As other notable streamers continue to leave Twitch for other platforms, one of the service’s biggest stars is staying put: today, Imane “Pokimane” Anys announced that she has signed a “multi-year deal” to remain on the platform. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Anys is Twitch’s biggest female star, with more than 3.9 million followers, and she’s long been a mainstay, having started streaming way back in 2013. She even has her own Fortnite emote.
“Since I began my gaming career on Twitch six years ago, the platform has given me such an incredible opportunity to create content and connect with people around the world,” Anys said in a statement. “The community of streamers on Twitch, as well as the community I’ve built around my channel, both mean so much to me. I want to continue to make a lasting impact on the world of live streaming, and I truly believe there’s no other place that has the infrastructure and tools that will allow me to do so.”
The news comes as platforms like Twitch, Mixer, Facebook Gaming, and YouTube battle it out for the most popular talent. While Twitch has long been synonymous with live-streaming, other services have been signing stars in an attempt to gain marketshare. It all started when Tyler “Ninja” Blevins left Twitch to join Microsoft’s Mixer, and there’s been a steady stream of defectors since. 100 Thieves stars Jack “Courage” Dunlop and Rachel “Valkyrae” Hofstetter moved to YouTube, Hearthstone player Jeremy “DisguisedToast” Wang went to Facebook, and Fortnite stars like Soleil “Ewok” Wheeler and Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek followed Blevins to Mixer. And that’s just to name a few.
Twitch, meanwhile, has attempted to stop the exodus by locking down key figures. Back in December, the service resigned Ben “DrLupo” Lupo, Timothy “TimTheTatman” Betar, and Saqib “Lirik” Zahid to exclusive deals. Anys is the latest to join that list. “Creators like Pokimane are driving the future of what’s possible with live streaming and speak to the way in which the Twitch platform has grown to reach new audiences,” Michael Aragon, Twitch’s senior VP of content and partnerships, said in a statement. “We couldn’t be more excited that Twitch will be her home for years to come.”
