Ninja Threatens To Quit Fortnite Over Stream Sniping Scandal
As the competitive Fortnite scene gets back on its feet following the mass exodus of big names that came with Chapter 2 Season 1, one of its superstars has threatened to leave the game. Tyler "Ninja" Blevins may have strayed from Epic Games' battle royale bloodbath amidst the controversial overhaul of the map and complaints about skill-based matchmaking, but these days, he's back to being a regular fixture of the game, and even has his own skin.
Even though all seems well with Ninja finding a new love of Fortnite, he's spectacularly claimed he'll quit for good, thanks to the sometimes toxic play community. Although Fortnite fares better than most in terms of allegations of toxicity, Ninja has noticed a growing wave of stream sniping - which has led to his latest outburst. Rest assured, Ninja isn't joking about this one, so those he's aiming his latest comments at had better watch their back.
Why does Ninja want to quit Fortnite?
For those who don't know, stream sniping is where rival players watch a big name's stream to see where they're landing, then jump off the Battle Bus after them to catch them unawares. The whole point of Fortnite is jumping to your favourite point on the map and praying you don't land next to an enemy. Still, there's something of a thrill as you make a mad dash for the nearest weapon or try and take them down with a pickaxe. With Ninja being such a big name in Fortnite, there are plenty of players who're angling for the clout of saying, "I beat Ninja". Come on, he's pretty recognisable.
Discussing an uptick in stream sniping against him, Ninja told fans during a stream, "It’s the same kids, bro. Get out of my game. Get away from me. You’re not proving anything by going into a f*****g game and running to someone, and when you know, they’re in a fight with somebody and f*****g killing them". Continuing his unusually foul-mouthed rant, Blevins continued, "But good for you, man. Get your f*****g clip [and] send it to your buddies. You killed Ninja. I haven’t played the game in forever. I don’t play it anymore. I come back, and I still almost kill all of you idiots".
A clearly vexed Ninja didn't hold back, and warned, "All they’re doing is just harming the game because I’m gonna f*****g play it. I’m not gonna stream it". It's frustrating enough when you land next to someone, let alone when you're a pro player and think they've just followed your stream to find your perfectly placed landing spot. Last year, Nicholas “Nick Eh 30” Amyoony had a fellow player banned after he accused them of stream sniping during his very own Nick Eh 30 Cup.
Will Ninja quit Fortnite?
Even though we should definitely take Ninja's warning seriously, it's unlikely he'd turn his back on Fortnite (again) over stream sniping. With Ninja back on Twitch and Fortnite still being one of his go-to games, it's a lucrative deal for both sides. Away from this, Ninja has become something of a professional Fortnite commentator. Only recently, Blevins and Ali “SypherPK” Hassan discussed all things Fortnite and whether the OG map could return. Yes, we've seen Ninja quit Fortnite before, but to throw in the towel over stream sniping seems unlikely.
There's also a sense of overconfidence that Ninja thinks pulling out of Fortnite streams would negatively impact the game. Epic has survived without Blevins before, and we're sure it would again. Ultimately, Ninja is likely drawing Epic's attention to the problem. Although stream sniping can't be picked up by anti-cheat, it is something that can get you banned if there's proof. Ultimately, everyone should heed Ninja's warning. If you see that blue-haired bae in a match, it's probably best to avoid landing where he does. For one, you need to be a pretty good shot to take out Ninja.
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Images via Epic Games | Ninja Twitch