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Valkyrae Returns to Twitch With Big Announcement

Valkyrae is celebrating her 10-year streaming anniversary on Twitch after her YouTube contract ends. Here's what we know.

Gabby DeSena

Valkyrae is returning to Twitch after 5 years.
Valkyrae is returning to Twitch after 5 years. / Valkyrae via X.com

Valkyrae is one of the internet's most well-known and long-standing influencers. For the last five years, the streaming star held an exclusive contract with YouTube, where she exclusively posted all her content. Now, Valkyrae has announced she will ring in 2025 by celebrating her ten-year streaming anniversary on Twitch. Here's everything we know about Valkyrae, her Twitch return and how fans can watch.

Who is Valkyrae?

Valkyrae will star in the upcoming Lionsgate Movies film "Goldbeak."
Valkyrae will star in the upcoming Lionsgate Movies film "Goldbeak." / Valkyrae via X.com; Lionsgate Movies

Rachell "Valkyrae" Hoffstetter is an American streamer, entrepreneur and influencer. She began streaming on Twitch, where she gained repute for her Fortnite content during the peak of the game's popularity. In 2020, Hofstetter signed an exclusive content creation contract with YouTube, where her channel @Valkyrae has over 4 million subscribers today. Currently, Valkyrae still plays Fortnite and also posts vlogs and games including Lethal Company, Among Us, VALORANT and Mario Party.

Alongside her streaming activities, Hoffstetter is a co-owner of the esports organization 100 Thieves and is its first female content creator. and hosts a podcast called Press Esc. The podcast's celebrity guests have included Markiplier, QTCinderella and other familiar gaming industry faces. Valkyrae also owns a media company, Hihi Studios, which produces graphic novels and manga. Hihi Studios' debut project, a manga series titled 'Apollyon', will release in early 2025.

Valkyrae is also an actress and has participated in several productions including Sonic Prime and music videos including Bella Poarch's "Build a B----" and The Kid Laroi's "Girls". In December 2024, she announced a starring role as a voice actor in Lionsgate Studios' children's film Goldbeak.

Related Article: Valkyrae is Voice Acting as a Bird: Goldbeak Trailer

Valkyrae's Stream Career

Valkyrae began streaming on Twitch in 2015, playing a variety of games and building a community. After Epic Games released Fortnite in 2017, the game skyrocketed to fame, and Valkyrae became well-known as one of its most popular creators. She garnered a dedicated group of fans, and her internet presence attracted notice.

On January 15 2020, YouTube offered Valkyrae a lucrative 2-year contract to leave Twitch and stream exclusively on the platform. Valkyrae accepted the deal, and retained her influence amassing millions of subscribers. During the Covid pandemic, she found particular success streaming the hit game Among Us with other famous creators including Sykkuno, Pokimane, Disguised Toast, Corpse Husband and Ludwig.

In January of 2022, YouTube opted to offer Valkyrae a renewal on her contract. Valkyrae once again accepted. She has continued to stream on YouTube exclusively and regularly posts vlog and collaboration long-form videos on her channel as well.

Valkyrae Returns to Twitch

At 11:48 PM on December 28 2024, Valkyrae posted an announcement on her X.com account. The post states:

After 3 contracts and 5 years later, I’ve officially completed my last contract streaming exclusively on YouTube [...] I’ll be doing my first stream on Twitch on my birthday, January 8th! Celebrating 10 years of streaming as well as a special marathon announcement.

- @Valkyrae

As of December 29 2024, Valkyrae's announcement has recieved over 26,000 likes. Streamers in her friend group offered her encouragement, with Ludwig (@LudwigAhgren) commenting suggesting she multistream and Pokimane (@Pokimane) stating "YAAAAAY VALKYRAE BACK ON TWITCH". Fellow 100 Thieves creators @Sparkles_qt and @NiceWigg also stopped by to show support.

The streamer's community also appear excited for her return. One fan account, @iheartvalkyrae, posted "ahhh i cant believe its been so long on youtube ;_; CANT WAIT TO SEE U GROW SM ON TWITCH RAE ily".

Valkyrae is not the first streamer to leave YouTube and stream on Twitch this year. Ludwig Ahgren recently made a Twitch comeback after a similar three-year contract. This appears to be part of a greater trend, especially among the gaming community, where content creation personalities are returning to the platform Even banned streamers, including Dr Disrespect and Adin Ross, have expressed serious interest in moving back to the platform.

Related Article: Why are Gaming Streamers Going Back to Twitch?

Valkyrae's Marathon Announcement

Eagle-eyed followers may notice that Valkyrae's post contains a significant announcement: Valkyrae will reportedly be hosting a Twitch marathon in the upcoming few months. This follows a recent trend among streamers in 2024, with Kai Cenat hosting a 'Mafiathon 2' subathon and Ludwig hosting a 'League Week' stream.

Typically, Twitch streamers stay live for a long period of time during a marathon. These events may also be 'subathons', during which streamers try to hit a certain number of paid subscribers as their main goal. Some of these events donate to charities or important causes. Valkyrae will announce specific details about her marathon during her first return stream.

How to Watch Valkyrae's 10-Year Stream Anniversary Twitch Comeback

Valkyrae's Twitch return will celebrate the 10-year anniversary of her streaming career, which began in 2015, as well as her birthday. The first return stream will go live on January 8 2025, on Valkyrae's Twitch channel at www.twitch.tv/valkyrae .

Valkyrae has not yet announced what exact time the stream will be at, although her YouTube lives typically occur in the afternoon or early evening. More information will likely follow as the stream's date draws closer.

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Gabby DeSena
GABBY DESENA

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