Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek, presently the third most followed streamer on Twitch with over seven million followers, took to Twitter to announce his new exclusivity deal with Mixer. This news comes several months after Tyler “Ninja” Blevins made headlines for his unexpected move to the Microsoft-owned streaming platform. Microsoft has been fighting for a foothold in the streaming world, and now with Twitch’s former number one and three on their side, they’re hoping to turn the tables on Twitch. Shroud’s first stream as a Mixer-exclusive streamer begins tonight at 5:00 PT/8:00 ET.
Like with Ninja, the details of his exclusivity deal are unknown. It was speculated that Ninja received a large sum of money, on top of several months of free subscriptions to his Mixer channel, potentially paid for by Microsoft. It’s safe to assume Microsoft offered a similar deal this time around. It looks to be true as fans can go grab a free subscription to Shroud right now on Mixer.
Same shroud. New home.https://t.co/eZV2GBBSsY pic.twitter.com/AHaajkjees
— Michael Grzesiek (@shroud) October 24, 2019
Formerly a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive pro, Shroud was most famous for his time on the C9 roster. His formidable skills earned him the title of “King of Reddit,” which only helped to propel his budding streaming career. With so many viral Counter-Strike plays from the man, interest in him and his stream was guaranteed. By 2018, Shroud had shifted his focus over to streaming full-time, eventually leaving C9 to pursue his Twitch career. In no time at all, the former pro climbed the Twitch ladder, having the honor of being most subscribed on many occasions.
Twitch versus Mixer
Ninja is closing in on 2.5 million followers on Mixer, with Shroud hitting 100,000 followers hours before his first stream. But while reports are acknowledging Mixer’s growth, tripling its streaming hours in a year, Twitch continues to reign supreme. Streaming hours may be surging for the fledgling streaming platform, but watch time has already begun its decline. The presence of Ninja and Shroud may only be enough for Mixer to grab a small piece of the pie. Both streamers’ fan bases have an affinity for games of the shooter genre, but Twitch’s diversity enables more paths to viewership.
Only time will tell if Mixer’s recent deals will play out in its favor.
