Pokimane has accused Twitch of allowing a rise of “bigotry and red pill bullshit” on the platform.
Earlier this week, Imane ‘Pokimane’ Anys announced she wouldn’t be renewing her exclusivity contract with Twitch, meaning she is now “free as a bird” to use whatever streaming platform she likes.
“The end of an era,” she wrote on social media. After first finding an audience in 2013 with streams of League Of Legends, Among Us and Fortnite, she become the sixth most-followed streamer on Twitch, and the top female streamer.
the end of an era
twitch has been my home for a decade..
but it’s time to say thank you for all the memories and love during my League, Fortnite, & Among us days 💜 pic.twitter.com/S8FMp6G3I8
— pokimane (@pokimanelol) January 30, 2024
Taking to her Don’t Tell Anyone podcast (via Eurogamer), Pokimane claimed that Twitch has “regressed a lot” in terms of diversity.
“During the pandemic there were so many people watching, streaming and caring about games. There were so many more girls, there was such diversity in the demographic. And I felt so much more seen and heard. And I was like, ‘Wow, this is what I’ve always wanted for streaming.’”
However that’s changed with the apparent rise of “red pill bullshit and bigotry” that has “flourished within the male-dominated livestreaming sphere,” in recent years.
“It’s hard for me to exist in an industry and community and watch that shit happen and act like it’s no big deal to see so much stuff that I frankly don’t agree with, be normalised,” she explained.
“Twitch’s priority is making money. My priority is making a cool, safe environment and community for many, many, many people. I think there are a lot of problems that minorities on Twitch still face and that I wish they could do more about.”
let’s explore something new together..
no strings attached 🙂first ever youtube stream tomorrow, feb 1st at 12PM PST
see you there 🫶🏻 pic.twitter.com/IjHULSODVy
— pokimane (@pokimanelol) January 31, 2024
She did say that she still “appreciates” Twitch and will be streaming on the platform occasionally. “I do think they try and I appreciate that a tonne. But girl, it’s 2024. We still got so many of these damn problems.”
It comes after Twitch has struggled to get new rules about AI art implemented on the platform, while CEO Dan Clancy claimed the Amazon-owned platform “isn’t profitable” after another massive round of lay-offs.
In other news, Gary Bowser, a hacker who was sentenced to 40 months in jail alongside a £11million fine for his involvement with a Nintendo piracy group, has said his punishment is a “warning” to others.