PewDiePie Quits Twitter

It would appear that Felix “PewDiePie” Kjellberg has scrubbed his Twitter account and all but deleted its presence. The controversial streamer released a video today, blasting the social media outlet, claiming that it actually makes people “less virtuous,” while holding celebrities or those with high numbers of followers to unfair standards. PewDiePie has often taken umbrage with “virtue signaling” on Twitter, particularly when others have noted their offense at some of PewDiePie’s more controversial statements. The video lasts just over seven minutes, and can be found at the streamer’s YouTube page.

The news follows PewDiePie’s announcement yesterday that he is taking a break from YouTube, starting next year. It’s unknown exactly what the straw is that broke the proverbial camel’s back. With YouTube, the streamer claims that he’s simply “tired,” but his rationale for Twitter seems to go a bit deeper. PewDiePie has received a heavy amount of criticism over the last several years, after the streamer paid two people on Fiverr to unroll an anti-Semitic message and uploaded it as a video on his platform. PewDiePie also has used racist words in frustration during streams. In both instances, PewDiePie apologized, though it would seem the backlash to those events, as well as some of the other comments he’s made in the past, has had some influence on his decision to scrub his Twitter account.

Earlier this year, PewDiePie hit 100 million subscribers on YouTube, making his channel the second-most-subscribed on the platform and the most-viewed channel run by a single individual. As far as streamers go, few have been able to find the same reach. Despite his controversial statements, PewDiePie’s streams have proven to be a blessing for some developers, as many have seen boosts in purchases after appearing in his videos. Developers have even included references to PewDiePie in their games as thanks, while others have made a concerted effort to prevent PewDiePie from streaming their releases. In 2017, Firewatch developer Campo Santo filed a DMCA against the streamer after his use of racist slurs in a stream.

Are you sad to see PewDiePie leave the platform? Do you think the game deserved a place on our list? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!