Twitter Rallies After Twitch Streamer Loses All Their Followers
Building a community on Twitch takes time and dedication, so when Minecraft streamer Nathan fired up his stream to find that his 21,000 followers were gone, he was devastated. However, when his story got out on Twitter, it quickly went viral as the community rallied around him, helping him earn back over 15,000 of those subscribers in less than 24 hours.
Nathan, who goes by JustNathanTV on Twitter, spent the last two years building a respectable following on Twitch featuring Minecraft Bed Wars, events, and community challenges. While 21,000 subscribers may not seem like a lot when compared to certain streaming royalty, for the 16-year-old high school student, it was an achievement to be proud of and the culmination of 26 months worth of work. So, when that 21,000 follower count suddenly dropped to 7, Nathan didn't know what to say. His Twitter feed reveals just how shocked he was when he found out.
After posting to Twitter about what had happened, Nathan went live on Twitch, despite being visibly distraught. His followers confirmed that they had been unsubscribed from his account without any notifications, and began resubscribing while offering Nathan emotional support. Fans debated the best ways to get Twitch to resolve the problem and recommended that he contact his partner status manager. Over the next hour, fans helped Nathan get the word out on social media as they figured out a solution to the unfortunate situation.
Meanwhile, on Twitter, Nathan's official statement attracted a lot of attention. Both Twitter users and streamers flocked to Nathan's Twitch to resubscribe and show their support. Fellow Minecraft streamer Tubbo visited Nathan's channel to gift at least 50 subs to help him get back on his feet. Two hours after Nathan had posted his announcement that he had lost his 21,000 subscribers, he had gained back 10,000.
The support didn't stop there. Nathan continued to gain hundreds of subscribers on subsequent streams, reaching 15,000 by the next day. While the massive outpouring of goodwill from both the Twitter and Twitch communities was terrific to see, the lack of official response from the platform itself has been conspicuous. As of Jan. 14. Twitch has yet to contact Nathan in any way. Considering the recent uproar from fans regarding new marketing methods and botched DMCA responses, Twitch could have a real image problem on its hands if it fails to address Nathan's unexplained loss of followers.