The ban on virtual streamer “fallenshadow” has caused a stir in recent days. Vtubers believe Twitch has a problem with them. The streaming platform’s response has not convinced everyone either.
What was the ban all about? The streamer “fallenshadow” was banned from Twitch on September 14, 2024. The platform justified the ban by saying that she had shown “self-harming behavior”: fallenshadow had talked about mental health in the stream and drunk cream liqueur, and she seemed sad. We have already reported on the ban on MeinMMO.
Twitch blocked the streamer’s channel for 30 days. This means that the subs, the paid subscriptions on Twitch, will not be renewed during this period. fallenshadow explains that this hits her particularly hard because she has a disability and supports six family members with her streaming.
The streaming platform showed understanding and lifted the ban after just 40 hours. However, not everyone is happy with the response.
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Twitch insists on decision, community is annoyed
What is the problem now? As fallenshadow announced on X on September 16, 2024, her appeal against the ban was upheld and the ban was lifted. However, Twitch insisted that the original punishment was appropriate, but given the details of the case, the ban could be lifted.
The streamer interprets it this way: Twitch would admit that they are only lifting the ban because of the negative feedback. Other Vtubers are also critical of the streaming platform’s response:
Can this be interpreted differently? Yes, there is another explanation for Twitch’s response. A generous interpretation would be that the decision was justified at the time, given the knowledge available at the time. However, the additional context of the appeal could make the situation look different.
For the streamer, it’s a matter of wording: if it had been expressed differently, everything would have been fine. But the answer sounds “as passive-aggressive and mean as possible” (via X).
Vtubers believe Twitch has something against them
What makes the situation so difficult? fallenshadow is a virtual streamer, a Vtuber. She doesn’t show her face, but appears in the form of an anime-looking avatar. She and other Vtubers feel unfairly treated by Twitch.
This would mean that other content creators would get away with much worse offenses, while Vtubers would be punished more severely. In the case of fallenshadow, Twitch is said to be judging her more strictly because her avatar supposedly looks underage. There are supposed to be additional rules for this, but the streamer herself is not aware of them.
The Vtuber says she is simply petite and has a high voice, and her avatar reflects her actual appearance (via X).
In addition, there are apparently rumors in the Vtube community that one or more moderators at Twitch simply have a personal problem with Vtubers and are therefore punishing them more harshly (via X).
On X, fallenshadow comments on the bans of several other Vtubers who have been banned in the past few days. She also complains that the reasons for a ban are not always clear. This has been a problem for a long time: Twitch bans a VTuber and she doesn’t know why: “Losing everything from one day to the next is scary.”