Dr Disrespect is doubling down on blockchain gaming himself despite the mostly negative reception of this technology and the persistent backlash from a large portion of his fan base. The streamer is best known for his outspoken personality and bombastic performances on Twitch and YouTube, especially while playing popular battle royale games such as Apex Legends, Fortnite, PUBG: Battlegrounds and various entries in the Call of Duty series.
The streamer was banned from Twitch on June 26, 2020. The platform did not provide details about the ban, pointing only to a violation of its terms of service. Dr. Disrespect claimed at the time that he did not know the reason, but revealed on 23 August 2021 that he had known why for months and was going to take legal action. Dr Disrespect and Twitch announced a settlement of the dispute on March 10, 2022. Dr Disrespect went on to say that he would not be returning to Twitch, having migrated to YouTube and reaching over 4 million subscribers on the platform as of December 31, 2022.
Dr Disrespect announced the launch of its triple-A game studio, Midnight Society, during the dispute with Twitch back in December 2021. Midnight Society is primarily focused on creating online multiplayer games with blockchain integration, the current priority of the studio, Project Moon. and is widely criticized for the implementation of NFTs. “Midnight Society is a new breed of triple-A game studio and publishing model over a decade in the making,” reads the official description. “We are a group of ambitious gaming industry veterans who see a future where developers no longer create experiences in a vacuum and players share in a game’s success.”
The content creator previously became the target of a backlash from fans and followers for promoting a number of different blockchain games both while streaming and on social media, with many accusing the streamer of promoting a product that they believed was harmful to the environment and could exacerbate wealth inequality in the gaming community. This caused the content creator to put some distance between himself and the technology, at least for a while. Dr Disrespect recently posted on the topic on Twitter, calling blockchain games the way of the future.
“Imagine trying to ‘unpack’ an item you discovered worth $100,000 on the chain,” Dr Disrespect said on Twitter. “Think of the entertainment value for the viewer let alone the player.” The content creator went on to say that a “new PvP experience is upon us.” Dr Disrespect later explained how “the concept of digital collectibles in an online game is so exciting to me. Especially an extraction type game. People who say “scam” and “ugh” are just brain dead headline followers. The same people who spend tons on skins for an annual release game. Everyone also has the same skin.”
The technology briefly gained a significant amount of popularity in the gaming industry due to its potential to provide more secure and transparent transactions and ownership of goods, but many soon became critical of blockchain games, noting concerns about their potential impact on the environment, among other things .
The latest comments from Dr Disrespect have been met with a mixed reception from the gaming community, with some of his fans voicing their support for the streamer. The majority of his followers, on the other hand, are still skeptical about the case. “NFTs are a scam,” one fan said on Twitter, for example. “Good luck, but I feel like this is a rocky road to walk.”
