January 26, 2023
YouTube has carried the content creation industry solely on its shoulder for years, but gaming’s boom added Twitch to the picture. So which platform is the best for gaming live streaming in 2023?
Gaming’s boom didn’t happen overnight. Those who jumped to live content creation in gaming in 2011 are enjoying the fruits now. Top gaming streamers from Imane “Pokimane” Anys, Félix “xQc” Lengyel, and Richard “Ninja” Tyler Blevins started their content grind when streaming wasn’t considered a real job. But many streaming heavy-lifters have now moved to YouTube, raising the question of whether Twitch is still the best option for gaming content.
Twitch was the only prominent player in the gaming live-streaming ecosystem a few years ago. That was until YouTube shifted its focus toward live gaming content. Those dipping toes in content creation find themselves split between the two platforms. So which one is the best option?
Monetization and income
Passion is primarily the driving factor behind those pursuing a career in gaming. But it’s not the only one. Money always takes precedence when you have bills to pay. Fortunately, in 2023, it’s possible to follow your passion while making money. Twitch and YouTube allow creators to generate money through subscriptions, ads, donations, and more. But one of them is better than the other.
Live streamers on Twitch are making money in millions, and Twitch is well aware. For this reason, the platform recently pushed the revenue split to 50/50, meaning 50% of a streamer’s earnings will go to Twitch. Big streamers may not feel the impact of the change, but smaller creators will be letting go of a large chunk of their income in light of the new change.
Conversely, YouTube takes a 30% cut, and it’s likely to stay the same for a while. Not just that, but the platform also offers lucrative contracts to big names in gaming, which means you no longer have to worry about viewer count. It has its downsides, but YouTube is the way to go if your focus is money.
Growth potential
YouTube was originally a platform for posting pre-shot content. It’s now evolving, boosting the potential for live-streamers, short-creators, and more. But it still has a long way to go regarding pure gaming content. Conversely, Twitch boasted 1.865 billion hours watched, compared to 305 million on YouTube Gaming and 399 million on Facebook Gaming, according to StreamElements’ August 2022 State of the Stream report. This means, despite modern competitors, Twitch is still the go-to in gaming.
So, if you’re a gaming streamer, you’d find your target audience pretty quickly. Unlike YouTube, discoverability on Twitch works on viewer count and game basis. So, to get into the spotlight, you must find the most-watched play and create a niche audience. But, while Twitch has a larger gaming audience, it also has more gaming creators, which may put you ten steps behind.
On the other hand, numbers are secondary on YouTube. The small gaming community on YouTube will find you through shared interest when the platform puts you on their feed. Also, on YouTube, your content has to be good to appear on the recommendation page, making it pretty easy to get noticed.
Culture and support
As mentioned earlier, gaming isn’t a career you pursue purely for money. Passion is a significant driving factor, so those dipping their toes into gaming want a tight community of gamers. Finding that on YouTube takes time. Conversely, Twitch is all about gaming. So, you may feel at home right off the bat while streaming on Twitch.
“I don’t think I’ll be impressed until I see an ecosystem of live streaming on YouTube. Twitch has the ecosystem. Twitch has the culture. Twitch has the community.” Pokimane said.
However, platform support is crucial. Among many notable streamers, Ludwig has revealed that he felt undervalued at Twitch.
“Even though I’ve been with Twitch for three-plus years, even though people call me the golden boy of Twitch, I’ve never felt like the golden boy of Twitch. I’ve never felt particularly loved by Twitch,” Ludwig said.
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Once you gain a solid following, you’ll find that YouTube might be the better platform after all. As Pokimane highlighted that blowing up in numbers on YouTube isn’t easy unless you carry your Twitch audience to the new platform.
So, the verdict between Twitch and YouTube depends heavily on your commitment and goal. If you are a green streamer going all in gaming content creation, you may want to stream on Twitch and post long-form content/highlights on YouTube. If you’re doing it part-time, streaming on YouTube might get you a general audience quickly.