Ninja Celebrates 28th Birthday as His Successful Year Comes to a Close
Today marks the 28th birthday of star streamer and gaming personality Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, capping off a year filled with achievements in his career.
Ninja accomplished a great deal in the world of gaming, particularly in Fortnite, during his 27th year. However, it also represented his breakthrough into mainstream media and the business world.
In Fortnite, Ninja came close to becoming the first player to achieve 100,000 eliminations in a race against fellow streamer Jimmy “HighDistortion” Moreno. Although he lost, he still ranked among the top three players in the world to hit that milestone. Ninja also became the first PC player to reach 5,000 wins in Fortnite, a feat only eight others have accomplished on the platform.
Additionally, Ninja partnered with Epic Games for events like the Fortnite Creative World Cup, where he hosted one of the qualifier Trials using a course he designed for the competition.
Ninja’s success extended beyond Fortnite to games like Apex Legends, where he became one of the top streamers. He also won the game’s inaugural tournaments, Twitch Rivals and Code Red. On Twitch, his streams set record-breaking stats, with only top streamers like Michael “shroud” Grzesiek and Jaryd “summit1g” Lazar surpassing his long-term achievements.
In the mainstream media, Ninja emerged as the face of gaming. He made appearances on TV shows such as Jimmy Fallon and Ellen DeGeneres, introducing him to a new audience outside of his usual stream viewers. He headlined events with live audiences, including Lollapalooza and New Year’s Eve at Times Square, where he played Fortnite live with fellow streamers.
Ninja’s success didn’t go unnoticed by the media at large—he was featured in Forbes‘ 2019 30 under 30 and became the first professional gamer to grace the cover of ESPN magazine.
Furthermore, Ninja’s rise to fame in the mainstream world helped him excel in business. He reportedly earned $10 million in 2018 through Fortnite, allowing him to launch his own line of clothing and personal merchandise. He also appeared in sponsored products such as Red Bull cans.
However, Ninja faced his fair share of controversy over the past year. He made headlines for refusing to livestream with women, citing concerns about potential gossip and misinterpretation of innocent interactions. Although he claimed no women streamers on Twitch were upset by this decision, many felt his choice was not supportive.
Furthermore, he faced criticism from the Fortnite community for calling for bans on players accused of stream sniping him. This led to a situation where he called for a ban against a player who had evidence proving they weren’t spectating Ninja while playing.
Looking ahead, the upcoming year presents Ninja with new challenges. One notable aspect missing from his gaming career is a significant competitive victory, as he has failed to qualify for several professional competitions, including the Fortnite World Cup. However, he still has two more weeks to secure his spot, with one week for Solo and another for Duos.
If Ninja manages to make it to the Fortnite World Cup, it will be clear that he has conquered every possible milestone in a professional player’s career.