The controversial practices of Twitch streamers have led to the introduction of new rules on so-called „drops” on the platform. From now on, adding the possibility of e.g. access to Valorant's tests while transmitting replays will have considerable consequences.

Less than a month ago, we wrote about the controversy that has emerged around Valoranta streams on Twitch. It turned out that some streamers decided to broadcast "live" 24/7. This was mainly due to the fact that for a long time they streamed simply replays of previous gamess, but nevertheless, the viewers were had a chance to gain access to the closed beta of Valorant on a given channel. However, such practices are no longer allowed from now on. Yesterday Twitch changed the rules to effectively prevent such practices.
The streamers will still be able to stream replays of their previous games on the platform, but from now on, adding the possibility of dropping access to Valorant in such streams will be considered a violation of the rules and will have its consequences. A large part of the community believes that this is a positive development, although it will certainly affect the overall viewing numbers of the game on Twitch. Interestingly, they have already dropped significantly. Last week Valorant was watched during "just" for a little over 65 million hours (in both previous weeks the result was over 100 million).
Valorant has been in a closed beta since April 7. At the beginning, the controversial way of granting access to the tests attracted a huge number of viewers to Twitch. A lot of controversy on the web was caused by the proprietary anti-cheater software implemented in the game.
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Author: Paul Wozniak
Part of the editorial team since 2019, he started as a news writer and now works mostly on video content. Currently, he is mainly interested in RPG, soulslike and metroidvania games, but he has also devoted a large part of his gaming life to multiplayer. In games, he mainly values complex character development mechanics and freedom of action, and tries to look at the covered titles from different perspectives. He has also been running his YouTube channel since 2023.