100 Thieves Valkyrae's Move To YouTube Exclusively Shows How Gamers Are Looking To Brand Beyond Just Gaming
Valkyrae Twitch / Dexerto
100 Thieves Rachell 'Valkyrae" Hofstetter has announced she will be leaving Twitch to stream exclusively on YouTube, a report originally confirmed by Rod 'Slasher" Breslau.
And if she is looking to expand her brand beyond gaming, this makes complete sense.
Right now Twitch reigns supreme in terms of video game stream viewership and popularity. And it will for a few years, I believe but, there's new terrain for top streamers and content creators to grow on.
As we saw with Ninja, various top streamers will start to make brand transitions whether platform or content wise. Simply because no matter who you are, branding requires evolution and adjustments in order to take things to the next level.
And now it is Valkyrae's time to do just that.
YouTube itself may not have the greatest gaming infrastructure or streaming capabilities but, it undeniably has the best search engine and discover ability compared to Twitch, Facebook Gaming and Mixer for overall content.
And for casual gamers, and those who are new to the gaming world, it's interface is better to navigate than Twitch. But, ultimately, if she is looking to build content beyond just being a streamer, YouTube makes sense since it's user native experience allows for all content to be posted, seen and heard on the platform effectively and efficiently.
I could go on and on about the benefits of all platforms but ultimately, this move is another example showing how gaming influencers are looking beyond just being known as gamers or content creators. They are changing, building thriving and looking to be more.
This is a lesson many in esports and gaming should learn - we know gaming has always been a lifestyle but it is becoming more than just that.
And because of that....we are the lifestyle.
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