Rachell ‘Valkyrae’ Hofstetter has stepped up to bat for YouTube, claiming the Google-owned platform is the only real option for all the biggest names in streaming as the exclusivity wars heat up again, for one big reason.
Ludwig’s shock defection from Twitch to YouTube this week has set the ball rolling on the streaming exclusivity wars again, with many chiming in on options.
One of YouTube’s biggest advocates, Valkyrae, has stepped up to bat for the famous video website again, claiming that in the looming choice between Red and Purple that many top streamers will soon face, there’s only one real pick — the platform she inked a major contract with all the way back in early 2020.
According to the 100 Thieves owner, YouTube has one big advantage; they support top talent and “work with them” to improve the site. That sense of importance is something Twitch has never leaned into.
YouTube is the only pick, she continued, because “they care.”
“There’s a sense of representation [on YouTube],” Hofstetter explained, “that I never felt like was there for Twitch. YouTube wants to treat me well and work with me.”
Valkyrae said: “That was one of the biggest reasons why I was very happy to move from Twitch to YouTube [in January last year], because the people behind the scenes made it very clear that they value my opinions.
“It’s that kind of thing that makes them the only real option I think.
“They pulled me from this whole other company. They always want to treat me well, and they’re always checking in to see if I’m doing okay, seeing what else I need. We work closely together and if I have something that I want them to do for the channel or website they’re always like, ‘done!’”
“I feel valued on YouTube. They make me feel important. On Twitch, that’s not really there. They have so many people on deals that you don’t get that feeling.”
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This isn’t the first time Valkyrae has urged her former Twitch co-stars to make the leap across either; days after the monster Amazon leaked revealed earnings for dozens of the platform’s top streamers, she sounded the horn too.
“You know, YouTube is looking to sign more streamers,” she said at the time. “Yeah, they are. The streaming side of the platform has a lot of room to grow. They’re working on and focusing on it.
“I’m happy here. Seeing how hungry they are is exciting. I’m not biased, but YouTube doesn’t have ads, and we’re working on a lot of other things.”
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Hofstetter also conceded the switch isn’t simple either. The 100 Thieves co-owner has opened up in the past about how difficult it was for her to leave her Twitch fanbase behind, and she worried she’d “abandoned them.”
“I was pretty stressed about it,” she said. “I really, really struggled with the move. It felt like I was letting a lot of people down, like my core community on Twitch. I felt like they just didn’t wanna watch me anymore because I left them. It was sacrificing everything I had worked for, for stability.”
In the end, however, the move worked out perfectly for Valkyrae: she’s now reigning as the “Queen of YouTube,” and can’t speak highly enough of the bold move.
