Why Microsoft Poached Amazon’s Top Twitch Star
Tyler "Ninja" Blevins might be an unfamiliar name to investors who don't follow esports, but the 28-year-old is the world's most popular gamer. Blevins was the top streamer on Amazon's (NASDAQ: AMZN) Twitch (a live video platform popular with gamers) with over 14 million followers and an average of 40,000 weekly viewers.
Blevins, who previously played for several professional gaming teams, rose to fame after he started streaming Epic Games' Fortnite: Battle Royale two years ago. His massive fanbase, which includes over 22 million subscribers on his YouTube channel (which doesn't feature live streams), attracted major sponsorship deals -- including an appearance in an NFL ad and a $1 million payment for promoting Electronic Arts' Apex Legends.
That's why esports viewers were recently stunned by Blevins' decision to abandon Twitch and move his live streams to Microsoft's (NASDAQ: MSFT) Mixer. The Verge claims that Microsoft paid Blevins over $50 million to make the switch -- a whopping amount for a single celebrity gamer. Let's see why Microsoft paid such a massive amount for Ninja's channel, and whether or not it will hurt Amazon's gaming ambitions.
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