The Twitch Rivals events have been the best way to see the platform’s biggest stars compete head to head for the past few years. Every event, however, appears to be surrounded by some sort of controversy. Stream sniping, cheating, and unsportsmanlike behavior, for example, have all contributed to Twitch Rivals’ shady side. The trend has continued with the recent “Rust” Twitch Rivals event.
The format for the first-ever Twitch Rivals “Rust” tournament was a 48-hour 40v40 PvP battle on a custom server with a prize pool of $100,000. The event featured only two teams: the North American-based DisguisedToast team, which included many well-known North American streamers such as xQc and Shroud, and the Spanish and Latin American streamers led by Alexby11.
Unfortunately, many fans were disappointed by the event, which was cut short on the third day when Alexby11’s team withdrew. This compelled Twitch staff to declare Team DisguisedToast the winners via Twitter, awarding the $100k prize to the NA streamers.
Viewers were divided on this decision, with some defending Alexby11’s team’s decision to withdraw from the tournament. Streamers like Shroud have stated on-stream that leaving early demonstrates “poor sportsmanship,” after explaining that he believes the players who left early should not be invited to future Twitch events.
Alexby11’s team did not return for the third day for a variety of reasons and theories. For example, shortly after the event began, Alexby11 took to Twitter to express his dissatisfaction with what he perceived to be unfair treatment. He noted that the NA team was shooting revolvers during the “primitive age,” which appeared to violate Twitch’s rules.
Several other streamers vented their frustrations on Twitter, with Riceroy explaining why he wouldn’t return for the third day of the event. It’s safe to say that Alexby11’s team was treated unfairly during the event, and that their decision to skip the final day was justified.
However, some NA participants have continued to express their dissatisfaction with the event’s behavior. Mendo of Team Liquid was particularly enraged at the opposition, shouting on stream in response to the cancellation news.
He claimed to have overheard Team Aleby11 making racist and sexist comments, which is a clear violation of Twitch’s Terms of Service. It’s unclear whether or how Twitch will handle the situation. However, Twitch has stated that this event has prompted the platform to reconsider future events.