Everyone in the know about gaming and streaming has likely already heard about Tyler Blevins and his big defection to Microsoft’s Mixer. The streamer, more commonly referred to as Ninja, recently quit Amazon’s Twitch to exclusively stream with Mixer, a bold and daring move that was met with almost immediate success. He’s already garnered over one million active subscribers within a week of the change.
There’s no doubt that this is the exact reason Microsoft likely incentivized Ninja to join their side. The massive rise in active subscribers just thanks to him alone is a big win for Mixer, which trails behind both Twitch and YouTube in regards to video game streaming. That said, there is no evidence yet that Microsoft actually paid Ninja any money to make the switch, as no sort of details have been released by him or Microsoft itself. Ninja simply stated that he was grateful for the incredible support of his fans.
On the flipside, Ninja’s defection comes quite recently after Microsoft laid off many producers and content creators at Mixer and Inside Xbox.
As for Ninja, he’s made it clear that the content he streams won’t be any different than before, claiming that he’s the same person, just on a different platform. Strangely enough, he also said he plans to “return to his roots” in regards to streaming. While it is only speculation, it seems likely that this has something to do with the upcoming 2020 release of Halo Infinite, as Ninja started off as a popular Halo streamer back in the day.
It’s quite possible that this is one of the main reasons Microsoft either coaxed Ninja to their side, or why Ninja himself moved over willingly, in order to take advantage of Halo Infinite and the no doubt large and interested audience once it comes out.
As for Microsoft, gaining such a popular streamer is a huge win for them, as they still trail behind Twitch and YouTube. Gaining both him and his many fans greatly bolsters their presence in the streaming competition, and likely provides them with a gateway to continue growing. Whether or not this was something they planned or just a convenient opportunity provided by Ninja’s defection is a mystery, as no comment has been made yet.
Either way, it’s likely that Ninja’s active subscribers will continue to rise at a steady rate, and Microsoft may look for more opportunities to recruit other popular streamers to their side, though this is pure speculation and can’t be proven just yet.
