Fortnite player and streamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins was spotted back on YouTube’s Gaming platform by audiences as he was joined by “TimTheTatman” and “DrLupo” for a series of Squad matches.
Though unconfirmed, the appearance suggested he was close to settling with an online streaming platform after an exclusive contract with Microsoft ended last month. This also gives him freedom to choose where he would share his gameplay next. According to Dot Esports, Blevins had originally built his presence on Twitch until he accepted a $20 to $30 million dollar contract to stream on the Mixer platform.
Microsoft later announced its four-year-old streaming tool would be offline on July 22, with Ninja’s contract being moved over to Facebook Gaming with a partnership badge. However, Mixer’s acquisition by Facebook was reportedly open, with Blevins, Shroud and King Gohalion free to choose where to go next.
His sudden return to YouTube was also personal, according to game industry analyst Rod “Slasher” Breslau who was told by sources it was “all on his own.”
He is reportedly still in talks for an exclusive deal with a streaming platform, with a possibility of coming back to Twitch where he started playing Fortnite in 2018.