The biggest headlines for Twitch this year have focused on the past. Last month, high-profile streamer Guy “Dr Disrespect” Beahm admitted he was permanently banned from Twitch in 2020 after exchanging “messages with an individual minor in 2017.” Following the reports, a former Twitch employee stated that Beahm continued to send sexually explicit messages even after the minor’s age was known. His admission was somewhat prompted by his departure from his development studio.
It’s a shocking story, and one Twitch seems to want to distance itself from. When I specifically asked for comment on the story of Dr. Disrespect, I got a “no comment”. This is not surprising: Twitch never comments on specific streaming cases and is instead focused on its platform.
However, Twitch went on to emphasize the importance of security on the platform. “Harassment has no place on Twitch, and we take enforcement of our harassment and hateful behavior policies seriously,” a spokesperson told me, before detailing a number of features used to promote safety, including Automod, Shield Mode, and follower verification. “These tools, in addition to our ongoing, 24/7 moderation of content, help prevent harassment on Twitch. We continue to build on this work.”
At the subsequent TwitchCon Europe 2024 event held in Rotterdam, the mood was decidedly more positive, with Twitch understandably keen to look to the future of Twitch instead.
But what exactly is the future of Twitch? In January, in the wake of the layoffs, CEO Dan Clancy admitted that Twitch was not profitable, sparking concern among some streamers about the Amazon-owned streaming platform’s longevity.
I spoke with VP of Product Jeremy Forrester and VP of Global Partnerships Pontus Eskilsson at TwitchCon, who assured me that Twitch isn’t going anywhere. For both leaders, the key word was consistency.
“We definitely intend to be around for many years,” Forrester said. “Obviously, the biggest action we took was the layoffs… to try to put Twitch in a sustainable position for the long term. We want to be in a position where we can continue to support creators for a while longer.”
“We are constantly evolving,” Eskilsson said. “We had a rough start to the year, but since then we’ve continued to iterate, launched more things that have helped more broadcasters grow and make more money.
“We continue to put forward things that we believe will be good for the community and we’re doing it in a sustainable way. That’s really the key here: making sure that sustainability for us in the long term is top of mind and the goal for us is to be here after 40 years”.
While no VP works directly on the security team, it’s still an important aspect of their job – considering both broadcasters and viewers.
“[Safety] usually comes into the process very early on, so when we’re building new products, we work very closely with our security team,” Forrester explained. He cites products like Stream Together and its new release feature unveiled at the the opening of the convention, where broadcasters are given control over specific mechanisms to ensure their security.
“It’s a very close collaboration between the two teams,” added Forrester, “because we don’t want to learn something that then ends up being used as a form of abuse. That’s the worst feeling.”
Said Eskilsson: “Streaming safety is top of mind for me. It’s important for us to run an inclusive website… The well-being of everyone on Twitch is definitely a key area for us, and we’ve invested heavily in features of security to provide Moderators and broadcasters this is something we will continue to do for the foreseeable future as it is an ever-evolving work stream.
During the opening ceremony, Clancy unveiled the platform’s new mission statement: “Create belonging by enabling broadcasters to build community.” This is how Twitch will work, and a key element of this is listening to feedback from streamers to improve the relationship between the platform and users.
This relationship has sometimes been questioned. For example, earlier this year Twitch frequently changed its community guidelines on sexual content as streamers pushed the boundaries of what is acceptable. Moments like this suggest a certain antagonism between Twitch and its streamers, though Twitch’s changes at least show it’s listening and responding to feedback more transparently than before.
“TwitchCon is a great example of us trying to get out there and spend time with the streamers, really understand their feedback, really understand what their pain points are and make sure we’re listening first and foremost” , Forrester said. Clancy, in particular, is described as a very hands-on CEO who has met with hundreds of broadcasters to understand their needs over the past few months and aims for more transparent communication through regular Patch Notes broadcasts.
“How do we engage more deeply with the community so that we feel like we’re building together?” said Forrester. “I’ve seen sentiment change a lot over the last couple of years, and I think there’s a lot of positivity around Twitch right now. I think it’s paying off.”
“I’ve seen sentiment change a lot over the last couple of years, and I think there’s a lot of positivity around Twitch right now. I think it’s paying off.”
Eskilsson also noted the various roundtables and forums at TwitchCon and online in which the platform is gathering feedback. “We have to continue to iterate and we have to continue to adapt and continue to adapt to the broader broadcast community and the needs of the broadcast community,” he said. “Our goal is to keep building things with the community. It’s not something we want to do in a silo. And being transparent as part of the conversations is key there.”
Perhaps one way for Twitch to grow and maintain viability is through non-gaming content. Game streams are the most prominent on the platform, but Just Chatting is consistently the most used tag. Additionally, IRL streams, music streams, and art streams are growing in popularity, and that’s one reason for Twitch’s upcoming revised mobile app, as well as its new DJ Program in partnership with major labels to allow DJ- to broadcast popular music. IRL DJs and streamers are also the first of Twitch’s new Creators Clubs to help streamers find communities of like-minded people.
Forrester acknowledged that non-gaming content is a growth area, but said there is still plenty of growth opportunity in gaming as well. “Over the years that I’ve been on Twitch — eight years now — we’ve gone back and forth saying ‘are there more players out there?’ and then the pandemic hit and we were like ‘yeah, there’s tons more players,'” Forrester said. “So we definitely think there’s still a lot of opportunity in growing gaming as a vertical.”
The reason for products focused on non-gaming content is that it’s harder for these streamers to find each other and build community. “If you stream Final Fantasy online, you know who the other streamers are, you’ve probably met them, they probably know who you are,” Forrester said. “And it’s a lot easier to rally around that, where it’s a little bit harder for non-gaming broadcasters.”
He continued: “Game creators have one thing to do, that’s at the heart of it. As a broadcaster, you’re always looking for something to do to entertain the audience, to really engage with them and the game creators games also create a natural rhythm because new games are always coming out, or if you play a single game, they now have seasons and mechanics built in to keep that game engaging for creators, we believe that co-op is a really big arc to help them continue to grow.”
It all comes back to that mission statement, enabling broadcasters to grow and be part of a community. But how is Twitch helping smaller streamers grow? After all, big name broadcasters like Kai Cena make headlines for record-breaking broadcasts and stunts, but what about those on the other end of the spectrum?
Forrester and Eskilsson state sustainability is the biggest driver of growth. “Kai has put in a significant amount of hours to get where he is,” Eskilsson said. “When I talk to broadcasters here or at other events, it’s really that consistency that I’ve seen has been key.”
Forrester also advised consistency with regular broadcast times to give viewers an earful when broadcasters are live. He also noted how broadcasters are getting more creative to engage the community and ensure that broadcasts are unique. As for Twitch, the Discovery Feed and new mobile app will help with discoverability for smaller streamers.
“Twitch discovery has historically always been: we give you a bunch of options and the viewer chooses which one they want to watch,” he said. “It makes it really hard for us to drive traffic. That’s one of the reasons why when you’re small it’s like ‘I don’t feel like I have viewers,’ because we give viewers so many different options and they choose the things they want look at you
“With products like food, we’re going to have more control to hopefully grow smaller creators. And if we find someone who’s succeeding, how do we get them to grow faster? Historically, it’s been difficult for us to do that.”
“We’re structured in a way that we have a good line of sight for the next few years of where we want to go and where we want to be.”
Clearly, then, there’s still room for Twitch to grow, and for its new features to accelerate that growth by — as that mission statement suggests — enabling streamers to find and grow community. The platform has weathered many storms, this year’s negative headlines being no exception, but listening to streamers, Twitch is looking to maintain its position as the number one streaming platform.
“I personally feel pretty confident about where we are right now,” Forrester surmised. “We’re structured in a way that we have a good line of sight for the next few years of where we want to go and where we want to be.”
“There’s something really great about the platform… it’s rare that you find a business that’s so tightly coupled between monetization and growth, which for us is: if we can get a viewer into the right community of broadcasters, that’s what keeps them around.
“It’s rare that you find a business where all the pieces are really tightly connected. And we’re all focused in the same direction.”
Then, Twitch and its streamers seem more connected than ever, as the platform looks to overcome its past and hopes for a brighter future.