Ninja Arrives On YouTube, Draws Over 100,000 Views On First Livestream

KEY POINTS

After departing Mixer upon its shuttling, Tyler "Ninja" Blevins did a livestream on YouTube that drew more than 100,000 views
Although Ninja has yet to announce a formal agreement with YouTube, this livestream could be an indicator of where he's leaning
Ninja moved to Mixer from Twitch after a contract dispute and was supposed to be the first of many streamers moving to Mixer before it was shut down

Following the closure of Mixer, Tyler “Ninja” Blevins has arrived on YouTube and quickly caught a large number of views for his first Livestream on the platform.

In, his first stream since Microsoft announced it was shutting down Mixer, Blevins drew over 100,000 viewers to his YouTube channel, according to Kotaku. It was also Ninja’s first Livestream in nearly three weeks since becoming a streaming free agent last month.

FIRST YOUTUBE STREAM EVER THIS IS LIT https://t.co/r3BxaPPabY
— Ninja (@Ninja) July 8, 2020

However, Blevins has yet to announce an exclusive move to YouTube or any future streaming plans. He simply played Fortnite Squads with fellow streamers TimTheTatMan, Courage, and DrLupo.

After first making a name for himself on Twitch, Ninja left the Amazon-owned service for Mixer in 2019. In what was largely reported as a contract dispute, the move to Mixer was reported to be a part of a $20 to $30 million deal.

Trouble arrived though when Microsoft announced it was shutting Mixer down and partnering with Facebook for live streaming moving forward. Streamers who had signed with Mixer had the option of negotiating new contracts with Facebook, but Blevins decided against that move.

“I love my community and what we built together on Mixer,” he wrote in a tweet after the platform’s closure was announced. “I have some decisions to make and will be thinking about you all as I make them.”

I love my community and what we built together on Mixer. I have some decisions to make and will be thinking about you all as I make them.
— Ninja (@Ninja) June 22, 2020

Not long after posting that tweet, Blevins’ Twitch page was reactivated after a long slumber and updated to add information about “Valorant,” the new shooter from Riot he’d been streaming on Mixer.

Kotaku notes that Ninja’s wife and manager, Jessica Blevins, also teased on Monday that something was going to happen this week. It appears that this YouTube Livestream was what she was teasing. Just yesterday, Twitter user @HYPEX saw activity on Ninja’s YouTube channel and posted a “testing” status indicating activity there.

According to esports insider Rod “Slasher” Breslau, Blevins is still working to negotiate a new exclusivity deal with one of the big streaming platforms. If this recent Livestream is any indication, YouTube likely has the inside track on securing Ninja’s services and significant fanbase moving forward.

In the meantime, the life of Mixer comes to an end on July 22, after which it will redirect to Facebook Gaming.