Ninja has returned to Twitch on a multi-year exclusive deal

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

— Ninja (@Ninja) September 10, 2020

Ninja started streaming on Twitch a decade ago and built a huge community there, but he left in August 2019 to stream on Mixer. Despite Microsoft landing him and other top streamers on exclusive contracts, it couldn’t keep pace with Twitch, Facebook Gaming and YouTube Gaming. It shut down Mixer in July. After he became a free agent, Ninja streamed a few times on Twitch and YouTube while figuring out his next move.

There’s no denying Ninja’s star power. He has 15 million Twitch followers and 24 million YouTube subscribers. Blevins was the first gamer to get his own skin in Fortnite (the game he’s best known for playing) and he’ll soon have one in Fall Guys. His return to Twitch is a big deal, and it’s likely to help the streaming service stay well ahead of its rivals.

Ninja’s move last year kickstarted a battle between streaming services for top talent, with some staying put on Twitch, Facebook Gaming, Mixer or YouTube Gaming, and others moving elsewhere. Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek, another high-profile streamer who decamped to Mixer last year, returned to Twitch on his own exclusive deal last month, as did Soleil “Faze Ewok” Wheeler.

“We are thrilled Ninja is returning to Twitch,” said Michael Aragon, Twitch’s senior vice president of content, said in a statement. “Tyler is an iconic force in the gaming community, and it’s been amazing to see the impact he’s made on the industry and broader culture. Gaming — and the people who love it — are being recognized by a broad mainstream audience now in part because of Tyler, and we know he’s just getting started.”

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