With the Microsoft-owned platform shutting down permanently back in June, one of the biggest talking points in the streaming world has been Tyler "Ninja" Blevins' future now he and Mixer have severed ties. While it seems the final decision of the streaming icon has yet to be decided, a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter gave Ninja room to discuss his time over at Mixer and some of the frustrations that came with it.
According to the popular Fortnite icon, the move to Mixer was originally one he was incredibly passionate to get on board with, telling The Hollywood Reporter that "I wanted the platform to succeed so much and I believed in it." However, it seems the months that followed came with some major low points for Tyler Blevins, with the streamer admitting that the severe change in his audience was incredibly disheartening.
While Ninja admittedly pulled off a strong first stream with the platform, bringing in 80,000 concurrent viewers, the following weeks saw his huge following trail off. Eventually, Ninja was amassing around one-fifth of the viewers he was boasting on Twitch, which was a big change for one of the streaming world's most influential icons. "It was expected and frustrating," Ninja told The Hollywood Reporter, clearly wanting to return to the huge numbers he was pulling on Twitch. Ninja's mood allegedly dropped so drastically that his wife Jessica Blevins suggested he consider calling it a day on his streaming career and leaving it behind for good.
Evidently, that didn't happen, and looking back, Ninja claims that his brand grew a lot bigger outside of the streaming world while he was on Mixer. Talking on the company shutting down, Blevins claimed that he and Microsoft's relationship ended amicably, and he's now ready to try different things and look to take his career to new heights. Interestingly, it seems like the popular streaming star has his eyes set on Hollywood, telling the publication that he wants to star in "movies, voice acting, [and] cartoons."
It's no doubt an interesting direction for one of the gaming world's biggest names, however, with his career seeing him star on shows like The Masked Singer and The Tonight Show Featuring Jimmy Fallon, it's clear it's far from a big change of pace for the popular household name. All in all, it looks like his time with Mixer might have been a blessing in disguise.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter