Shroud has made the daring switch from Twitch to Mixer, and this time its an even bigger deal than Ninja's leap of faith back in August.
Most people hadn't even heard of Mixer when Ninja abruptly announced his switch from Twitch to the Microsoft-owned streaming platform. The gaming community had seen the small surge of popularity on D-Live when PewDiePie endorsed it as his streaming platform of choice, but the hype died down quickly afterwards. Ninja's effect on Mixer was a bit of the same – it put it on the streaming service on the map, but its excitement suffered a steep drop off.
Shroud is a game-changer for Mixer, however, even more so than Ninja was. Of course, Ninja's move to Mixer was absolutely vital for the platform, but it also set the stage for other streamers. If no one else moved, Mixer's growth would likely continue to stagnate. Enter Shroud, and now you have a pattern. Shroud making the move could signal a mass-migration, potentially signaling the beginning of a Twitch apocalypse.
Shroud is seen as a universal gaming icon, gathering a massive fan-base by simply showcasing a high level of skill in the FPS games he'd stream. His insanely good aim and consistent domination in competitive play has earned him the admiration of many throughout the gaming and streaming communities. Although hugely popular, Ninja has had to navigate through controversy and has dealt with a spectrum of haters and fans alike; Shroud's biggest controversy was a scooter crash, and his critics' harshest arguments can be summarized with: "he's overrated." The streamer has made few enemies throughout his time in the limelight.
Additionally, with Shroud's move to Mixer, people are starting to see that competition is evening out between the streaming platforms.
Luckily, most would agree that this is only a positive thing. Both companies will be forced to provide the best possible service for its users in order to keep up – Twitch certainly can't afford to be lazy anymore.
For those who have followed Shroud's career, he is someone who has earned the respect of everyone he collaborates with, not to mention the vast majority of FPS fans. In other words – he is a trusted gaming icon, in some ways more so than Ninja. Sure, Ninja laid the groundwork by making the first leap, but with Shroud throwing his hat in the ring, we are starting to see a trend – exactly what Mixer is looking for.
Source: Twitter