Mixer's Closure Delivered Large Payouts For Ninja And Shroud, But Where Will They Go?

Microsoft Corporation's MSFT announced recently streaming platform Mixer will close on July 22, leaving the future of several streamers unknown. For many partners and content creators who already had established communities on the platform, the news came as a devastating blow.

For top streamers Tyler "Ninja" Blevins and Michael "Shroud" Grzesiek, the loss actually introduced a massive gain. The two both left Amazon's AMZN Twitch last year and shook up the streaming industry as they both signed contracts with Mixer. With new, high-paying and stable deals implemented, both content creators were free to stream and follow schedules that didn't solely rely on subscription payouts.

Now, with Mixer disappearing, both figures will have to decide where to move to next.

The Microsoft-owned platform was sold to Facebook Gaming, and partnered streamers are able to continue their partnerships there with signed agreements. However, both Ninja and Shroud opted out of negotiations, receiving their full payments, and obtaining the freedom to talk with other competing platforms. Numerous reports suggest Ninja earned around $30 million while Shroud obtained around $10 million.

I love my community and what we built together on Mixer. I have some decisions to make and will be thinking about you all as I make them.

— Ninja (@Ninja) June 22, 2020

What's Next for Ninja and Shroud? The question remains as both streamers have remained mostly silent about the news. Ninja has spent time offering support to other Mixer streamers, and it has been revealed that Ninja's "About" section on Twitch has been updated to show that he plays "VALORANT."

A return to Twitch could be record-breaking if the two can develop a suitable agreement, especially after the controversy that surrounded Ninja's departure.

On the other side, Google's GOOG YouTube could be a potential new home, and there is no doubt the platform is trying to find some way to pull the celebrity in. If Ninja does choose YouTube, it would consolidate all of his video content by combining his streams with his channel that currently has over 23 million subscribers.

Nothing about Shroud's future decisions has been revealed as of yet, but there are a few details that could influence his decision. Freedom, flexibility and stability were offered to both streamers in their deals with Mixer. Because they didn't have to rely solely on subscribers and donations, both streamers could play the games they wanted to play on a schedule that didn't have to focus on grinding hours.

Either way, the landscape and ecosystem of the streaming industry is about to shift once again.