Facebook Gaming is about to get its biggest name yet as popular Hearthstone streamer DisguisedToast announced his departure from Twitch. The announcement was made earlier today and broadcast to all his fans, but did not provide much more information surrounding the move other than the fact it was happening.
Facebook Gaming is, as one can probably surmise, the social network’s version of a streaming service for video games. Recently, different platforms have been popping up from well known brands in an attempt to compete with Twitch’s audience, so it makes sense the social media giant would try to get in on the action. Facebook Gaming officially launched last year, and has done fairly well to compete in the marketplace so far, especially because it can draw from an already well-established audience on their platform.
In his departure video posted to Twitter, DisguisedToast tells his fans not only that he’s leaving Twitch, but also reveals he was given a $20,000 production budget to make the announcement. Instead of wasting the money, he recorded the video standing is his hotel room and donated the entire check to Los Angeles Children’s Hospital. DisguistedToast even turned off his donations back in August, showing viewers he cares more about creating content others will enjoy than making money. At the time of this writing he has not yet commented on why he is leaving Twitch’s platform. The full announcement is embedded below.
This isn’t the first time Twitch has lost some of their more popular personalities; streaming phenomenon Ninja famously left to joint Microsoft-owned Mixer this past August, popular Call of Duty streamer CouRage is exclusively on YouTube as of the start of this month, and FaZe Clan’s Ew0k singed to Mixer a few weeks ago as well, just to name a few. There has recently been growing tension between Twitch and its content creators, especially for smaller channels. Fans of the platform have recently noticed an increase in bans, even though they aren’t always justified or explained. In turn, more popular content creators appear to be given special treatment and are not punished as often or as harshly for inappropriate behavior.
According to Ninja’s manager, lesser-known platforms like Mixer really put make an effort to listen to and support its users, while Twitch does not. Many of Twitch’s bans have been controversial, especially considering Hearthstone, and when a streamer’s livelihood relies on their ability to make content, creators don’t want to take any chances. Ninja’s move seemed to burst Twitch‘s monopolistic bubble on streaming services for gamers, and its evident that more and more streamers will be looking to make the move.
