Imane “Pokimane” Anys, a popular Twitch streamer, was among at least a hundred notable streamers, including xQc and Asmongold, whose gross and monthly earnings were leaked during a large cyber-attack at Twitch on October 6th.
User passwords, stream keys, source code, and other Twitch intellectual property, including an unpublished Steam competitor dubbed “Vapor,” were also leaked as a result of the incident.
Twitch streamer Pokimane responded to the Twitch hack in a Twitter post, in which she did not appear to be moved in the least as she wrote; “At least people can’t over-exaggerate me ‘making millions a month off my viewers’ anymore”.
Then in a followed up tweet, she explained that she had capped her donations since last year because she thought she had reached a stage where she could be financially supported by sponsors, investments, and exclusive contracts. She wrote; “Subs and stream ads are the lowest part of my income and I want you guys to continue keeping that money in your pocket. Treat yourselves”.
Pokimane earned $ 1.5 million in streaming revenue between August 2019 and October 2021, according to the leaked earnings reports, putting her 39th out of at least 100 other streamers.
One Twitter user criticized her for her remark, questioning if it would be “ethical for rich streamers to accept any monetary donations” from their viewers, who reportedly earn “like $30k a year.” Several other Twitter users defended her, claiming that she only started capping her donations in 2020 and that an updated leak would almost certainly put her in the worst 50 Twitch earners.
Furthermore, no one forced viewers to donate or subscribe to her in the first place. “None of it is the streamer’s fault,” one Twitter user stated, before noting that streaming is both a business and a form of entertainment.
