CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: Tyler "Ninja" Blevins had an insane rise in popularity by streaming 'Fortnite' gameplay. His Twitch following soared from roughly 500,000 people in September 2017 to 18.5 million as of date.
In 2018, all eyes were on him. As the 'Fortnite' sensation streamed with stars like Drake, he rode a wave of momentum that led him to unprecedented heights of fame, especially in terms of Twitch viewership. So, let's explore his rise to stardom.
Rise on Twitch
In 2018, Ninja's number of subscribers on Twitch saw a sudden increase, which led to him breaking multiple records on the Amazon-owned streaming platform. People came to his channel to watch what everyone knew would be an unforgettable occasion, Nija streaming with Drake. At his peak, Ninja set records for having the most paying subscribers (269,154) as well as the most concurrent viewers for a single broadcaster (667,000 during his Drake stream). He is currently the most subscribed Twitch streamer, with 18.5 million subscribers.
Move to Mixer
Ninja officially announced his move to Mixer in 2019. His manager and wife claimed that Twitch has been impeding Ninja's expansion, particularly outside of the gaming industry, as per an interview with The Verge. She reportedly said, "It really seemed like he was kind of losing himself and his love for streaming." However, the number of viewers on Mixer was significantly less for Ninja than it had been on Twitch.
Ninja's Microsoft contract did make up for the loss of subscription income. Even though Ninja and other popular streamers were brought to the platform, Mixer ultimately failed and opted to shut down in July 2020. Ninja continued to stream on Mixer until its closure was declared. He claimed to enjoy the community that had been created on Mixer and to always have his viewers' best interests in mind.
Achievements on YouTube
Ninja was one of several Internet celebrities featured in 'YouTube Rewind 2018: Everyone Controls Rewind'. He also made a brief appearance in the NFL's 'The 100 Year Game' commercial, which aired during Super Bowl LIII in 2019, along with a number of other professional football players. He was the only person in the advertisement who had no connection to football in any way.
Building a social media empire
Apart from his massive following on Twitch, Ninja is also active on YouTube, and he first joined the platform on November 11, 2011. On YouTube, he regularly posts videos related to gaming and uploads vlogs. Ninja currently has 23.7 million subscribers on YouTube, making him one of the top creators on the platform. Other than this, he also garnered 12.3 million followers on Instagram and 6.6 million followers on Twitter.
Brand endorsements
The 31-year-old has various sponsorship agreements. For instance, Ninja was reportedly paid $1 million by Electronic Arts in February 2019 to promote 'Apex Legends', a battle royale game that competes with 'Fortnite', by playing it on his Twitch show and spreading the word about it on social media during Apex's release. Since then, he has expanded his roster of collaborators to include companies like Red Bull, Uber Eats, and Adidas, to name a few. He also recently announced a collaboration with G Fuel, which includes his Ninja cotton candy-flavored energy drink.
