Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, one of the biggest names in esports, has left Twitch to stream exclusively on Microsoft’s live streaming platform Mixer, the online gaming guru announced Thursday on his Twitter.
“I have been holding onto this for quite some time and I am just super excited to let everyone know that I will be streaming on Mixer full-time now,” he said in a video post, “I just feel like I am going to get back to the streaming roots and that’s what it’s all about… I look forward to seeing all you guys on the platform.”
Since announcing his jump to the Mixer platform, Ninja has already attracted over 100,000 subscribes to his new channel. He will host his first livestream via Mixer Friday from Lollapalooza, the four-day music festival in Chicago.
As of May 2019, the 28-year-old who is best known for his skills on “Fortnite,” was the most followed streamer on Twitch with over fourteen million followers and an average of over 40,000 viewers per week. His resignation from the platform ends a long-running and profitable partnership with the Amazon-owned live streaming company.
“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 to the AP, which first reported on the story. “We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.”
Twitch did not respond to request for further comment on the subject.
Launched in 2016 and with over 10 million monthly users, Mixer is far from being as popular as Twitch, which attracts 15 million users daily. While the two platforms are fairly similar, Mixer has been credited for having a smoother interface, better management of toxic players, and a greater array of interactive chat features. For example, streamers can share their controllers with select fans watching the stream, giving them the opportunity to play.
Mixer is one of many gaming-centric live streaming platforms that have emerged on the scene over the past several years with the aim to take on Twitch. Facebook, YouTube, and Fox have also invested in platforms of their own.