Asmongold's Call for Twitch Boycott Sparks Controversy Among Streamers

Asmongold, a well-known Twitch streamer, has expressed concern over the latest announcement by the platform regarding restrictions on certain forms of advertising. Twitch's announcement has limited the ways streamers can deliver advertisements to their audience, which has caused Asmongold, along with others, to view this as an attempt by Twitch to "monopolize more of streamers' income." As a result, he has suggested the possibility of a boycott or leaving the platform altogether. The updated Branded Content Guidelines reveal that "burned in" video ads, fullscreen ads, banner ads, audio ads, and any overlays taking up more than 3% of the screen are no longer allowed. However, other forms of Twitch advertising, including product placement, links in chat, sponsored games, and product endorsement, remain permissible.

Asmongold has taken a firm stance against Twitch's new guidelines, stating on Twitter that streamers should consider boycotting the platform or moving to other platforms. Although he doesn't outright call for a boycott and hasn't confirmed whether he'll participate himself, it's a powerful statement from one of Twitch's most successful partners. Asmongold has a history of criticizing Twitch's policies, such as their ban policies and VOD quality, but this hasn't affected his success on the platform. There is still time for Twitch to make changes before the guidelines go into effect.

Asmongold is not only concerned about the restrictions placed on how streamers can share ads on Twitch, but also the types of content that are prohibited from being advertised. The updated list includes bans on ads for weapons, tobacco and cannabis-related products, medical products, and political content. However, alcohol ads are allowed as long as they are marked as mature content. Asmongold expressed his frustration with the inconsistency by stating, "You can advertise alcohol but not politics? Get the **** out of here."

The planned changes to Twitch's Branded Content Guidelines have raised many serious concerns. While streamers like Asmongold will be affected, it is unclear whether event-based streams with sponsors will still be allowed on Twitch. This includes charity streams, esports tournaments, and presentations such as The Game Awards, which feature burned-in logo and video advertisements for sponsors. It remains to be seen whether there is more to the changes or if Twitch will face significant backlash when the new guidelines take effect on July 1.