While it’s been quite some time since Twitch annouced a reduction in subscription pricing, this latest news has not played out well in the Middle East.
Reported by The Gamer and Input Magazine, major streamers have been venting out their issues on #twitch_arab_streamers. The reason is supposedly “due to a discrepancy with certain tax information provided during the onboarding process” for streamers in the region. Affected users have been rallying around the hashtag to raise awareness and hear from other streamers facing the same issue.
If they’ve been getting their monthly payouts in the past years and had filed their tax info correctly, what seems to have changed recently? While users are still able to stream on Twitch, payouts from subscriptions and advertising are still blocked.
Many users in the region make their living on the streaming service; one being a Saudi Arabia female streamer who streamed to raise money before her first child birth. Twitch’s official support account hasn’t yet responded to this outcry in the past weeks; lack of information is definitely causing more confusion for streamers across the region.
No course of corrective action nor a timeline on it being resolved has been provided by the Amazon-owned division. Many streamers in the Middle East have encouraged others to move their streaming activities to rivals like Facebook Gaming or YouTube Gaming.
Are you one of the many Twitch streamers affected by this? Please do reach out using the About Me page.