As a broadcasting website specializing in streaming video game content, among other things, Twitch pulls in millions of active users and creators every single day. Despite its popularity, it has been known to be the subject of criticism from the community, most recently with regard to the "hate raid" campaign that many urged the platform to do something about. Since then, Twitch has introduced countermeasures for such raids, which is putting it back in good standing. However, some more bad news is following in the company's wake, as someone claims to have hacked pretty much the entire site.
According to a recent report from VGC, as well as a number of tweets, a hacker has managed to download around 125 GB of data from the Twitch website. The user has uploaded the data to 4chan and while VGC has understandably chosen not to provide a link to it, some people on Twitter and other places have taken to finding and downloading it, unveiling the content that's held within the file.
One person has uploaded a series of images from the leak, which shows Twitch's source code, as well as information about an Steam competitor codenamed Vapor. However, perhaps most interesting of all is that the hacked data also shows the payouts of some notable content creators. Some of the platform's biggest names such as xQc, Shroud and Asmongold have had their payouts revealed. According to the information, xQc earns around $8.45 million before tax, while Asmongold and Shroud are making $2.25 million and just over £2 million, respectively, again before tax, according to the tweet.
Others, such as TimTheTatman reportedly earn around $3.3 million before tax while apart of Twitch. This information was calculated by a user from 4chan, and while the leak does appear to be genuine, there is no indication that what's been shown pertains to the real figures of these big streamers. In general, the leak will not be good news for Twitch who are already trying to patch things up with the hate raids, as well as change its ban policy to make it more transparent and less controversial.
Twitch has yet to issue a statement about the hack. However, according to the source, the company is aware of the data breach. Up until now, the platform has maintained itself as one of the biggest streaming websites on the planet. While it has a bit of a reputation for banning some of its users without clear reason, it still holds the top spot for video game broadcasting. It's likely that Twitch will take action against those who have hacked the site and revealed this sensitive information.
Source: VGC