Aaron Blackman
The following is a guest blog post by my colleague Aaron Blackman, who in addition to being a forensics coach and comm lecturer is also a big fan of video and tabletop games. He also streams video games and writes about video games and e-sports.
Four months into 2018 and the world of streaming video games is rapidly evolving.
In February, a Twitch record for concurrent viewers (along with actual downtime of the entire website) after the popular streamer “DrDisRespect” returned from a two month absence. An over-the-top character played by Guy Beahm, DrDisRespect claimed himself to be the “Face of Twitch” due to high viewer counts, dedicated fanbase, and extremely polished production quality. Reaching 389,000 concurrent viewers while streaming PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds was a feat only accomplished by Esports tournaments or press conferences for E3. Having a single streamer attain popularity of this kind was groundbreaking for the world of Twitch.
However, as 2018 progressed, the popularity of battle royale games reached a fever pitch and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) was replaced with Fortnite, a free-to-play game found on PC, Playstation 4 and Xbox One. If you are wondering what a battle royale game is, think Hunger Games where 100 players enter an arena in a fight to the death, but there can only be one player (or team of players) standing. Fortnite shares many of the same elements of PUBG, but the free price tag, smaller map, console availability and building mechanics set it apart.
In March, the most popular Fortnite streamer was Tyler Blevins, also known as “Ninja”. A former pro gamer, Ninja had been streaming since 2011 when his channel rapidly rose to the top of Twitch charts alongside an Amazon Prime promotion for in-game Fortnite items. His stellar play was noticed by Canadian rapper and fellow gamer Drake, and the two began to communicate to play Fortnite one night.
Twitch Clip: Ninja’s wife meets Drake:
On March 14, Ninja began streaming Fortnite with a special guest: Drake. Without fanfare or any lead-up promotion, the two met online and started playing the game, while the viewers promoted it all over Twitter. The stream shattered the previous concurrent viewer record by reaching 628,000 viewers, and eventually rapper Travis Scott alongside Pittsburgh Steelers Wide Receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster joined in on the fun. Ninja gained scores of followers and subscribers on Twitch in a monumental night that shifted the bar for a successful Twitch stream.
This is fantastic for gaming and streaming for everyone.
It’s all about exposure.
— Dr Disrespect (@DrDisrespect) March 15, 2018
As of writing this post on Thursday April 26, 2018, Ninja had 202,272 Twitch subscribers. These $5 monthly subscriptions split the money between the streamer and Twitch itself. At the entry end of the spectrum, I make $2.50 off of each subscription as a Twitch Affiliate. Popular streamers like Ninja are considered a Twitch Partner and get a better deal. So with 200,000 subscribers, Ninja is making over $500,000 a month from subscriptions alone for playing games in front of fans. This doesn’t factor in the scores of donations and higher-tiered subscriptions that roll in from viewers as well. He’s earning all of this money from the comfort of his own home.
While writing this blog post, Ninja was live and streaming Fortnite, his bread and butter game. He was playing host to over 100,000 viewers, an average amount for his streams, which is staggering considering it was a Thursday afternoon. Compare this DrDisRespect’s 22,000 viewers observing his “speed, violence and momentum” in PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds at the same time.
On Saturday April 21, Ninja hosted his own style of live event in the form of a Fortnite competition hosted at the new Esports Arena in Las Vegas. Fans were able to pay $75 to enter, giving them a spot in two of the night’s ten games. Ninja played each game and gave $2,500 to the last player standing in each game, as well as a $2,500 bounty for the player who killed Ninja in Fortnite.
Clearly Ninja struck a chord with viewers as his Las Vegas event broke his own Twitch viewership record by attracting 667,000 viewers at its peak. It also offered fun and compelling storylines like a 14-year old who took home $2,500 by winning one of the night’s games.
One fascinating thought was brought up by Brian Mazique in his Forbes article prior to the event, likening streamers to singers playing the Vegas circuit. Could this be the next step for popular streamers? Ninja fits a unique mold with his rapid rise on Twitch and Fortnite’s popularity skyrocketing to an all-time high. Additionally, Fortnite has no organized Esport competitions as of yet, so it made sense for its most popular streamer to host his own style of live tournament.
Streamers wanting to host their own events would need a large and active fanbase to ensure an event of this magnitude wasn’t a dud. For now, Ninja’s success is an anomaly in the streaming world. Combining universality in his appeal and creating fun connections with celebrities turned fans has elevated him to a new level.
2018 is a new era for streaming video games, and we are just getting started.