Streamers and professional gamers have continued to get more attention each year, and Tyler “Ninja” Blevins has remained at the top of the list for an amazing length of time. He has over 24 million subscribers and puts together captivating gaming videos. Born in 1991, his online alias of “Ninja” gives him a one-name moniker that is as well known to gamers as Michael or Lebron would be to basketball fans.
A popular American streamer, YouTuber, professional gamer, and top internet personality – Blevins gained a lot of attention after starting to play Fortnite Battle Royale in 2017, but his professional career actually started back in 2009 playing Halo 3. Playing for a wide variety of organizations, including Luminosity Gaming, Renegades, and Team Liquid, he began streaming professionally in 2011.
Blevins partnered with Red Bull Esports in 2018, holding a special Fortnite event that year. He was also reportedly paid $1 million by Electronic Arts to promote Apex Legends, and has had a successful Twitch streaming presence with plenty of ad revenue coming his was as well.
In August 2019, he left Twitch so he could better expand outside of gaming. Tyler has been featured on television shows, including Family Celebrity Family Feud and has even graved the cover of ESPN The Magazine, becoming the first professional Esports player to get that high honor.
Known for his animated personality, which has helped propel him into mainstream sports fame. Tyler’s career however has not been without controversy. He has stated in interviews that he does not stream with female gamers out of respect for his wife and to avoid rumors that could begin because of it.
Those statements brought a lot of negative attention, and caused him to later reaffirmed his support for gender equality while restating his commitment to his marriage. He also made controversial headlines for releasing the address of a donor who had a racist screen name. This is against the rules in many communities and is known as doxing. The practice cost Blevins some fans, but also gained him others from the social justice crowd that wants to see equality promoted at any cost.
Through it all, Tyler Blevins has won a long stream of awards: including Breakout Creator and Favorite Gamer, Live Streamer at the Streamy Awards, Esports Personality of the Year at the Esports Awards, and Content Creator of the Year at The Game Awards in 2018. Admirers are dedicated to following his career, and Tyler “Ninja” Blevins continues to get large amounts of affection from millions of fans online.
Hundreds of millions of people have viewed his videos and accounts across platforms, including more than 2 billion views on YouTube – making him not only one of the most popular gaming streamers, but one of the most popular YouTubers overall since the platform first started.