It’s been over a month since Microsoft announced its streaming platform, Mixer, would be shutting down and partnering with Facebook Gaming. This sudden move led many wondering where Ninja and Shroud, the site’s top two streamers, would end up.
While Ninja actually streamed once on YouTube and has been active on social media, Shroud has remained almost completely silent. The talented FPS player’s silence ended today, however, as he posted a cryptic GIF of an animate gun on Twitter.
With no message to go along with the GIF, fans and fellow streamers are confused about what this means for Shroud’s future. CouRageJD, who signed an exclusive deal with YouTube just weeks after Shroud signed with Mixer, responded by saying, “What.”
TimTheTatman sarcastically tweeted, “Ah yes I know what this means!” Cloakzy also tweeted, “Congrats on Mixer!”
When Microsoft decided to shut down Mixer, Shroud and Ninja reportedly “opted out” of negotiations with Facebook and instead forced Microsoft to buy each of them out of their contracts. By doing this, Ninja and Shroud reportedly made about $30 million and $10 million, respectively, and allowed them to negotiate with other platforms, such as Twitch and YouTube.
Ninja streamed on YouTube on July 8, and while more than 160,000 concurrent viewers tuned in, the streamer reportedly did not sign a deal with the platform and has not streamed on YouTube or any other site since. Before today, Shroud had not tweeted since June 22.