Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins is no longer jumping out of the battle bus on Twitch. If you want to watch Ninja stream “Fortnite” or other games, you will have to watch the action on Microsoft’s live streaming site Mixer because the esports pro is leaving Twitch.
Ninja made a surprise announcement on Thursday about his migration from Twitch to Mixer. His first Mixer stream will take place on Friday live from the Lollapalooza music festival.
You will be able to find Ninja streams at Mixer.com/ninja.
“I know this will come as a shock to many of you,” said Ninja. “It’s the same me, just a different platform.”
Ninja appeared in a witty commercial with a mock press conference in which he dressed up as various reporters.
Apparently Ninja also said he was excited to get back to his roots after leaving Twitch. He started out as an esports pro playing Halo. The game is owned by Microsoft. No word on whether he will also be streaming Halo sessions.
This announcement occurred less than a week after Bugha won $3 million in the Fortnite World Cup. Ninja was one of the biggest names who did not qualify for the Fortnite Cup in NYC.
Howard Stern Reprise and Moneymaker Effect
This biggest comparison to Mixer’s coup to acquire exclusive streaming rights from Ninja is Howard Stern. The shock jock was a stalwart on New York City radio and syndicated all over the country. Stern aired his final episode on terrestrial radio in December 2005. After the holidays, Stern started his first show on the Sirius network in January 2006.
Many industry experts point to Sirius’ move to acquire Stern as the main reason the company is around today. Stern’s legion of followers helped the company grow overnight and his presence allowed them to retain listeners.
Mixer grabbing Ninja is very similar to the Sirius/Stern situation. Ninja leaving Twitch parallel’s Stern’s departure from terrestrial radio. Luring away one of the most popular streamers in the history of Twitch is a sure-fire way to boost daily traffic and users.
“We loved watching Ninja on Twitch over the years,” said Twitch in a statement. “And we’re proud of all that he’s accomplished for himself and his family, and the gaming community. We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.”
Is this a huge hit for Twitch? Sure, but they’ll survive. Tfue already has more followers than Ninja on Twitch and there will be no shortage of other streams who will fill the void.
Ninja and Fortnite had a similar Moneymaker Effect with the online poker. When Chris Moneymaker won the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event, he helped usher in a huge wave of new blood into the online poker realm. Ninja streaming Fortnite in the games earliest days on a mobile platform helped the battle royale game reach intergalactic heights.