Was Twitch Too Late to Unban IShowSpeed? How Has the Streamer Progressed in These Two Years?

This month is turning out to be a great one for IShowSpeed fans. First, the 18-year-old streamer went to the UK and recorded a smash-hit video with the Sidemen. He followed it by releasing a MrBeast-style video showcasing the success he has achieved. Further, fans recently got some good news that they had been waiting for a long time.

On October 10, Twitch quietly lifted the permanent ban on IShowSpeed. With this, they ended the two-year-long ban placed on Speed. However, this move from the streaming platform has ignited a debate online. Many netizens question whether Twitch took too long to bring back Speed.

The complete story behind Speed’s ban and unban on Twitch

In December 2021, IShowSpeed was banned from Twitch for making an inappropriate joke while streaming. Speed was streaming alongside Adin Ross in an E-Date live stream. And following the incident, the streamer was slapped with a Twitch account suspension citing ‘S**ual Coercion or Intimidation’.

Since then, Speed has found his new home on YouTube where he live streams, with over 20 million subscribers. Furthermore, he also has a show with Kai Cenat on Rumble, which has over 250K followers. However, his loyal fans wholeheartedly wished for his return on Twitch. And many fans think the process of lifting the ban started after Streamy Awards 2023.

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During Streamy Awards 2023, IShowSpeed and Kai Cenat both personally went up to Twitch CEO Dan Clancy to lift the ban on the 18-year-old. Speed even got down on his knees to ask the Twitch boss to lift the ban. And the CEO responded favorably, claiming he would unban him right now if he had his laptop.

Following this incident, Clancy gave a favorable response again by claiming the platform was looking into bringing certain creators back to the platform who were permanently banned. Naturally, the demand for Speed’s unban was the highest after this comment from Twitch CEO. Speed finally got his Twitch access back on October 10, with Twitch carrying the process silently. However, it looks like the platform was too late to take this step.

Will IShowSpeed return to Twitch after two years?

Following the news of lifting the ban going viral, Speed tweeted out a cheeky remark, claiming he had forgotten his Twitch login details. And it was a fair query raised by the 18-year-old as it has been over two years now. It also seems highly unlikely Speed will return to Twitch to stream regularly.

Since his ban in 2021, Speed’s career has taken a whole new trajectory while being on YouTube. The streamer has amassed 4.6 million hours watched via his streaming just in YouTube Live’s Q3. Furthermore, he ranks in the second spot for the most-watched YouTube Gaming creator from the USA for Q3.

Looking at the established fanbase of IShowSpeed, it would be highly unlikely he would move to Twitch. However, the removal of the ban will help him co-stream alongside many of his Twitch streamer friends. A member of Speed’s team also confirmed the unban does not mean Speed will stream on Twitch. However, Twitch wholeheartedly wishes the 18-year-old to return to their platform.

What does Speed’s unban mean for Twitch vs. Kick?

The removal of the ban after two whole years also raised some eyebrows on the internet. Netizens were wondering why Twitch took two years to look into the matter and unban him. A possible explanation for it is the ongoing Twitch vs. Kick live-streaming war. Since the arrival of Kick, they have wooed content creators with lucrative payment splits and freedom. This has led to many streamers switching over to Kick, like Adin Ross and Trainwreckstv.

Furthermore, Twitch now also has to share some prominent content creators like xQc, GMHikaru, and Amouranth. And the recent policy changes made by Twitch worked in their favor. With them losing creators left and right, Twitch has probably decided to look into the stash of banned creators as a saving grace. And one of the members they have brought back is IShowSpeed. It also looks like they will be bringing back more banned creators to rejoin their platform.

But the 18-year-old streamer has not decided to leave YouTube and start streaming on Twitch just yet. However, it is a possibility that from now on fans will get to see Speed collaborate with Twitch streamers and appear on their streams. And if it happens, it will be a blessing for Twitch.

But the delay in making a decision for the unban and taking two years for it has left netizens with a sour taste towards Twitch. They are unanimously claiming the platform is too late to bring back Speed, as the 18-year-old has reached new heights in his career.

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