The streaming wars are in full effect. Both Twitch and YouTube are vying for the exclusive broadcasting rights of various popular content creators, some of whom are worth millions of dollars in revenue to a platform.
It all started when Ninja left Twitch in favor of a deal with the now-defunct Microsoft streaming platform Mixer. Since then, YouTube has started to make moves of its own.
The initial push by YouTube didn’t include particularly prominent content creators, but since joining the platform, streamers like CouRage and Valkyrae have experienced massive growth.
In the fall of 2021, though, YouTube began its push in earnest, taking some of Twitch’s highest-paid content creators. And according to YouTube Gaming’s former top exec Ryan Wyatt, this is just the beginning.
CourageJD (Nov. 5, 2019)
CourageJD was the first notable streamer to make the move from Twitch to YouTube, and he did so while streamers like DrLupo, Lirik, and TimTheTatman were re-signing with Twitch.
Valkyrae (Jan. 13, 2020)
Just a few months following Courage’s move to the platform, his fellow 100Thieves member made the move herself. At the time, Valkyrae was among the more popular female content creators on Twitch, but since then she has become one of the biggest gaming streamers overall.
Following her move she won The Game Award for Content Creator of the Year in 2020, and the Adweek Creator Visionary Award for Gaming Creator of the Year in 2021.
Dr Disrespect (Aug. 7, 2020)
The addition of Dr Disrespect to YouTube was less about a war between platforms and more about an issue the Doc had with Twitch.
On June 26, 2020, Disrespect was banned from Twitch for reasons that have still not been disclosed, and after a little more than a month, he moved to YouTube because it was apparent he was no longer going to be allowed on Twitch.
DrLupo (Aug. 30, 2021)
DrLupo was the first high-profile streamer to move to YouTube in 2021, but he was quickly followed by a pair of content creators that might prove to be significantly more earth shattering in the grand scheme of things.
Among other things, DrLupo is known as a family man, who regularly uses his stream as a vehicle for promoting charities like St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
TimTheTatman (Sept. 1, 2021)
TimTheTatman quickly overshadowed DrLupo’s move to YouTube, announcing just a day later that he would be moving to the platform. Just a year and a half before, the two resigned with Twitch for multiyear contracts.
TimTheTatman left Twitch as one of the top 10 highest-paid content creators on the platform, according to payouts leaked in October.
Ludwig (Nov. 29, 2021)
Known largely for his “Subathon” the generated record viewership and subscriber numbers, Ludwig left Twitch as one of the most paid content creators on the platform, making even more than TimTheTatman, according to leaked payouts.
While adding a talent such as himself would be reason enough to take Twitch seriously, Wyatt in a post to Twitter said, “we still aren’t done yet,” suggesting there could be more signings in the near future.
Sykkuno (May 2, 2022)
Known for his soft-spoken nature and the array of content he partakes in, Sykkuno‘s popularity on Twitch budded most prominently in the past year or so. The 31-year-old content creator isn’t a part of OfflineTV, but he is friends with its members in a way that might make you think he is.
He announced in May that he’d be moving to YouTube with a video that detailed his streaming career that included playing League of Legends, VALORANT, Among Us, and GTA role play. The video ended with a cameo by none other than Valkyrae, who was one of the streamers that started the Twitch-to-YouTube trend.
LilyPichu (July 7, 2022)
LilyPichu is one of the most wholesome, bubbly streamers in the streaming marketplace. And despite not getting quite as much attention regularly as some of the people to move from Twitch to YouTube, her creative and artistic talent help to differentiate her.
The member of OfflineTV is known for her ability to not only stream entertaining gaming content but also to play music as well. Along with having a collection of songs that she has published on YouTube, Lily won The Steamer Award for Best Music Streamer this year.
Myth (July 11, 2022)
Myth didn’t wait long after Lily’s departure to join the YouTube bandwagon. The seven-year Twitch vet is most known for his rise to stardom in the early years of the professional Fortnite scene.
Moving away from the pro grind, Myth transitioned to focusing more on being a content creator in 2020, and he currently spends a lot of his airtime playing VALORANT.
FaZe Swagg (Sept. 1, 2022)
The 26-year-old FPS gamer started his career as a content creator on Twitch in 2017. And since then, Swagg’s Call of Duty content has made him one of the most popular streamers that FaZe Clan has on its roster.
On Twitch in 2022, he averaged just more than 9,000 viewers over 1,144 hours of airtime. Being all about the game, nearly all of his content was playing Warzone. Even when it came to Just Chatting, he only had 26 hours of airtime, according to stats from Streams Charts.
Fuslie (Sept. 6, 2022)
Perhaps the worst kept secret in streaming over the past year was Fuslie’s move from Twitch to YouTube. But the transition was finally codified this September following an emotional stream during her last week on the platform.
The 100 Thieves streamer thrives as a highly collaborative content creator with a relatable personality. She’s been known to team up with members of Offline TV, and while her origins are in League of Legends, she’s proficient in following gaming trends to proliferate her growth.
