Twitch streamer Tolkin is currently the only German-speaking content creator who is allowed to co-stream the League of Legends LEC, replacing many before him. In an interview with him and LEC boss Artem Bykov, we talk about their collaboration.
The German Twitch streamer Tolkin is best known for his League of Legends content. When he is not casting, he is an active player with his team NNO and was able to fulfill his dream of competing against the best player in the world.
At the beginning of the year, his channel was announced as the only German-language feed for the LEC, replacing his old employer Freaks4You and the Summoner’s Inn.
In an interview with streamer and LEC boss Artem Bykov, we talk about the collaboration between him and Riot.
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Tolkin was a perfect match
In our conversation with Artem Bykov, we asked him why they decided to let content creators stream the LEC and wanted to know his motives. Artem emphasizes that the main thing is to provide viewers with the best possible experience. However, he highlights three reasons in particular:
We see co-streaming as a way to attract new fans to the LEC by reaching people who may be seeing the LEC for the first time through the influencers they already follow. We also want to increase our collaboration with influencers who are covering the LEC. LEC teams will also have the opportunity to co-stream the LEC and we want to give them the opportunity to tell their own story.
We also asked Artem Bykov how they decided to use Tolkin as the only German-language feed in Germany. He tells us that this was a natural decision for Riot, as Tolkin has been an integral part of the community for a long time:
Tolkin has long been a valued member of our community and has an excellent reputation. He creates exceptional content that we love to see and has a great passion for the game, so he was a natural candidate for this program. When we pitched our idea to him, we quickly realized that our values and vision for co-streaming were a perfect match. It was a perfect match.
Viewers have higher expectations than before
Tolkin’s viewership has increased significantly since his time as a co-streamer, with his average viewers increasing by over 45% in the last six months compared to the previous six months (via Sullygnome).
We talk to Tolkin about what has changed for him since then and whether he has noticed a difference in his viewers and, above all, whether he feels that viewers now have different expectations of him. He can clearly answer this question in the affirmative, even if he sees it as a compliment:
Yes, of course. At the end of the day, you want to make sure it’s special for everyone involved. That’s not always easy and it’s also a big challenge in terms of volume because the LEC has three splits and a grand finale. You still want it to feel special. That can sometimes add a bit of pressure, especially when people ask, “Is there another guest today?” Viewers demand more these days than they used to. While that’s a compliment because they’re interested in what you’re doing, it can also add pressure, especially on days when you might not be feeling your best and would rather cast from home.
We then talk to the streamer about whether anything else has changed for him besides the growing community. He honestly tells us that co-streaming can sometimes have a small disadvantage, which he notices especially in tournaments:
I play a lot of League of Legends myself, which is good on the one hand because it can take the pressure off of having to reach a really high Elo. On the other hand, it also hurts a bit. We recently had a tournament with NNO and it was clear that if I don’t play much, I’m not that good. But that has also given me new ambition. It goes against my ego a bit when I don’t perform as well as I could. Otherwise, I can stream a lot of LoL without having to play it myself, which is cool, but it also makes this ambition seem like a disadvantage.
The feeling of not doing enough sometimes
During our conversation, we asked Tolkin if there was anything he hadn’t expected before supporting the LEC with his co-streams. He tells us that on the one hand, he feels honored that viewers have shown such great interest in him and the streams, but sometimes he feels like he isn’t doing enough:
It used to be like this: you turn on the stream and everyone is happy no matter what. Now it’s like people are constantly asking: “When is this? When is that?” On the one hand, it’s an honor because it shows interest, but on the other hand, sometimes it makes me feel like I’m not doing enough at that moment. That’s not what people say, but it sometimes comes across a little bit like that, and I didn’t expect that before.
When we talk to Artem about Tolkin as a co-streamer, however, he cannot confirm this. In our conversation, he repeatedly emphasizes how impressed he is with Tolkin’s commitment, as he is constantly taking care of organizing new guests. They did not expect this extent:
One of my highlights of this season is how many guests Tolkin has integrated into his co-streams. When we started this program, we knew that guests were of course an option. But Tolkin has regularly invited guests, be they other influencers, professional players or people from the community. Seeing how often he gives people from the community a voice was the big highlight for me.
The LEC depends on personalities in the scene
As our conversation continues, we ask Tolkin how he influences League of Legends esports through his co-streams. He says that it is the personalities of the casters and players that keep viewers engaged with the LEC and that interaction with viewers is important:
I feel like a lot of the LEC depends on the personalities, which have become fewer over the years – some players and casters are gone. In Germany, we’ve also seen a development where many people have left the scene. But the fact that viewers can connect with someone who has a passion for it or who they can identify with is cool. That’s why I think co-streams are so successful in general, even outside of League. I think it’s great to offer people an interactive product because you can read the chat while you’re watching and respond to the viewers, instead of delivering a TV product where you can’t respond to the chat at all.
In the future there could be more co-streamers in Germany
Finally, we talk to both of them about the future of the LEC and co-streams. We ask whether they think it is realistic that there could be another co-streamer in Germany besides Tolkin. Tolkin makes it clear that he would be very happy about it and sees only advantages in having more co-streamers in Germany:
I think more co-streamers could be really cool. People could then choose where they want to watch the esports product with which commentary, and the streamers could also do something among themselves. I sometimes had the problem of getting guests because I was the only one and they couldn’t stream it themselves. I don’t see any negative aspect of having more co-streamers.
Artem Bykov also does not rule out the possibility that there could be other co-streamers in Germany in the future, in addition to Tolkin. However, he stresses that they are under no pressure to increase the number of co-streamers and that the right opportunity must arise:
Co-streaming has been a success for us. It’s an evolving program, and we plan to expand it in the future. We’re not under pressure to increase the number of co-streamers year over year. Maybe we’ll find a market or region where we feel our fans are underserved. Then, if there’s a suitable creator who is loved and respected by the community, and we see a good match, that could be an option.
For Germany, but also for all other languages, the following applies: These are all non-exclusive contracts. So we can decide at any time whether we want to have more co-streamers for a country or not. If we feel that there is a great opportunity to show a new face, that is definitely an option.
Tolkin had already been allowed to co-stream other e-sports events before his co-streams of the LEC. One of the biggest matches last year pushed him to his limits. You can read about which match it was and why it made Tolkin tremble here: LoL: The biggest game of 2023 takes German caster over the border on Twitch – “I’m shaking all the time”