Twitch has come under criticism after announcing a new test that allows viewers to pay to ‘boost’ channels on the platform. One of Twitch’s greatest stars, Sodapoppin, has mocked the controversial endeavor, remarking that “no one cares about small streamers.”
The project is a unique twist on Twitch’s Boost feature, which allows viewers to pay to suggest a streamer to others. The more money you pay, the more recommendations you’ll get.
Streamers of all sizes criticized the idea, with some calling it “pay-to-win” and implying that Twitch was essentially “selling viewbots.” Others claimed it was exploitative, while xQc called it one of the worst ideas ever.
Chance ‘Sodapoppin’ Morris, a popular Twitch streamer with over 3 million followers who has been streaming for over a decade, made light of the issue by mocking Twitch’s plans to ‘boost’ lesser streamers. He jibed; “No one cares about the small streamers that’s why they get no views. I’m gonna be boosting my channel like crazy to stay ahead. Stay small and get f*kt nerds.”
Although obviously joking, Soda captures the Twitch community’s general displeasure with the new Boost options.
Twitch stated in their patch notes stream that the decision to integrate the feature was based on user feedback, and that it would begin as a “small experiment” with only a few creators. However, given the strong unfavorable response to the most recent round of input, it’s unclear whether Twitch will go ahead with this plan and expand the functionality.