Twitch Stars Who Are Insanely Rich
Since it first launched in 2011, the streaming platform Twitch has introduced the gaming community to new and entertaining personalities. It's given otherwise unknown gamers a venue to show off everything from their gaming skills to their dance moves, and the more entertaining they are, the more viewers, subscribers, and donors they get.
In the past few years, it's become apparent that if you've got the personality and drive, Twitch can be a lucrative source of income. Many gamers have dedicated their undivided time and attention to the platform, sticking to rigorous streaming schedules and sacrificing free time in order to appease their scores of fans. The payoff, however, can be huge for those who know how to captivate an audience. This success can often lead to even more financial stability in the form of sponsorships and partnered social media posts. Here are ten Twitch streamers who show that hard work, gaming skills, and an entertaining personality can pay off big time.
Considered one of the best streamers, Ninja makes roughly $500,000 a month
Ever since Fortnite launched this streamer into the ranks of the internet famous, he's become one of the most well-known gamers out there. Tyler "Ninja" Blevins played numerous games during the early years of his career, but nothing catapulted him to fame the way Fortnite did. Breaking many Twitch records for viewership (including his own), Blevins' name is now synonymous with the Epic Games juggernaut.
As of June 2018, Blevins is partnered with Red Bull Esports and is the first esports gamer to be featured on the cover of ESPN Magazine. Between viewer subscriptions to his Twitch channel, sponsorships from various companies, and ad revenue, it is estimated that as of September 2018, Tyler "Ninja" Blevins makes approximately $500,000 every month. That's some serious cash for playing video games, though Blevins and other gamers have been quick to point out that creating a sustainable income from Twitch is no easy task. It looks like all of Blevins' hard work is paying off.
Timmac's donors made it possible for him to quit his job
When North Carolina resident Tim MacRae started streaming his gaming sessions on Twitch, it was more for fun than anything. MacRae, known by the moniker Timmac, quickly amassed quite the following, thanks to his entertaining personality and adept gaming skills. It wasn't long before his viewers started suggesting he make streaming his full time job.
Becoming successful enough on Twitch to support your family isn't exactly an easy feat to accomplish. Timmac told The Charlotte Observer that his time was already spread incredibly thin between his work life, family life, and gaming life. And while he was gaining a lot of traction with his Twitch channel, quitting a steady job for something still relatively new and untested in the longevity department can be scary. But deciding to brave the unknown, Timmac made the shift to a full-time streamer, quitting his IT job to convert his skills to Twitch. Because of his hard work and likeability, Timmac has been able to earn approximately $100,000 per year streaming games full time, easily making enough to support his family with his earnings.
Sodapoppin dropped (and lost) $5,000 in a single hand
One way to measure someone's wealth is by simply observing how they spend their money. Someone with severely limited funds, for example, isn't going to throw hard earned cash around at seemingly unimportant conquests. That being said, someone who is relatively well-off might not even bat an eye at the prospect of dropping a large sum of money for a game.
One such example of this can be seen when popular Twitch streamer Thomas Jefferson Chance Morris, better known as Sodapoppin, dropped $5,000 on a single hand of online blackjack. Streaming the game to over 40,000 fans at the time, the high-stakes hand was ultimately lost, draining the $5,000 from Sodapoppin's personal funds. Based on the high viewership of his videos, his large number of subscribers, and the fact that he consistently tops Twitch's metrics charts, the Twitch star doesn't seem like $5,000 is much of a setback for him.
Shroud has his own clothing line
As with our last entry, another good way to judge someone's wealth is by examining how many irons they have in the metaphorical fire. Twitch streamer Michael "Shroud" Grzesiek has expanded his portfolio into avenues other than full-time gaming. While Shroud is another Twitch streamer consistently topping viewership charts, he's used his talents to branch out into other sources of revenue to supplement his income.
Shroud has joined with Jinx, a popular geek apparel brand, to launch his own line of Shroud-themed clothing. The line, made up of various designs of his hooded logo and quotes from his streams, is just another way he's managed to secure his financial future. With his high status, he's also known for hosting small Twitch streamers so that they can gain traction in the streaming world as well. Shroud stands in the very top echelon of internet celebrities, and he shows no sign of slowing down.
Dr DisRespect pulled in over $30,000 on one stream alone
Monthly subscription fees for viewers to get special content from their favorite streamers are a big source of income for Twitch's top stars. The monthly fixed income is by far the most stable element of a Twitch streamer's various sources. Some streamers are even well-known and beloved enough to make a living on subscription fees alone.
Guy "Dr DisRespect" Beahm, a Twitch streamer known for his over-the-top portrayal of an egotistical and over-confident villain, has a massive following on the popular streaming service. Viewers come for more than just his gaming skills. Dr DisRespect is known to be an entertainer, putting on a show for his viewers from start to finish, and is more well-known for his Twitch persona than his real-life identity.
In December 2017, Dr DisRespect told his followers that he'd been unfaithful to his wife and would be taking some time away from the streaming platform to focus on his family. In February of 2018, he made his comeback and put on a livestream to talk to his fans about the comeback. This stream alone brought in well over $30,000 in subscribed member income alone, not even counting the donations he received throughout the stream. This was just one small instance of the financial success Dr DisRespect encounters on a daily basis.
Summit1g received $30K during a Counter-Strike stream
Donations are a Twitch streamers best friend. While most would be hard-pressed to make a decent living on donations alone, some are fortunate enough to land a unique night full of generous viewers. While streamer Jaryd "Summit1g" Lazar is known for his charismatic personality and makes a steady income through subscribers and ad revenue (totaling around $200K per year), one of his most memorable financial successes came during a Counter-Strike livestream.
In 2015, Summit1g received an incredibly generous donation from a viewer by the name of Infamous3x. This particular fan donated a stunning $30,000 in one go. In a matter of seconds, Summit1g, who already makes quite a good living from his earnings on Twitch, made $30,000. Naturally, the streamer was speechless and a gracious recipient of the donation, proving that even those who work hard to make a good living on Twitch are still grateful for special recognition from a fan. Although you'd probably be hard-pressed to find anyone who would turn down $30,000 for playing video games. (Although that being said, it's possible the donation was fake.)
Streamer Imaqtpie makes far more from Twitch than he did as a pro gamer
For those dedicated Twitch streamers who put all of their time and effort into their craft, it sometimes becomes evident that they can make more money streaming than they did at their previous occupation. Before making Twitch his full-time job, Michael "Imaqtpie" Santana was a professional competitive gamer. In his life as a pro gamer, Imaqtpie said he would typically make around $30,000 per year. Now that he's become a full-time Twitch streamer, he makes roughly $2 million a year. It seems like the switch from pro gamer to full-time Twitch streamer would be a no-brainer.
His income streams in from his Twitch subscribers, ad revenue, donations, and most importantly, sponsorships. When you rack up the amount of followers Imaqtpie has, many gaming companies are ready and willing to pay several thousand dollars per hour for the streamer to play their game. When you take into account the fact that 1.4 million people may be viewing his gameplay of a new or independent game, the money seems like a smart investment for a gaming company. Although it takes a lot of time, effort, and dedication, it's not a bad way to earn a living.
Tfue may have a few bans, but he still makes good money
Twitch streamer Turner "Tfue" Tenney is well known for more than just his gameplay on Twitch. This particular streamer, while talented in his craft and charismatic enough to capture a large audience, has also been the center of a few scandals. His erratic and sometimes offensive behavior has gotten him banned from Twitch and Fortnite on more than one occasion. But despite this sporadic bad behavior, or perhaps because of it, Tfue has a large following on Twitch with over 2 million Twitch subscribers, allowing him to stream full-time.
In April of 2018, Tfue joined the world-famous gaming team FaZe, clearly solidifying himself as a Twitch star. His already large fan base only grew from there. Watching Tfue's vlogs on his YouTube channel makes it clear that he's living the high life as he can be seen traveling, enjoying adventures with friends, and gaining new subscribers with every stream. At one point, YouTuber Mr. Beast, who is known for donating large sums of money to random Twitch streamers, even showed up at Tfue's house and promised to give him $500 for every kill he made in Fortnite. By the end of the encounter, Mr. Beast ended up giving Tfue $10,000 for less than an hour of work.
Timthetatman earned over $17,000 in 2 days
As previously stated, a Twitch streamer's most stable source of income comes from ad revenue and subscription fees. But if a gamer is entertaining enough, many viewers with disposable incomes are more than happy to donate to their favorite personalities. Even the small donations can add up quickly, as we see from streamer Timothy John Betar, better known as Timthetatman.
Besides the $13,000 he earned from playing in only four Fortnite tournaments, Timthetatman earned $17,000 in only 2 days from his generous donors on Twitch. While streaming his gameplay of Overwatch, Tim received numerous donations, adding up to a huge sum in a short time. To say that he did well in tips for less than a week would be an understatement.
On top of the insane amount of donations Tim often receives, he's followed the lead of other famous Twitch stars by branching out and obtaining income from other sources. Like Shroud, Tim has his own clothing line from Designbyhumans. In his virtual store, fans of Timthetatman can show their loyalty with his Tatman Army shirts, along with many other designs. Portfolio diversification on this level is sure to keep Tim in the black for years to come.
Pokimane's entire instagram account is a testament to how well she's doing
Sometimes Twitch metrics aren't needed to tell that a Twitch star is doing well for themselves. Often, the only thing that needs to be examined is their social media. Pictures of exotic locations, expensive food and clothing, and a nice home are all the verification needed to further solidify a Twitch star's status as officially "making it."
Imane, aka Pokimane, started streaming in 2014. Since then, her channel has gained over 1 million followers. Known for her magnetic personality and her ability to dominate in League of Legends, Pokimane has made a name for herself in a big way. Between her ad revenue, sponsored social media posts, and Twitch subscribers alone, she's well off, but this particular gamer also seems to attract many viewer donations, which greatly increase her net worth.
But like most successful Twitch streamers, Pokimane didn't luck into her success. Her hard work over several years contributed to the empire she's been able to build today. The fact that she's clearly an intelligent woman and has a degree in Chemical Engineering probably doesn't hurt her business acumen either.