Twitch appears to have started rolling out its recently announced “viewership caps” aimed at repeating viewbotting offenders. Several high-profile streamers have already experienced dramatic drops in displayed numbers, with it all coinciding on the same day.
Among the most notable creators affected were North American figures Richard “FaZe Banks” Bengtson, OTK-affiliated streamer Vincent “Cyr” Cyr, and longstanding name in livestreaming Mitch Jones.. The changes in their viewership quickly became a major discussion point.
FaZe Banks drops from 40,000 Average Viewers to below 2,000 with Twitch’s new cap
One of the most dramatic drops in viewerships was felt by FaZe Banks, whose streams had been averaging well over 20,000 average concurrent viewers recently, and with the most popular streams even cresting over 40,000. Going live for the first time in a week on May 28, FaZe Banks quickly felt the dip in viewership, with the stream ending after not even an hour.
The change immediately fuelled reactions across social media, with viewers now questioning Banks’ previous viewership. Banks had previously discussed viewbotting, even claiming that views are not important to him, and that they aren’t something to chase for him.
Crucial to note, while Banks’ channel may have experienced viewbotting, it has not been determined if Banks himself was paying for these viewbots. Third-parties are known to viewbot streamers for a variety of reasons, and some fall victim to malicious viewbotters.
FaZe Banks’ viewership on Twitch for his streams before and including the drop on May 28
Others had taken note of Banks’ numbers, too; xQc was one of the most vocal, recent critics of Banks’ viewership, calling it “egregious”. However, not all affected by the viewership cap saw such a dramatic dip in viewership.
Cyr’s and Mitch Jones’ Twitch numbers also see noticeable decline
OTK-affiliated streamer Cyr also appeared to be impacted by the new system. According to Streams Charts data analytics, his broadcasts dropped from roughly 2,000–4,000 Average Viewers to approximately 1,200 AV after the alleged cap rollout.
Cyr has not been the center of the viewbotting discussion, as Banks has sometimes been, with his inclusion in the apparent enforcement wave sparking debates over how Twitch determines viewbotters, and how aware the community really is about what’s happening behind the scenes.
Some community members have praised Twitch for taking visible action against suspicious audiences, while others have warned that a potentially-automated enforcement system could create problems in the future. The discourse also revived older conversations surrounding artificial traffic sources such as embedded streams and discovery of streamers based on viewership — all long-running topics within Twitch’s ecosystem.
Mitch Jones’ viewership on Twitch for his streams before and including the drop on May 28
Mitch Jones is another streamer who has frequently found himself in the midst of the viewbotting discussion. One of the oldest faces in livestreaming, Mitch now faces allegations of viewbotting due to the cap imposed on his channel.
The creator has expressed his displeasure with Twitch over the incident, expressing his wishes to leave the platform and his assumption that Twitch is targeting him due to his status as a ‘gambling streamer’. He faced one of the most dramatic declines on May 28, now reporting under 3,000 Average Viewers.
What changed? Twitch’s new anti-viewbotting system explained
The enforcement wave follows Twitch’s recent announcement of a new anti-viewbotting policy specifically targeting repeat offenders.
Under the updated system, Twitch can impose a concurrent viewership cap on channels repeatedly associated with suspicious traffic patterns. Creators impacted by the enforcement reportedly receive emails informing them of the cap duration and appeal options.
The move represents the latest escalation in Twitch’s ongoing battle against fake engagement. As livestreaming becomes increasingly tied to sponsorships, discoverability algorithms, and advertising revenue, Twitch’s latest measures signal a more aggressive attempt to restore confidence in platform-wide viewership statistics.
