Gaming rockstar Ninja returns to Amazon's Twitch
The 29-year-old Fortnite streamer has 15 million followers
The world's top Fortnite streamer -- Ninja -- is returning to Amazon's Twitch platform in an exclusive multiyear deal.
If the gaming industry were the music industry, the 29-year-old, whose legal name is Tyler Blevins, would be comparable to a top-earning artist like Drake.
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Up in the ranks with YouTube-popular OG gamers Markiplier and Jacksepticeye, Blevins earned close to $10 million in 2018 and told CNN Business on Thursday that he considered "all options" before committing to Twitch.
He currently has 15 million Twitch followers and has locked down sponsorship deals with Red Bull and Adidas.
Blevins shook up the industry in 2019 when he signed an exclusive deal with Microsoft's Mixer for $20 million to $30 million.
While Microsoft's Mixer -- acquired in 2016 -- had trailed behind Twitch both in the number of active users and hours watched, others followed Blevins' lead and branched out to Facebook Gaming and other platforms.
Despite Microsoft's best efforts, however, Mixer failed to attract a significant user base and was shut down in July, leaving streamers hanging in the wind.
In the interim, Blevins had moved over to YouTube, keeping viewers on their toes.
Amazon's Twitch has been a natural choice for some of the former Mixer streamers, and getting Blevins on board is a big win for the already mammoth streaming service.
In a statement, Twitch's senior vice president of content, Michael Aragon, said that the company was "thrilled" at Blevins' return on Thursday and that "he's just getting started."
Software companies expect there will be similar migration patterns in the near future.
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While Blevins will no longer stream live video on YouTube, his clips will still be available on demand.
"I really took my time to decide which platform was best and Twitch has been very supportive throughout this process and understanding my overall career goals," Blevins said in a statement.
“I am excited to get back to streaming full time and connecting with my loyal fan base," he said.
