5 popular YouTubers who didn't flourish on Twitch

On the face of it, YouTube and Twitch more or fewer offer streamers and YouTubers the ability to create and share video content. However, both platforms have unique, often different, audiences and ways of engaging with content creators. While YouTube relies heavily on pre-recorded, edited videos that can be watched anytime, Twitch is primarily used for live streaming and real-time interaction with viewers.

Apart from this, some content creators may also struggle to adapt to the live-streaming format or may not be as comfortable with the more unscripted, spontaneous nature of Twitch content. Another factor contributing to a content creator's failure on Twitch is the difference in the audience. YouTube has diverse content creators and audiences, and Twitch tends to focus more on gaming and esports.

Success on Twitch, YouTube, or any other platform ultimately depends on many facets, like content quality, audience engagement, and personal branding. With their unique strengths and challenges, some content creators are better suited for one platform.

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YouTubers who struggled on Twitch

5) IShowSpeed

Despite being a YouTuber, Darren "IShowSpeed" first made waves after being indefinitely banned on Twitch for his sexist outburst on an Adin Ross stream in December 2021. Known for his violent and toxic behavior during livestreams, which have gained popularity and have since become memes, Darren has often found himself on the receiving end of bans.

Following his sexist outburst, Speed was also banned from Valorant for his misogynistic tirade against a female player who used a racial slur aimed at the popular YouTuber.

His indefinite ban from Twitch for violating their TOS and community guidelines led to the 18-year-old switching to YouTube for his live streams. Since then, Speed has become the most-watched streamer in 2022 on YouTube, earning a count of 38.5 million hours watched, as reported by Stream Hatchet.

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4) Dr Disrespect

Unlike any entry on this list, Herschel "Dr Disrespect" was quite popular on Twitch and used to stream a variety of FPS and Battle Royales to his over four million followers. His decision to leave Twitch came after he was banned for an undisclosed reason in the summer of 2020.

After becoming entangled in a legal feud with the Amazon-owned platform for over two years, the popular YouTuber ultimately chose not to return to Twitch even after both parties had settled their differences. Unlike IShowSpeed, the Doc has been one of the most-watched streamers on YouTube despite not having an official contract with the platform.

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3) LilyPichu

July 7, 2022, marked the end of Lily "Lilypichu's" 10-year partnership with Twitch as she announced her decision to join YouTube Gaming. Despite amassing over 2 million followers as a patterned Twitch streamer, Lily stated that making the switch was easy during her first live stream as a YouTuber.

"I felt like I wasn’t really going anywhere on Twitch...Financial stability, change of space… if I’m going to fall off, I might as well fall off on YouTube where I get paid, so yeah."

The variety of gamer/music streamers wasn't growing on Twitch, so I decided to take a chance with YouTube Live to attract an audience that didn't always expect gameplay.

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2) PewDiePie

The second-most subscribed person on YouTube at the moment, Felix "PewDiePie" was the face of YouTube and arguably the best YouTuber for the better part of a decade. However, unknown to many, Felix used to actively stream on Twitch as far back as 2017, when the popular YouTuber would play various games and react to other videos.

Despite actively streaming on Twitch and earning partner status with the Amazon-owned platform, Pewds could only amass 1.2 million followers on Twitch, a shadow of his 100+ subscriber count on YouTube.

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1) JiDion

Popular American YouTuber and notorious internet provocateur, Jidon "JiDion" only failed to flourish on Twitch thanks to his tendency to 'publicly harass' other content creators for content. A day after he was announced as an official Twitch partner, JiDion decided to organize an orchestrated hate raid on Twitch star Imane "Pokimane."

After being harassed by many JiDion followers, Pokimane and other streamers shared their thoughts on JiDion earning a 14-day suspension which has ultimately converted into a perma-ban, forcing JiDion to wholly focus on his career as a YouTuber.