Tyler "Ninja" Blevins

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**Richard Tyler Blevins** (born June 5, 1991), better known by his online alias **Ninja**, is an American Twitch streamer, YouTuber and professional gamer.

Blevins began streaming through participating in several esports teams in competitive play for *Halo 3*, and gradually picked up fame when he first started playing *Fortnite Battle Royale* in late 2017. Blevins's rise among mainstream media began in March 2018 when he played *Fortnite* together with Drake, Travis Scott and JuJu Smith-Schuster on stream, breaking a peak viewer count record on Twitch. Blevins has over 17 million followers on his Twitch channel, making it the most-followed Twitch channel as of December 2021.

## Early life

Richard Tyler Blevins was born on June 5, 1991, and is of Welsh descent. Though born in the Detroit area, he moved with his family to the Chicago suburbs when he was an infant. He attended Grayslake Central High School, where he played soccer. Upon graduation, he decided to play video games professionally, entering tournaments, joining professional organizations, and live streaming his games.

## Career

### Esports and streaming

Blevins began playing *Halo 3* professionally in 2009. He played for various organizations including Cloud9, Renegades, Team Liquid, and most recently, Luminosity Gaming.Template:Citation needed Blevins became a streamer in 2011. He began playing *H1Z1*, then moved to *PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds*. He joined Luminosity Gaming in 2017 first as a *Halo* player, then to *H1Z1*, later moving to *PUBG*, where he won the *PUBG* Gamescom Invitational Squads classification in August 2017.

Blevins began streaming the newly released *Fortnite Battle Royale* shortly after the *PUBG* Gamescom Invitational. His viewership began to grow, which coincided with the game's growth in popularity over the late 2017/early 2018 period. His followers on Twitch had grown from 500,000 in September 2017 to over 2 million by March 2018.

In March 2018, Blevins became the first Twitch streamer to surpass 3 million followers on the platform. Later that month, he set the record for the largest concurrent audience on an individual stream (outside of tournament events), 635,000, while playing *Fortnite* with Drake, Travis Scott, and JuJu Smith-Schuster. This stream inspired Epic Games, the developers behind *Fortnite*, to host a charitable pro-am event featuring popular streamers like Blevins paired with famous celebrities in *Fortnite* at E3 2018 in June of that year; Blevins paired with electronic musician Marshmello and won the event. In April 2018, he broke his own viewing record during his event *Ninja Vegas 2018*, where he accumulated an audience of about 667,000 live viewers.

Blevins partnered with Red Bull Esports in June 2018, and held a special *Fortnite* event, the Red Bull Rise Till Dawn in Chicago on July 21, 2018, where players could challenge him.

Blevins' rise in popularity on Twitch is considered to be synergistically tied to the success of *Fortnite Battle Royale*. In December 2018, Blevins estimated he had made close to Template:USD in 2018, while Epic Games reported they had earned over Template:USD in revenue in the year, primarily due to *Fortnite*. He became the first PC player to surpass 5,000 *Fortnite* wins that same month. To acknowledge Blevins' importance to *Fortnite*Template:'s success, Epic added a Ninja-based cosmetic skin to the game in January 2020 as the first part of an "Icon Series" for other real-life personalities associated with *Fortnite*.

Reuters reported that Blevins had been paid Template:USD by Electronic Arts to promote *Apex Legends*, a competing battle royale game to *Fortnite*, for playing the game on his Twitch stream and promoting the title through social media account during *Apex* release in February 2019.

On August 1, 2019, Blevins left Twitch to stream exclusively on Microsoft's Mixer platform. His wife and manager Jessica told *The Verge* that the contract with Twitch had limited the ability for Ninja to grow his brand outside of video gaming, and that because of the state of Twitch's community, "it really seemed like he was kind of losing himself and his love for streaming."

In addition to a large number of subscribers on Twitch and Mixer, Blevins has over 24 million subscribers on YouTube as of April 2021. At the time, he was earning over $500,000 per month from streaming *Fortnite* and credits the game's free-to-play business model as a growth factor.

Due to the shutdown of Mixer in July 2020, Blevins was released from his exclusivity deal, enabling him to stream on other platforms. On September 10, 2020, Blevins revealed that he would return to streaming on Twitch after signing an exclusive multiyear deal and streamed on the platform the same day.

### Other appearances

Blevins and his family were featured in several episodes of the television game show *Family Feud* in 2015. In an episode aired August 2019, after he had achieved his fame, his family returned as contestants on *Celebrity Family Feud*.

In September 2018, Blevins became the first professional esports player to be featured on the cover of *ESPN The Magazine*, marking a breakthrough into mainstream sports fame.

Blevins worked with the record label Astralwerks in October 2018 to compile an album titled *Ninjawerks: Vol. 1* featuring original songs by electronic music acts. The album was released on December 14, 2018.

Blevins was one of several Internet celebrities featured in *YouTube Rewind 2018: Everyone Controls Rewind*. Blevins appeared briefly during the NFL's "The 100-Year Game" ad alongside numerous several professional football players that aired during Super Bowl LIII in 2019. He was the only participant in the commercial with no ties whatsoever to football in any form.

Blevins has released several books with publishing house Random House. Random House imprint, Clarkson Potter, published *Get Good: My Ultimate Guide to Gaming* on August 20, 2019.

Blevins participated in the second season of the Fox reality music competition *The Masked Singer* as "Ice Cream". He was voted out after his first performance to Devo's "Whip It" and Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" and thus forced to unmasked. In an interview with *Entertainment Weekly*, Blevins said that he accepted an invitation to participate since his wife was a fan of the show.

## Charitable work

In a fundraising charity stream held in February 2018, Blevins raised over $110,000 to be donated to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. During the first *Fortnite Battle Royale* Esports event in April 2018, Blevins gave away nearly $50,000 in prize money, with $2,500 of that going to the Alzheimer's Association. Later in April, he participated in the #Clips4Kids charity event with fellow streamers DrLupo and TimTheTatman that raised over $340,000 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. At E3 2018, Blevins and Marshmello won the Fortnite Pro-Am event which resulted in the donation of the $1 million prize to a charity of their choice.

## Controversies

In December 2016, Blevins released the address of a donor as retribution for having a racist screen name and donation message. This act, which is referred to as "doxing", is against the Twitch rules, which states they can result in an "indefinite suspension". Blevins was reported for this act, but only received a 48-hour suspension, which some believed was a result of Blevins' large audience on the platform. Blevins later tweeted that he deserved the punishment.

In March 2018, while in a stream with Nadeshot, Blevins improvised the word "ballsack" while rapping to Logic's "44 More,” a song in which the word was never actually said. This sparked controversy within his watching community and the general public. He later apologized for any offense caused and stated that he did not intend to say the word, instead attributing his use of the word to being "tongue-tied".

In August 2018, Blevins stated that he does not stream with female gamers out of respect for his wife and to avoid the rumors that such streaming could create. He received mixed reactions; some said that he should set an example and not make it more difficult for female streamers to rise to prominence, while others supported his stance, claiming that he should be allowed to do what he wants to protect his marriage. In response to his critics, Blevins has since reaffirmed his support for gender equality and restated his commitment to his marriage, also mentioning some prominent female streamers by name. He noted that women are welcome to play with him in a group or at events as he claims such situations allow him to "control the narrative more, without stupid drama and rumors flooding into our lives."

In October 2018, Blevins reported a player for "having a higher ping" than him. This led to a player claiming on November 16, 2018, that they had been banned as a result of the report, which Epic Games denied. Both of these incidents caused backlash against Blevins on social media.

In November 2018, Blevins received criticism for falsely reporting IcyFive, a *Fortnite* player, for stream sniping. After Blevins was eliminated by IcyFive, Blevins' teammate, DrLupo, told him to watch for an "emote", which IcyFive did perform. Blevins took this as proof that IcyFive was stream sniping and quickly reported the player. After reporting IcyFive, Blevins stated that he would "go out of his way" to ensure IcyFive got banned and told IcyFive that he would not report him if he left the game immediately, despite already having reported him. As IcyFive was not viewing the stream, he did not do so. Blevins assumed IcyFive was ignoring him and took out his phone in what appeared to be an attempt at directly contacting Epic Games. IcyFive claimed that he did not stream snipe Blevins and uploaded a video as proof. DrLupo later stated that he did not believe IcyFive stream sniped Blevins, mentioning that using an emote was a regular reaction to an increase in spectator count after elimination, and also stated that he did not condone Blevins' actions, comparing them to a rant. Blevins later apologized to IcyFive on Twitter but also accused the player of "playing the victim" and "milking" the incident, calling him "naive" for assuming players would be banned solely on his word.

## External links

* Template:Official website
* Ninja on Twitch

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1. ↑ Ninja on Twitter.
2. ↑ Top 50 Twitch users sorted by Followers - Socialblade Twitch Stats ….
3. ↑ H3 Podcast #63 - Ninja.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Teng, Elaine (September 18, 2018). Living the Stream.
5. ↑ Template:Cite news
6. ↑ Montag, Ali (March 20, 2018). How this 26-year-old went from working at a fast food joint to making $500,000 a month playing video games.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Leslie, Callum (March 16, 2018). How much money does Ninja make?.
8. ↑ Template:Citation
9. ↑ Template:Cite news
10. ↑ Mickunas, Aaron (2018-03-11). Ninja becomes the first Twitch streamer to hit 3 million followers (en-US).
11. ↑ Drake sets records with his Fortnite: Battle Royale Twitch debut (March 15, 2018).
12. ↑ Pereira, Chris (March 15, 2018). After Drake, Fortnite Will Host A Celebrity "Party Royale" At E3.
13. ↑ Goslin, Austen (June 12, 2018). Ninja and Marshmello win Epic's E3 2018 Fortnite Pro Am.
14. ↑ Ninja's Vegas Fortnite event breaks Twitch viewing record (April 23, 2018).
15. ↑ Mejia, Ozzie (June 17, 2018). Ninja Partners with Red Bull Fortnite Event, Sells It Out in Minutes.
16. ↑ Biggs, Dave (December 31, 2018). 'Ninja,' the Fortnite streamer who's one of video gaming's biggest stars. CNN.
17. ↑ Viana, Bhernardo (2018-12-28). Ninja is the first player to get 5,000 Victory Royales in Fortnite on PC—watch the winning moment (en-US).
18. ↑ Kastrenakes, James (January 15, 2020). Ninja is getting a Fortnite skin.
19. ↑ Template:Cite news
20. ↑ Webster, Andrew (August 1, 2019). Ninja announces he is leaving Twitch to stream exclusively on Mixer.
21. ↑ Kim, Allen (August 2019). Ninja, the biggest name in online gaming, is switching streaming platforms.
22. ↑ Alexander, Julia (October 4, 2019). Ninja left Twitch because his brand was too big for gaming.
23. ↑ Kim, Tae (March 19, 2018). Tyler 'Ninja' Blevins explains how he makes more than $500,000 a month playing video game 'Fortnite'.
24. ↑ Stephen, Bijan (June 22, 2020). Ninja, Shroud, and other top Mixer streamers are now free to stream on Twitch again.
25. ↑ Jarvey, Natalie (September 10, 2020). Superstar Gamer Tyler "Ninja" Blevins Returns to Twitch (Exclusive).
26. ↑ Pantzlaff, Andrew (February 12, 2015). Survey Says: Brillion natives win big on Family Feud.
27. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
28. ↑ Fogel, Stefanie (September 18, 2018). Ninja: First Esports Player Featured on ESPN Magazine Cover.
29. ↑ Bein, Kat (October 26, 2018). Ninja Partners With Astralwerks to Release Upcoming 'Ninjawerks' Album.
30. ↑ Cameron, John (November 29, 2018). Alesso, Tycho and 3LAU Share Clips of New Music from Ninjawerks.
31. ↑ NERO share first song in 2 years ahead of Twitch star Ninja's Compilation (December 4, 2018).
32. ↑ NinjaWerks Digital Album (Preorder).
33. ↑ Fogel, Stefanie (December 7, 2018). YouTube Rewind 2018 Video Features a Lot of 'Fortnite'.
34. ↑ Brady, Erik (February 4, 2019). NFL commercial wins USA Today's Ad Meter with tackle-filled celebration in 'The 100-Year Game'.
35. ↑ Hernandez, Patricia (August 13, 2019). If you're reading this, Ninja's new book probably isn't for you (en).
36. ↑ Boucher, Geoff (June 19, 2019). Tyler 'Ninja' Blevins: Digital Superstar Makes Bookshelf Bid (en-US).
37. ↑ Radulovic, Petrana (September 26, 2019). Ninja sang 'Old Town Road' on The Masked Singer, and everybody was confused.
38. ↑ Rice, Lynette (September 26, 2019). The Ice Cream speaks! Here's how 'The Masked Singer' recruited the mysterious celebrity.
39. ↑ Tyler Blevins 'Ninja': Everything You Need to Know (February 20, 2018).
40. ↑ Who Won Ninja Vegas '18? Full Roundup Including Highlights and Results.
41. ↑ Template:Cite news
42. ↑ Goslin, Austen (June 12, 2018). Ninja and Marshmello win Epic's E3 2018 Fortnite Pro Am.
43. ↑ Farner, Shawn (March 30, 2018). The untold truth of Tyler "Ninja" Blevins.
44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 Blevins, Tyler (December 4, 2016). I received a 48 hr suspension for releasing the persons address who donated under the racist name. I deserve this and will be back Tuesday..
45. ↑ Hernandez, Patricia. Top Twitch Streamer Ninja Rapped A Slur, Leading To A Familiar Conundrum [Update: Ninja Apologizes].
46. ↑ Frank, Allegra (August 14, 2018). Ninja explains his choice not to stream with female gamers.
47. ↑ Haasch, Palmer (August 13, 2018). Twitch streamers have mixed reactions to Ninja's choice to not play with female streamers.
48. ↑ Template:Cite news
49. ↑ Ninja responds to criticism of his refusal to stream with women (August 13, 2018).
50. ↑ Villanueva, Jamie (November 17, 2018). Ninja reported a player for high ping and was later accused of getting someone falsely banned.
51. ↑ Villanueva, Jamie (November 12, 2018). Here's why Ninja is receiving hate for falsely accusing someone of stream sniping.
52. ↑ Ninja Reports 'Fortnite' Player for Stream Sniping and Later Apologizes.
53. ↑ Walker, Ben (October 4, 2019). Ninja, Jacksepticeye, Pokimane and more will co-star in Ryan Reynolds' Free Guy.
54. ↑ Malkin, Marc (December 10, 2021). Twitch Streamer Tyler 'Ninja' Blevins Cast in 'Hotel Transylvania: Transformania' (EXCLUSIVE).
55. ↑ 8th Annual Nominees & Winners.
56. ↑ Wade, Jessie. The Game Awards 2018 Nominations Announced.
57. ↑ 11th Annual Shorty Awards Nominees.
58. ↑ Streamy Awards 2019: The Complete Winners List (December 14, 2019).
59. ↑ Calvario, Liz (May 2, 2020). Kids' Choice Awards 2020: Complete List of Winners.
60. ↑ 10th Annual Nominees.
61. ↑ Petski, Denise (February 2, 2021). Kenan Thompson To Host 2021 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards; Justin Bieber, 'Stranger Things', Ariana Grande Lead Nominees.
62. ↑ Liz Calvario (March 13, 2021). 2021 Kids' Choice Awards: The Complete Winners List. *Entertainment Tonight*.