Tyler ‘Trainwreck’ Niknam shut down claims he stole work from an artist without paying him after the accusations blew up on social media, claiming he only agreed to pay for designs he used.
Trainwreck has been in the spotlight recently for several reasons. He slammed EA after they banned him from NICKMERCS’ Apex Legends tournament, and more recently, called out Minecraft fans who obsess over Dream and Karl Jacobs.
During that battle, he roasted people claiming he didn’t pay artists for their work. “Don’t come at me about stealing from artists. I pay the artists I work with double what you and your parents make in a year,” he said.
This prompted an artist to respond. He claimed Train commissioned him to design some artwork to use on his merch but then ghosted him once he received it. He also included screenshots in his post to support his claims.
Train denied the claims shortly after.
“First of all, I made a tweet saying I need new designs by Monday, and if I USE it I will pay you,” he said. “Second, my name is Trainwreck, not Trainwrecks. Third, I didn’t use your PG-inspired art.
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That was only the beginning, though. He followed it up with another tweet showing the specific words he used at the time. It clearly says: “the best one will be voted on and paid well” – implying it was part of a competition.
“Thanks for dragging my name through the dirt over lies,” he said before following it up with another post revealing the winner. “For people still not convinced, here is the winner. F**k cancel culture. They get it wrong and don’t care.”
dick head, first of all, I made a tweet saying I need new designs by Monday and if I USE it I will pay you, second my name is Trainwreck not Trainwrecks, third I didn’t use your PG inspired art, you’re all bat shit pic.twitter.com/ENTMkFxbaJ
— Trainwreck (@Trainwreckstv) November 8, 2021
Train’s fans and friends rushed to his defense. Twitch streamer Brett ‘dakotaz’ Hoffman, who gained popularity during Fortnite’s peak, was one of the first to speak out. “Wolves don’t lose sleep over the opinion of sheep,” he said.
The incident is one of many controversies Train’s been caught in. He was also involved in the Twitch gambling debate that waged throughout 2021, though recently he’s considered ending them once and for all.