Ninja is back on Twitch in exclusive streaming deal

In a highly anticipated announcement, Tyler “Ninja” Blevins is back on the platform he rose to stardom on

Ninja is commonly regarded as the most famous Fortnite streamer in the world. With over 25,000,000 followers between all social platforms, Ninja holds some serious weight within the world of gaming live streaming

In August 2019, Ninja shook up the entire streaming world after he signed a multi-year exclusive contract with Microsoft’s Mixer

The next chapter,https://t.co/lvn9KBjEYq pic.twitter.com/tljVgyM3bG

— Ninja (@Ninja) August 1, 2019

While official numbers weren’t revealed, industry insiders quoted his deal to be worth as much as $5 million per year with $30,000,000 guaranteed over 6 years. So how can Ninja already be back on Twitch after just one year?

Amazon-rival Mixer wasn’t able to stand the test of time after the consumer proved time and time again that they held more loyalty to the platform over creator. Only a small portion of Ninja’s base followed him to Mixer - and his live metrics suffered as a result

When Mixer collapsed, streamers like Ninja and Shroud who signed exclusivity deals got a lump sum payout for the entire contract guarantee. Effectively, Ninja made $30,000,000 in his one year departure

Ninja post-Mixer

Ninja was posed with a tough decision post-Mixer. While he had just cashed out on the entire ordeal, where would he go next? Facebook offered to double Mixer’s original contract if he joined their gaming division

While joining Facebook could have been another lucrative cash grab, his already declining following would most likely get completely slaughtered if he continued his path on a low retention platform

YouTube was Ninja’s short term destination while he internally debated the decision that would have long term implications

I love my community and what we built together on Mixer. I have some decisions to make and will be thinking about you all as I make them.

— Ninja (@Ninja) June 22, 2020

After almost three months of mulling and behind the scenes negotiations, Ninja finally came to a decision. As of today September 10th, Ninja will exclusively stream on Twitch.tv

A new chapter, only on @Twitch pic.twitter.com/cv2qFFFI0p

— Ninja (@Ninja) September 10, 2020

Ninja’s streaming metrics are off the charts at the moment; Twitch’s poster boy is finally back on the platform. He has held steady at 80,000 concurrent viewers while chatting with the Twitch community and playing some solo Fall Guys

In my opinion, coming back to Twitch was hands down the most optimal move for Ninja. While the contract is most likely worth much less than what Facebook Gaming offered, this decision allows him to regrow the portion of his audience that didn’t follow him to Mixer

The long term health of Ninja’s brand lies directly in his streaming popularity. Returning to the platform that is by far the industry leader will help him achieve that goal. Not to mention he’s going to be making so much more money on subs, donations, and ads than if he were on Facebook or YouTube

Congrats to Ninja & the entire Twitch community; all is right in the world

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