Update (January 31): It was initially unclear whether Pokimane was leaving streaming entirely, or just Twitch. That's now clear: Pokimane has announced that she's participating in her first YouTube stream on February 1.
On why she's leaving Twitch, Pokimane said in a podcast episode that her exclusivity contract expired, and that any new deal she could sign wouldn't be as lucrative as the deals being offered a few years ago. More to the point, though, the streamer said that she's lost interest in Twitch streaming, which she feels has "regressed" politically in the past two years, and doesn't want to be tied to any one platform.
"Months ago, I had already personally decided I don't want to re-sign with Twitch, and I don't want to re-sign exclusively with any streaming platform," Pokimane said. "It's time for me to be free as a bird."
She does say, as an aside, that she'll "still be on [Twitch] sometimes, though."
Original story: Popular streamer Imane "Pokimane" Anys says she's done streaming on Twitch, where she has 9.3 million followers, calling it "the end of an era."
"Twitch has been my home for a decade," wrote Pokimane in an X post on January 30, "but it's time to say thank you for all the memories and love during my League, Fortnite, & Among Us days."
The streamer did not say whether she'll continue streaming on another platform, or if she's decided to stop streaming altogether. In 2022, Pokimane said that she'd be streaming less to focus on social media platforms like TikTok, where she currently has 6.7 million followers.
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"I hope it doesn't sound big-headed of me to say, but nowadays when I see things on Twitch, it kinda feels like 'been there, done that,'" she said at the time.
Pokimane is also co-founder and chief creative officer of talent management company RTS, which as of 2021 jointly manages fighting game tournament EVO with Sony.
"What an incredible journey it's been," Twitch wrote in a response to Pokimane's farewell post. "We're so proud of everything you've accomplished and what's ahead in the future. You'll always have a home on Twitch, Poki."
Pokimane's last, and possibly final, stream on Twitch happened four days ago and was titled "secret morning stream." She played Valorant and Palworld.
Tyler Wilde
Executive Editor
Tyler grew up in Silicon Valley during the '80s and '90s, playing games like Zork and Arkanoid on early PCs. He was later captivated by Myst, SimCity, Civilization, Command & Conquer, all the shooters they call "boomer shooters" now, and PS1 classic Bushido Blade (that's right: he had Bleem!). Tyler joined PC Gamer in 2011, and today he's focused on the site's news coverage. His hobbies include amateur boxing and adding to his 1,200-plus hours in Rocket League.
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