Twitch streamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins was a big name in gaming in 2017 because he dominated the online shooter Fortnite. In 2024, he hardly plays a role anymore. He believes this is because he was shadowbanned on YouTube. But viewers see other reasons.
This is what Ninja believes: The streamer believes he has been shadowbanned on YouTube and therefore has significantly fewer viewers than before.
At his peak, 4 to 6 years ago, YouTube videos of Ninja dominating Fortnite had 17 to 51 million views. His most recent videos have views in the 124,000 to 230,000 range. If you compare the most extreme swings, that’s a 99.76% drop.
For Ninja, it’s clear: He was shadowbanned on YouTube years ago. He sees it as confirmation when a viewer now told him that he thought Ninja had quit YouTube because he was suddenly no longer visible in the YouTube user’s video feed.
What is a shadow ban? A shadow ban is a restriction of the reach of a content creator without the creator being informed. With a shadow ban on YouTube, the creator’s videos simply no longer appear in the feed of his followers. His reach is restricted.
Becoming the biggest streamer on Twitch through Fortnite – Who is Ninja and what is he doing today?
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Viewers believe Ninja is still stuck in the past
How do others see it? Unfortunately, Ninja has to listen to some rational explanations for the loss of viewers on X, formerly Twitter, which he probably doesn’t like:
He is told that he has less reach than before because his ratings are simply worse today. Because if people click on his videos less and watch him less, they are simply shown less. In 2024, YouTube sees no reason to promote and favor him as much as it used to.
Another explains to him that Ninja is stuck in time. He uploads clips that are too long – they are out of fashion. And gameplay clips like the ones he makes are more suitable for short formats. A currently trendy YouTuber – PirateSoftware – uses the algorithm for his own benefit.
A third person explains to Ninja that he stopped watching his videos because he only complained about Fortnite or because he promised explanations about Fortnite in videos, but then only talked for 10 seconds and then showed gameplay without comment.
Others say the mistake is that he still shows Fortnite while most others have long since left the game.
The general opinion seems to be that the “meta” on YouTube has shifted in favor of short clips and that what worked 6 years ago simply won’t work in 2024. Without any dark forces playing tricks on him: Ninja and his friends became famous on Twitch with Fortnite – but now nobody plays with him anymore