Tyler Blevins, the Fortnite gamer who’s amassed millions of followers on Twitch, confirmed that he’d been diagnosed with melanoma.
Twitch is a live streaming platform primarily focused on video games, but it also features streams covering various topics such as music, creative arts, cooking, and more. It allows users to broadcast their gameplay or other content live to viewers worldwide.
Blevins, 32, said he was “in shock” about was “optimistic” following his diagnosis. He added that he’d had a mole removed from the bottom of his foot, which doctors later discovered was cancerous.
Ninja also urged others to be careful with their skin, urging his massive fanbase to get check-ups if they can.
He has been inundated with supportive messages after followers praised him for being open about his diagnosis and spreading awareness.
Here’s what you need to know about Ninja.
Who is Ninja?
Ninja is an American gamer who rose to fame for playing Fortnite.
He first became a streamer in 2011 and played video games professionally. He shot to fame in 2018 when his profile started to gain traction.
He was the first streamer to gain three million followers on Twitch in 2018 — even playing Fortnite with celebrities such as Drake.
His fame has spilled over to other social media sites, such as YouTube, Instagram, and X, formerly Twitter.
He’s earned millions of dollars through these platforms alongside international acclaim in streaming circles. Blevins has also teamed up with Red Bull eSports and even been on The Masked Singer.
What has he said about his cancer diagnosis?
On March 26, Ninja shared a lengthy post on his X account about his cancer ordeal.
“Alright I’m still in a bit of shock but want to keep you all updated,” he said.
“A few weeks ago I went in to a dermatologist for an annual skin/mole check that Jess proactively scheduled for me. There was a mole on the bottom of my foot that they wanted to remove just to be careful. It came back as melanoma, but they are optimistic that we caught it in the early stages.
He added: “I had another dark spot appear near it, so today they biopsied that and removed a larger area around the melanoma with the hopes that under the microscope they will see clear non-melanoma edges and we will know we got it.
“I’m grateful to have hope in finding this early, but please take this as a PSA [public service announcement] to get skin checkups.”
How many followers does Ninja have?
Ninja has millions of followers on all social media platforms. His biggest audience is on YouTube, where he has 23 million subscribers.
He also has 19 million followers on Twitch and fans have previously tuned in to watch him play Fortnite.
Ninja has frequently left the platform to play on other streaming sites but often returns to Twitch.
Who are the biggest Twitch streamers?
Ninja is the number one streamer on Twitch according to rankings on the TwitchTracker website. He’s followed by:
Auronplay — 16.2 million followers
ibai — 15.5 million followers
Rubius — 14.9 million followers
xQc — 12 million
TheGrefg — 11.9 million
