Marcel “MontanaBlack” Eris (34) has been active on Twitch for almost 10 years and was the most successful German streamer for a long time. However, the development of the platform in recent years does not seem to suit him at all, which is why he wrote about untalented newcomers. After criticism from his own fans, he now relativizes his statements.
What statements are you talking about? In a February 1st video, MontanaBlack spoke rather disparagingly about new streamers. They are irrelevant, have no talent, would disgust him. There was even criticism for this from their own fans:
Twitch: Even their own fans criticize MontanaBlack for arrogant statements about newcomers
Shortly thereafter, the streamer put his statements into perspective: he got quite angry, of course not all Twitch newcomers were meant. However, he will continue to insult those who only “smell the fast mark”.
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Who did MontanaBlack mean? There are two types of newcomers for the streamer, one of which they “feel” and the other rather not:
What bothers him about these newcomers? MontanaBlack is obviously not just about the fact that he personally doesn’t like the content of certain streamers. Rather, he thinks of the talented newcomers: Because they would have a much harder time being discovered and getting started in the flood of new streamers.
So content creators who are just out for money make it harder for sincere streamers to succeed.
“I started the same way”
Does he have anything nice to say? It sounds completely different when MontanaBlack talks about the first group of newcomers. In the streamers out of passion, the 34-year-old seems to see himself to a certain extent:
Just another small correction: I would never in any way insult new streamers who have talent and say, “You’re all irrelevant.” On the contrary, that’s how I started.
What does MontanaBlack mean by talent? One talent counts above all for the streamer on Twitch: You have to be able to entertain people, and that is extremely difficult. Blatant quality or outstanding gameplay are of secondary importance.
The German Twitch streamer MontanaBlack gives an honest interview on ZDF: “I’ve never been good at games.”
What tips does he have for newcomers: Streamers have to be able to retain their viewers and generate interest when they tell something. Just sitting there and not saying anything is useless.
He also warns of short-lived trends: Fortnite was huge, people even took out loans and bought expensive luxury cars. But once the hype died down, they found that no one really cared about them as a person, people just wanted to see their gameplay.
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No one understands the personality cult surrounding MontanaBlack less than he does
How about MontanaBlack itself? The 34-year-old takes the opportunity to reflect on his own success. Because unlike some Fortnite streamers, the hype at MontaganaBlack was actually about himself – something he never really understood himself.
According to the streamer, people don’t care what he plays or how good he is at the games. There will probably never be such hype about a person on the internet again, he says, and is perhaps also alluding to the crowds of people who followed him at gamescom 2022.
Does MontanaBlack also see other streamers positively? Yes, above all the 25-year-old Elias “EliasN97” Nerlich, who himself is one of the newcomers, but pushed MontanaBlack off the Twitch throne within 2 years.
The 34-year-old suspects that he will keep up the hype, he has the strength and the energy. He wants to see people like that on the platform, that makes him and everyone else happy. MontanaBlack has no thoughts of competition.
You can watch the whole video here:
Lonely at the top
What makes MontanaBlack stop being #1? That probably bothers him less than some of his viewers might have expected. Instead, he analyzes the success of the younger newcomer quite pragmatically and without envy.
EliasN97, who started as a content creator for FIFA, simply had a good target group with the “soccer stuff”: every boy would love that and accordingly the content of the streamer. MontanaBlack is happy about the success of the Berliner:
A lot of people always think Elias and I are so competitive or something. But that’s not the case, I’m glad. It was really boring being alone at the top for years.
But MontanaBlack also explains that, unlike EliasN97, they simply don’t stream as much. For him, however, that is quite enough. The 34-year-old says he streamed with great regularity for many years, taking his first voluntary break – meaning no ban – when his then-girlfriend left him on Valentine’s Day.
The streamer’s focus is now simply different: joint projects with his Twitch colleague Elotrix, IRL streams outside of his darkened gaming room or his own show on Joyn.
You just have to keep reinventing yourself, you can’t do “the same nonsense” for 10 years. His success proves him right, because when MontanaBlack is on the air, an average of 25,000 people are still watching him at the same time (via sullygnome).
“Good newcomer” EliasN97 also watched MontanaBlack’s fix and shared his own thoughts on success on Twitch. The Berliner admits that he didn’t start streaming out of passion himself, it came later:
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