Sentiment on TwitchCon wanes after the mixed bag of 2025
Over the course of the TwitchCon Weekend, both inside and outside the venue, the
sentiment I kept hearing from others was that they enjoyed their weekend, from parties
to mixers to panels and meetups but the mounting security concerns, the overabundance
of IRL Streamers farming for clips and content everywhere, and the rising price of it all
has diminished the value of the Convention we all look forward to every year.
“When you factor in the cost… I feel like there’s better value in attending a
– RefereeClark
convention like VidCon, PAX, etc…”
For those that attended it was hard to ignore the IRL Streamers that have become
more and more of the focus of Twitch as a platform — It’s no surprise given that Just
Chatting and IRL Content make up the lion share of viewership on the platform,
something that others have stated feels like a return to JustinTV days, for good or bad.
While in itself is certainly not a bad thing as more content creators means more
entertainment for folks to enjoy, the majority of the IRL Content being produced during
the convention weekend was borderline harassment for many of the unwitting
bystanders; anything from a streamer begging for “Kiss or Slap” on stream from passing
women, to an instance of verbal harassment for being rejected live on camera within the
expo hall.
“…Once you got past ticketing, I don’t recall seeing a massive security presence
– RefereeClark
around the Expo Hall.”
Safety was a topic on many folks’ minds during and now certainly after the
convention as well, with a major event being the sexual assault on Emiru during her
Meet and Greet in which a man “was allowed to cross multiple barriers at TwitchCon
and event in front of another Creator’s Meet and Greet to grab me by my face and kiss
me” in a full disclosure of the altercation from Emiru on Twitter (X). That and other
stories of harassment from others spread through the crowds, leading some attendees
feeling unsafe and with growing concerns over security
“You put a lot of trust in us by attending TwitchCon, and we take our
Dan Clancy, Twitch CEO via X (Formerly Twitter)
responsibility to keep you safe seriously. We know that TwitchCon means a lot to a lot of
people, and it means a lot to us. Be on the lookout for more updates, and thanks for
being a part of Twitch.”
The major benefit of attending TwitchCon has shifted in recent years as attendees
are finding more value in the Mixers and Meetups organized by Developers and
Communities than the Expo Hall itself, as those I’ve talked with both during and after the
convention have cited that external events were more enjoyable then the convention
itself. While some folks have enjoyed the experience of TwitchCon the general feeling is
bittersweet, even as Twitch CEO Dan Clancy has put a post via the site’s social media
that seems to be more platitudes then commitment, as a long-standing member of the
Twitch community I hope for the best going forward, but I and many others will be wary
of upcoming conventions.
