Twitch is an interesting corporation to look at through the lens of recent events.
They are the uncontested leader in streaming, with both streamers and viewer counts far surpassing anything that other sites can currently offer. They are largely responsible for esports taking off and becoming easily viewed for a global audience, they are well-loved, and an easy first choice for many.
In spite of this, they are setting a bizarre new paradigm of banning massive streamers without stating why or what happened, they are tight-lipped about accusations of sexual assault from their own staff that allegedly offered users partnership status for offering nude pictures, and all the while they are hosting pro-BLM content on social media that is seemingly incompatible with their recent actions.
Either they’ve simply become complacent as their brand is dashed into the rocks repeatedly, or they’re content with their current holdings and don’t see anything else as a threat.
Regardless of why Twitch is acting the way it is, the fallout is continuing as yet another high-profile streamer, Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev has been banned today by the service, again. No one is entirely sure why s1mple was banned; even s1mple himself admitted he was a bit miffed as he mocked Twitch’s inability to control their own platform while mentioning Dr. Disrespect’s famous tweet.
Champions Club,
Twitch has not notified me on the specific reason behind their decision… Firm handshakes to all for the support during this difficult time.
While I’m enjoying my ban we can all enjoy my other streams with "great" giveaways that everyone can "easily" win
-s1mple— Sasha (@s1mpleO) July 29, 2020
The second part of s1mple’s tweet may have some miffed; Twitch has a massive problem with various individuals pretending to be massive names and hosting ‘giveaways’ that are scams designed to steal your Steam information; the number of impersonators that still operate with impunity on Twitch (while scamming Twitch viewers and viewbotting) is astounding.
Twitch has been either unwilling, or unable, to stop the scams. Some have noted that perhaps Twitch admins themselves are too busy browsing the ‘Just Chatting’ section of Twitch to control their platform; a snarky mention at the aforementioned quid pro quo.
Twitch staff is too busy looking at the Just Chatting section
— nkyu (@neokyuz) July 29, 2020
Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev has made a massive name for himself in professional Counter-Strike as a rifler that now plays on Natus-Vincere, better known as NaVi, as among the best Counter-Strike players in the world from a humble beginning in Ukraine.
It does not appear that S1mple’s ban is permanent; he is still listed within the framework of Twitch as a partnered streamer, and Twitch hasn’t been offering refunds for subscribers; the closest that fans can get to transparency right now with Twitch.
This is S1mple’s third ban, with the longest ban taking one week; he’ll likely be back on Twitch within that time frame, but it’s admittedly little more than an educated guess.