A massive data breach at Twitch has exposed the earnings of some of the platform’s most popular streamers. The leak, which was posted on 4chan on October 6, 2021, allegedly contains source code, user payout reports, and other confidential information from Twitch.
According to a spreadsheet that shows the gross payouts of the top 100 highest-paid Twitch streamers, CriticalRole, a channel dedicated to Dungeons & Dragons gameplay and voice acting, earned nearly $10 million in two years from Amazon alone. The second-highest earner was xQcOW, a former Overwatch pro and variety streamer, who made over $8.4 million in the same period.
Other notable names on the list include summit1g ($5.8 million), Tfue ($5.2 million), NICKMERCS ($5 million), ludwig ($3.2 million), TimTheTatman ($3.2 million), LIRIK ($2.9 million), and Gaules ($2.8 million). The list only reflects the payouts from Twitch’s subscription and ad revenue system, and does not include donations, sponsorships, or other sources of income that streamers may have.
The leak has sparked a lot of discussion among Twitch users and streamers about the transparency and fairness of the platform’s monetization model. Some have expressed support and admiration for their favorite creators, while others have criticized them for being overpaid or greedy.
Full list with the 100 highest paid Twitch streamers
- CriticalRole – $9,626,712
- xQcOW – $8,454,427
- summit1g – $5,847,541
- Tfue – $5,295,582
- NICKMERCS – $5,096,642
- ludwig – $3,290,777
- TimTheTatman – $3,290,133
- Altoar – $3,053,839
- auronplay – $3,053,341
- LIRIK – $2,984,653
- DrDisrespect – $2,863,780
- Gaules – $2,844,985
- HasanAbi – $2,810,480
- Asmongold – $2,551,618
- loltyler1 – $2,490,584
- RanbooLive – $2,401,021
- MontanaBlack88 – $2,391,369
- ibai – $2,314,485
- Castro_1021 – $2,311,021
- MOONMOON – $2,236,043
- TheRealKnossi – $2,157,258
- moistcr1tikal – $2,098,742
- Mizkif – $2,086,548
- CohhCarnage – $2,061,059
- shroud – $2,040,503
- AdmiralBahroo – $1,985,892
- Pestily – $1,961,086
- Sykkuno – $1,916,327
- ESL_CSGO – $1,903,580
- LVNDMARK – $1,902,807
- DrLupo – $1,894,615
- AdinRoss – $1,854,656
- Clix – $1,843,917
- TeePee – $1,786,534
- Rubius – $1,764,965
- PaymoneyWubby – $1,756,486
- alanzoka – $1,731,716
- Trainwreckstv – $1,572,912
- pokimane – $1,528,303
- tommyinnit – $1,513,217
- Maximilian_DOOD – $1,499,562
- GRONKH – $1,481,291
- sodapoppin – $1,461,302
- ZeratoR – $1,440,221
- BobbyPoffGaming – $1,415,247
- Ninja – $1,378,791
- Philza – $1,364,215
- Amouranth – $1,363,346
- BruceGreene – $1,360,850
- 50.Odablock – $1,354,805
- RayNarvaezJr – $1,335,520
- Symfuhny – $1,334,485
- dakotaz – $1,324,198
- ZanoXVII – $1,310,925
- SypherPK – $1,295,112
- Trymacs – $1,288,207
- TheGrefg – $1,286,765
- Papaplatte – $1,286,004
- JohnPitterTV – $1,215,717
- RATIRL – $1,214,440
- RocketLeague – $1,204,908
- NoWay4u_Sir – $1,188,728
- GamesDoneQuick – $1,185,456
- GernaderJake – $1,176,353
- fps_shaka – $1,173,280
- EsfandTV – $1,170,700
- buddha – $1,158,170
- Locklear – $1,155,665
- stylishnoob4 – $1,147,599
- ANGRYPUG – $1,146,888
- Sintica – $1,075,977
- Fresh – $1,073,254
- Quackity – $1,065,157
- RonnieRadke – $1,063,989
- Riot Games – $1,052,571
- KYR_SP33DY – $1,052,545
- Gladd – $1,045,687
- juansguarnizo – $1,034,709
- Bugha – $1,034,227
- NickEh30 – $1,027,976
- Tubbo – $1,000,504
- Pikabooirl – $994,116
- RatedEpicz – $987,866
- Swagg – $984,854
- Shotz – $984,477
- CDNThe3rd – $976,750
- Tumblurr – $960,316
- Aydan – $953,042
- ops1x – $947,355
- scump – $946,332
- BarbarousKing – $933,633
- julien – $918,684
- mang0 – $916,857
- Kitboga – $915,795
- chocoTaco – $913,022
- alexelcapo – $911,427
- Anomaly – $908,794
- Jerma985 – $906,602
- The8BitDrummer – $895,020
- TSM_ImperialHal – $886,999
Twitch has confirmed that it was “the target of a data breach” and that it is “working with urgency to understand the extent” of it. The company has also advised users to change their passwords and enable two-factor authentication as a precaution.
The leak came at a time when Twitch is already facing backlash from its community over its handling of hate raids, harassment, and DMCA issues. It remains to be seen how this incident will affect Twitch’s reputation and relationship with its users and partners.
