When popular Fortnite streamer Tyler "Ninja" Blevins announced he was leaving Twitch to stream exclusively on Mixer, it made waves within the streaming community. He was soon followed by Michael "Shroud" Grzesiek who has recently made the move to Mixer, and according to Herschel Beahm IV, better known as "Dr Disrespect," he was also approached by Mixer. Unlike his counterparts, Dr Disrespect reportedly turned Mixer down.
Prior to his 24 hour Twitch stream of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Dr Disrespect was being asked who would be next to go to Mixer, with the implication being that many expected him to follow Ninja and Shroud. However, Dr Disrespect states he was the first one in Washington, the first one that Mixer wanted before Ninja or Shroud, and he claims to have turned the company down flat.
His reasoning? He states that Twitch has a higher engagement level than Mixer, claiming that engagement and session times were higher on his current streaming service. He claims that this is how he monetizes, so it wouldn't make much sense to move somewhere where couldn't do that as much.
“Who’s next, Dr? I was the first one there in Washington before this guy (Ninja), before Shroud. They wanted the number one! I said…wrong...They claim 30 million monthly active users, but that’s because all their Xbox users get default Mixer streams. Their engagement is extremely low, trust me. And in comparison to Twitch, the streaming platform, has extremely high engagement and session times. That’s how I monetize. By millions of minutes of content watched.”
It's worth mentioning that there's no way to separate the Dr Disrespect persona, the over-the-top approach that has been developed during his time streaming, from a legitimate response on this issue. It goes strikingly against and perhaps even contradicts a former statement by the streamer, where he claimed that he would go to Mixer if he received a deal like Ninja. Dr Disrespect's words on the matter can be seen in the video below, around the 16:00-minute mark.
Given the sheer amount of money Dr Disrespect makes compared to his time as a game developer, it stands to reason that he wouldn't jump ship. Many, however, do take issue with Twitch due to its lackluster and inconsistent policies when it comes to streams, but for Dr Disrespect, it seems like it's more about not changing horses in midstream.