Michael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek told fans that he no longer tries to keep on top of the latest Twitch trends, and he explained why, claiming that people tune in to watch him rather than the games he plays.
A lot has changed since shroud first started streaming after retiring as a professional CSGO player in 2018.
He reportedly made $10 million from his contract with Mixer when the platform shut down.
Then, he made an emphatic return to Twitch and has continued to be a top performer ever since, averaging 18,000 viewers per stream.
He is still committed as ever. However, he admitted that he no longer tries to keep on top of the latest Twitch trends.
Instead, he explained that he’d rather play the games he wants to play instead of the ones that viewers want to see.
“Do I care about what my viewers want me to play, or do I just play whatever I want? Oh no, I don’t give a f**k what they want me to play,” he said.
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“I’m not here for you guys. I’m here for me, and you guys are here for me.”
Although, he admitted that it wasn’t always that way. “I did [care] once upon a time when I was on the grind streaming so long and really giving a f**k. I played the games that my chat wanted me to play—one hundred percent.
He said it was because, at the time, he wanted to increase his viewership and entice people to donate and subscribe. But that’s really not an issue for him anymore. “I do whatever the hell I want now. I don’t care.”
It’s the reason why he still streams New World despite some fans complaining about it. It’s also the reason why he didn’t cash in on the FFXIV Online hype like everyone else. The man plays what he wants when he wants.
Shroud also admitted that he doesn’t even pay attention to his subscription count anymore. It’s a stark contrast to how things were when he first started streaming – a time when every donation and subscription mattered.