2022 has been an eventful year for Twitch. The Amazon-owned platform made a number of policy changes, including one that comes close to completely banning gambling.
It also marked the return of TwitchCon in Europe and the United States for the first time since 2020—two years after the COVID-19 pandemic turned the industry (and the world) upside down.
And of course, it included some of the biggest moments and best events ever seen on the platform, including Ibai’s boxing event, which broke record the peak viewership by a massive margin.
So, kick back, relax, and let’s take a look at some of the most notable things that happened throughout the year.
Policy changes
The biggest policy change, without a doubt, was Twitch’s decision to ban gambling sites that involve “slots, roulette, or dice games that aren’t licensed either in the U.S. or other jurisdictions that provide sufficient consumer protection.”
Streamers banded together to make it happen, and it paid off—much to the dismay of streamers like Tyler “Trainwreck” Niknam, who felt it was more or less a targeted attack against him.
Other policy changes throughout the course of the year include updating the spam, scams, and malicious conduct policy to prohibit “harmful misinformation,” changing how content creators are paid, clarifying what constitutes sexually explicit content, banning NFTs from extensions, and removing controversial organizations from the list of charities viewers can donate to.
TwitchCon returned in a massive way
Many events and conventions around the world were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic when it broke out, including TwitchCon in 2022, which was canceled due to the outbreak.
It hadn’t been hosted since, but finally returned in both Europe and the United States in 2022. TwitchCon Amsterdam broke attendance records, while TwitchCon San Diego produced all kinds of thrills and spills—including Dream’s first appearance after revealing his face.
Biggest moments
5. xQc kissing Nyyxxii
The fifth biggest moment on Twitch this year was when xQc shocked fans by kissing Nyyxxii live on stream shortly after breaking up with Adept. It left more questions than answers, and even resulted in a hilarious reaction from Kai Cenat, who broke it down play-by-play.
4. xQc and Adept arguing live on stream
The fourth biggest moment was xQc’s messy breakup with Adept. As painful as it was to watch for fans, they couldn’t help but watch their relationship implode on stream after a series of heated arguments.
3. Hasan reacting to Trainwreck’s bombshell accusation
Next was when Hasan reacted to Trainwreck’s bombshell accusation that Mizkif played a role in covering AdrianahLee’s alleged sexual assault experience with CrazySlick. It was the first time a lot of people heard about it, too. His jaw dropped to the floor—almost literally.
2. Amouranth opening up about her abusive husband and celebrating her newfound freedom
Amouranth turned the world upside down when she revealed the shocking details about her abusive husband, who she claimed controlled and manipulated her and aspects of her career. It was, without a doubt, one of the biggest and most heartbreaking moments ever seen on Twitch.
Fortunately, things panned out well after. Amouranth realized she was no longer bound by her abusive husband’s shackles and could do what she wanted, which was an even bigger (and more positive) moment.
1. Kai Cenat becoming the most-subscribed streamer
It’s hard to imagine what could topple the other massive moments on this list, but there was one—the moment Kai Cenat became the most-subscribed streamer on the Amazon-platform.
It cemented his place as one of the biggest streamers on Twitch after a stellar breakout year.
Honorable mention: Ibai’s record-breaking boxing event
It was an entire stream rather than a specific moment, but Spanish streamer Ibai’s boxing event, La Velada Del Año II, at one point, hit 3.2 million concurrent viewers—the highest viewership record to date.
2022 was a colossal (and at times, hectic) year for Twitch streamers and viewers. A lot happened—and not all of it was good—but it was filled with all kinds of memories along the way.
From policy changes to massive events, confronting revelations and other shocking moments, it had it all.
Will 2023 be able to top it? We’ll have to wait and see.
