extra human contact in a socially-distanced world. In a post-Mixer world, Facebook Gaming and Amazon-owned Twitch have both risen to new heights, according to the latest report from StreamElements.
Amazon bought Twitch for close to $1 billion in 2014.
Blevins returns with his first live stream Thursday at noon PT.
