Tyler Blevins, better known as Ninja of Fortnite streaming fame, never streams with female gamers, and he finally explained why at the recently held Samsung Unpacked event.
Blevins was at Samsung Unpacked because Epic Games finally launched Fortnite Mobile for Android at the event. The mobile game was unveiled alongside the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, with an exclusive period for Samsung devices that lasted only for a few days.
Ninja Doesn't Stream With Female Gamers: Here's Why
"I don't play with female gamers," Blevins told Polygon at the Samsung Unpacked event. His statement may be surprising to some and may paint the streamer as a sexist if taken without context.
Blevins explained that his decision to not stream with female gamers is because of the internet's love for gossip. Blevins is avoiding any rumors of being linked to anybody romantically, as he is happily married.
"If I have one conversation with one female streamer where we're playing with one another, and even if there's a hint of flirting, that is going to be taken and going to be put on every single video and be clickbait forever," Blevins said.
Blevins said that he made this decision independently from his wife, Jessica "JGhosty" Blevins, who is also his manager and a streamer, sometimes appearing in her husband's videos.
"That was not even her. She had nothing to do with it. That was me being, 'I love our relationship,' and, 'No - I'm not even gonna put you through that.'"
Blevins' concern is not unfounded. Polygon cited what happened with Imane "Pokimane" Anys and Ali "Myth" Kabbani when they started joint Fortnite streams. The two streamers were subjected to numerous rumors, linking them just because they were playing together.
Is Ninja Making The Right Decision?
In March, Blevins made the headlines when it was reported that he was earning $500,000 per month. Blevins earns the bulk of that amount from video game streaming service Twitch, where gamers pay $4.99 per month to subscribe to streamers' channels.
Blevins continued to break popularity records, with events such as one in April in Las Vegas that drew an audience of nearly 700,000 viewers. The highly anticipated match-up with Myth, the second most popular Fortnite streamer on Twitch after Ninja, did not pan out, but the event was an explosive success.
It is unfortunate that even somebody with Blevins' stature is subject to the whims of online rumor mills, but that is the reality of being a celebrity. His decision to not stream with female gamers may be viewed as extreme by some, but when the masses are ready to jump on any juicy rumors, can anybody really blame him?
