Shroud is returning to Twitch

Shroud is making his way back to Twitch after his exclusive contract with Mixer prematurely ended last month due to the platform’s closure.

Posting a minute-long video on Twitter today, Shroud simply said, “I’m coming home.”

Since Mixer announced that it was closing its operations in July, Shroud has avoided streaming but was reportedly in negotiations to find a new place to stream exclusively. 

Over the past few weeks, his account has posted numerous GIFs with a graphic of a gun being put together, seemingly as a teaser for his decision. But he never explicitly said anything publicly.

While Shroud didn’t initially announce when his first stream back would be, he later posted to Twitter saying it’ll come at 1pm CT tomorrow, Aug. 12.

Shroud’s approach to his post-Mixer career juxtaposes that of fellow Mixer streamer Ninja, who’s streamed once on YouTube and once on Twitch since his exclusive contract ended.

Esports talent agency Loaded negotiated both deals, and according to its co-founder and senior vice president Brandon Freytag, Twitch was the best possible match for Shroud because of the business potential it provides.

“As Shroud continues to elevate his personal brand, Twitch allows him an opportunity to continue dominating the world’s most popular brands, while engaging with his loyal community eager to see him back on stream,” he said.

Prior to signing an exclusive contract with Mixer in the fall of 2019, Shroud was one of the most-watched streamers on Twitch. In 2018, he averaged 33,473 viewers, reaching 102 million hours watched. 

That figure was enough to make him the second most-watched content creator on Twitch behind only Ninja, who broke a record for the most hours watched on the platform in a calendar year.

In 2019, Shroud was the third most-watched streamer on Twitch with 62 million hours, despite moving to Mixer at the end of October.

So far, the return to streaming of other popular content creators like Ninja and Dr Disrespect, who’s moved to YouTube following a Twitch ban, has generated varying amounts of reach ranging from 100,000 to more than 500,000 viewer peaks.

“I am so excited to be able to announce my return to Twitch and more importantly get back to streaming,” Shroud said. “Twitch is where I was able to first turn my passion for streaming into a successful career – and it is all due to my incredible and loyal fanbase. As I was exploring options, I realized that there was no better place than Twitch to engage with the best and most loyal gaming community worldwide. I am also excited to relaunch my channel with a new look and logo that I know my fans will love.”