Ninja is exclusive to Twitch again
In August, after a dalliance on YouTube, Tyler "Ninja" Blevins started streaming on Twitch again, although as we noted at the time it wasn't a fully-fledged return to the platform. Now it is: Blevins announced today that he's signed a new multi-year deal to stream exclusively on Twitch, beginning at 12 pm PT/3 pm ET today.
"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 very 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."
The terms of the deal weren't revealed, but were presumably generous: It was reported in January 2020 that he'd been paid between $20 and $30 million to move from Twitch to Mixer. The collapse of Mixer may have cooled that "whatever it takes" big-money ardor, but YouTube and Facebook are still in the game (Microsoft actually threw its lot in with Facebook after it closed Mixer), and so it's bound to be a hefty sum. Hell, ten percent of the reported Twitch deal would set me up nicely.
A new chapter, only on @Twitch pic.twitter.com/cv2qFFFI0pSeptember 10, 2020
"Tyler is an iconic force in the gaming community, and it’s been amazing to see the impact he's made on the industry and broader culture," Twitch senior vice president of content Michael Aragon said. "Gaming—and the people who love it—are being recognized by a broad mainstream audience now in part because of Tyler, and we know he’s just getting started."
Blevin's new deal with Twitch comes a month after that of Michael "Shroud" Grzsesiek, who announced his own return to the platform on August 11. It's a reversal of the platform swap in 2019, which saw Grzsesiek go to Mixer a couple of months after Blevins made the first move.
Specifics about Blevins' plan to work with "underrepresented creators" have also not been revealed, but a Twitch representative said that more information will be revealed as it becomes available.