In an announcement that rocked the streaming world, Microsoft revealed that it isshutting down the Mixer streaming platformand partnering with Facebook Gaming. For most Mixer streamers, this was a shocking announcement and will presumably see a lot of change within their communities. More importantly, Mixer streamers are not simply becoming Facebook Gaming streamers.
When the news was announced, many familiar with Mixer were curious about what the developments meant for Tyler “Ninja” Blevins and Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek. Both left Twitch as some of the top streamers on the platform, and the hope was that they would help Mixer grow. Of course, their transition also included very lucrative contracts, which were bought out as part of the Mixer shutdown.
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Neither Ninja nor Shroud has announced what their plans are moving forward, but it does not seem that Facebook Gaming figures into those decisions. According to several reports,Ninja and Shroud were offered contract extensionsand even larger contracts by Facebook Gaming, but both streamers were not interested. Existing Mixer partners were also offered partnerships at Facebook gaming as well, but they were also free to explore their options. Only a select few were presented these more enticing offers.
Sources speaking to esports consultant and insider Rod Breslau say that Facebook Gaming offered Ninja and Shroud close to double their existing Mixer contracts. Breslau claims that Ninja earned around $30M as part of his jump to Mixer and Shroud earned around $10M. Landing both or either of the streamers would have been huge partnerships for Facebook Gaming, and could have helped boost the brand. There are still plenty of Mixer partners and streamers who are making the transition, includingKing Gothalion, who jumped to Mixerfrom Twitch a little under a year ago.
At present, Ninja and Shroud have only revealed that they will need to consider their options before making any announcements. Presumably, the two are in the midst of negotiations with Twitch and YouTube to either resume their partnerships or start new ones, but with some guarantees. After streamers started joining new platforms, Twitch doubled down on its existingtalent like Dr Lupo and Lirikby offering them exclusivity contracts. It only makes sense that wherever Ninja and Shroud go, they have the type of financial security that Mixer offered.
However, it appears that Facebook Gaming is not an attractive enough platform for the two streamers. Facebook Gaming has seen tremendous growth in recent months, but there are also areas where viewers, non-viewers, and streamers hope to see the platform improve. There is also a lack of anonymity on Facebook Gaming that has many concerned about using the platform to interact.
