Report: Twitch Is Hacked And Its Source Code Is In The Wild [Update]
Big-name streamers' incomes are revealed in the 125GB data leak
kotaku.com
So the source code for Twitch leaked which isn't a super spectacular thing in and of itself. Source codes get stolen all the time, and they rarely become more than a blip on the news feed. However because of social media and because it's Twitch, info was dug out of this source code which reveals the Twitch paychecks that every streamer on the platform makes from Twitch going back as far as 2018-ish.
So if you want to know the stupid levels of money some of these Twitch streamers can make you can look that up, and a lot of the numbers make me feel bad about my life to be honest. None of this information includes other sources of income like Patreon, Youtube, Paypal tips, Onlyfans, or any of that other side hussle.
Though to be honest, a lot of the information shouldn't be all that shocking. It isn't that hard for you to look up Twitch subs on any given streamer and simply multiply the number by $2.5 to get a rough total of monthly baseline income. I don't think it is much of a secret that some streamers make a fucking shitload of money. Yet people all over social media are somehow shocked by it, and you know something.....this is why microtransactions are so profitable.
Think about it. Why is this surprising to people? Well because they see the cost of a sub is Free with Twitch prime, or $5, here or there and it it impossible for people to add that shit up in their heads, plus nobody thinks about it that hard. But then you see these numbers and you realize just how effective microtransactions are and how much they generate for people where ever they exist. Whether those transactions are from Raid Shadow Legends, or form a Fifa game.
Of course it wouldn't be a newsworthy buzzfeed of leaked info if Kotaku also didn't have a shit take about it.
Only Three Percent Of Twitch’s Top-Earning Streamers Are Women, Apparently
According to purported data from the just-revealed Twitch hack, women in hot tubs aren’t stealing all the views
kotaku.com
Complaining that only 3% of the top earners on Twitch are women, and that only 1 of those 3% are PoC. Because this particular writer at Kotaku doesn't have a brain, when it is pretty fucking obvious to everyone that these streamers are funneling people to Patreon and Onlyfans, where they are making banging money because that is where the real hustle is. Additionally as mentioned above, the Twitch chart is only going to showcase subs and bits, but will not reflect any tip or off-site income.
A viewer can only sub once to a streamer, or gift subs in theory, but often repeat donators to anyone on twitch contribute via donation links. Usually this behavior is driven by pop-up notifications, tip rewards (like getting their name written on the giant PickleRick which is a thing that happened), and other whatever goal or reward the streamer gives from tips.
What is worth noting is that the top earners on Twitch seem to do so from a raw entertainment factor. Critical Role for example does not do shoutouts or acknowledgements of cheers and subs, as the actors are busy putting on a show. Many of the bigger streamers like Asmongold give a quick thank you and that's it. Asmon in particular doesn't even have pop ups for tips and unless something crazy comes it, he doesn't focus on it. This allows personality driven streamers to never interrupt the show, and that is something worth noting. Their audiences are cheering and subbing strictly for the enjoyment of the content. Subbing just to get rid of ads is often reward enough if the streamer is capivating.
Then big ol' Cliffy B had this Hot Take
Which is a big ol bag of shit. It's like being mad at Robert Downy Jr. for making more money as Iron Man than any of the comic book writers that made the character. Hell actors are paid more than almost everyone who writes the films that they make.
People don't often watch a streamer for the game that streamer is playing. People might discover a new streamer based on that, but it is the streamer who hooks them not the game. The game is bait and nothing more.
