NickMercs Signs The Biggest Contract Of His Life
Twitch has dominated the streaming scene for years, and there's never been a real competitor to the platform. A few years ago, Mixer looked like it could take the reins when it signed on streamers like Ninja and Shroud, but it ultimately failed. In the past few months, YouTube Gaming saw a rise in high-profile streamers, and many thought that NickMercs would step away from Twitch to head to YouTube. However, that's not quite what happened — NickMercs actually signed an exclusive deal with Twitch.
A few months ago, DrLupo let fans know the real reason he was leaving Twitch was because of the opportunity to have a better life-work balance and because of the incredible amount of money YouTube Gaming offered him. TimTheTatman's YouTube announcement that had the internet going wild gave pretty much the same explanation. So when NickMercs mentioned that he signed "the deal of his life" back in early September, days after DrLupo and TimTheTatman announced their YouTube deals, all eyes were on his next move as many people speculated that he would be the next streamer to make the jump to YouTube Gaming.
However, he let fans know on Twitter that he's staying on Twitch, where he's built quite the successful fanbase.
NickMercs' exclusive Twitch announcement
NickMercs posted a video on Twitter that showed what looked to be a soldier making a decision between two weapons. One weapon had the YouTube logo and an "NM" with it, and the other weapon had the Twitch logo on it. After grabbing the Twitch weapon, the soldier went on his way.
That was one exciting way to announce that he won't be leaving Twitch, and it was fairly well-received. Even TimTheTatman replied with a "congrats" and some love, showing there's no bad blood between the two streamers who are now exclusively on other platforms.
While NickMercs' decision could be seen as a big blow to YouTube Gaming, there are still reasons that the rising platform looks better than Twitch right now. For starters, Twitch has a shady side that has pushed users away in the past. Most recently, it showed off a new feature that had the internet in an uproar as viewers can now boost streams to rise to the top, which could make it impossible for small streamers to ever get a start on the platform.
Only time will tell if YouTube Gaming can be a thorn in Twitch's side or if streamers are going to follow in NickMercs' shoes and stay on the ship with Twitch.