Shroud’s Sentinels bombshell leads to huge increase in Twitch viewership

Stepping back into the professional spotlight after years as a full-time streamer, Michael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek’s shock Sentinels announcement has led to a major viewership spike on Twitch as thousands tune in ahead of his Valorant debut.

In a move that no one saw coming, former CS:GO legend turned Twitch superstar shroud announced his return to competitive play on July 8. Rather than joining a roster and playing in the familiar CS scene, however, shroud is now the newest Valorant pro for Sentinels. 

While plenty of questions soon followed, shroud assured he’s ready to give it his all. That means scrimming daily, putting in the hours with VOD review, and even flying out to a bootcamp in preparation for the VCT NA Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) in August ahead of Valorant Champions.

Stemming from one of the most viral esports announcements in recent years, the return of the CS legend has also had a major impact on viewership for his own channel.

Over the past few months, shroud has been splitting his time on Twitch between a variety of MMOs, Battle Royales, and FPS titles. From Lost Ark to World of Warcraft, an admitted Diablo Immortal ‘addiction’, and a healthy dose of The Cycle: Frontier, he’s played quite a bit. 

All the while as new releases come and go, Valorant always remained a constant among his most played.

Now honing in exclusively on Riot’s Tactical FPS following the announcement, shroud’s Twitch viewership has skyrocketed. 

In the three days leading up to his pro return, he streamed to an average of 18,000 viewers. In the three days following his Sentinels reveal, he streamed to an average of 45,000 viewers, a whopping 150% increase, according to stats on SullyGnome.

Shroud’s peak viewership topped at just shy of 73,000 viewers on the day news broke, a 59% increase over his second-best stream in the past month. Moreover, he even gained almost 50,000 followers in just a matter of days as well.

SullyGnome

Shroud’s viewership has effectively doubled since his pro Valorant announcement.

Evidently, plenty are eager to see shroud’s return to professional competition, and all the more curious to see how the CS veteran fares in an all-new title.

If his personal streams are any indication, there’s no doubt shroud’s debut will be one of the most-watched Valorant games of the year when Sentinels face the NA LCQ in August.