Tyler “Ninja” Blevins appeared to come out of nowhere. Although he was already popular in his bubble as a “Halo 3” and “Fortnite” streamer, it wasn’t until he streamed with rappers Drake and Travis Scott in 2018, breaking the record for the number of simultaneous viewers on Twitch he’s mainstream notoriety. Since then, the formerly blue-haired star has been going through a phase that one could benevolently dub with the word “adaptation”.
In June 2021, Ninja rattled Twitter over a now-deleted tweet that said, “I’m in the middle of a League of Legends game and about to end it, and my bra-less wife brings me an unsolicited sandwich with french fries while I do a double kill in bot lane. So how’s your day going? “
Epic Games has immortalized Ninja as a skin in “Fortnite”.
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“I no longer go to the supermarket,” he told COMPUTER BILD. “I literally can’t. There are some things that you just can’t do. There are also things that you don’t even think about if you are not constantly being observed, judged and observed by people. I have to be careful what I do on social media saying, I can’t gossip about my teams if they play badly – my Lions, man – because I know the players and I know it would hurt their feelings, so I can’t be a normal fan on Twitter or anything It’s just not an option. “
“I know how lucky I am. I can do so many things because I have this life. I have met so many people and influenced so many people. A streamer recently told me that when he explains what with he’s making a living, just telling people he ‘does what ninja does.’ That’s crazy. I’ve also been able to raise awareness and raise money for some incredible causes. I just got a huge commitment to the boys and girls Girls Club of Southern Michigan Taken Over for All-New Gaming Lounge, [und] with other partners like the Pistons, Big Sean and my team, the Lions. That’s incredible. Most importantly, I still have so many people watching and enjoying my streams. The fans will always be the best part of it. “
“I love the UN. I’ve always been a fan,” he continues. “The original game. The new digital app. As a gamer, I know how exciting tournaments can be, and I’m happy to be able to sit in the front row at these tournaments. I love how games and competitions bring people together, though.” I know UN can get pretty serious. One of the things about the Ninja brand is that we always want to be first, so when I was asked if I want to co-host the first tournament in the UN championship series, I knew that I want to do it. And I’ll crown the very first UN world champion. It’s the superbowl and wrestlemania for UN. Hopefully with fewer tackles and body slams. “
The tournament ran in early November 2021 – in fact, despite the exciting UN moments, there were no physical showdowns between the opponents.
The interview was conducted by Kirk McKeand (GLHF) for COMPUTER BILD.
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