Return of the King: Ninja, a Video Game Star, Goes Back to Twitch
BERKELEY, Calif. — In 2010, LeBron James made leaving his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat and upending the N.B.A.
Several months ago, Tom Brady shocked the N.F.L. by choosing to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and leaving his longtime team, the New England Patriots, with whom he had won six Super Bowls.
And on Thursday, , a 29-year-old video game superstar known as Ninja, made a choice that set off similar reverberations in the gaming world. The Fortnite player, who became famous by livestreaming his play to millions of fans, said he was returning to stream exclusively on Twitch, the Amazon-owned platform where he built his enormous following.
“I am excited to get back to streaming full time and connecting with my loyal fan base,” Mr. Blevins said in a statement.
to the upstart platform Mixer, which was owned by Microsoft, in 2019. Mr. Blevins reportedly to switch to Mixer — until Mixer announced in June that it was shutting down.
In the ensuing months, where Mr. Blevins would end up next was a subject of rampant speculation. Fans even pointed to the color of his brightly dyed hair as evidence of which platform he might choose.
in July. His return to Twitch immediately delighted fans and fellow streamers.
— six million more than the next-highest streamer. He celebrated his return with a livestream on Thursday afternoon.
Doron Nir, the chief executive of the livestreaming services provider StreamElements, said Mr. Blevins’s move was the latest salvo in the livestreaming battle being fought by major sites.
“Ninja’s return to Twitch helps solidify it as the leading destination for livestreaming, but the other platforms are still alive and well,” he said, pointing to YouTube and Facebook Gaming.
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