Tyler “Ninja” Blevins Net Worth (Money & Salary)

Tyler “Ninja” Blevins’ Net Worth

With a net worth of $50 million, Tyler Blevins, also known as “Ninja,” is an American gamer and internet personality. He is renowned for his gameplay in “Fortnite,” attracting over 24 million subscribers and accumulating 2.5 billion views on YouTube, alongside 18.5 million followers on Twitch. Generating between $500,000 and $1 million monthly, he earns $5 for each subscription.

In June 2018, Ninja formed a partnership with Red Bull Esports, and that September, he made history as the first Esports player to feature on the cover of “ESPN The Magazine.”

On August 1, 2019, he announced his departure from Twitch to join Microsoft’s Mixer; at that point, Ninja was the most-followed active channel on Twitch. Ultimately, he returned to Twitch after Mixer was shut down, receiving a substantial financial compensation for the transition… more details about this significant deal will follow in the upcoming paragraphs.

Early Life

Born Richard Tyler Blevins on June 5, 1991, in Detroit, Michigan, Tyler grew up in Grayslake, Illinois, alongside his mother Cynthia, father Chuck, and older brothers, John and Chris. Both of his parents have Welsh ancestry, and Chuck introduced Tyler to video gaming at a tender age. While attending Grayslake Central High School, Blevins was involved in soccer and held a job at Noodles & Company. During his time at Wisconsin’s Silver Lake College, he started competing in video game tournaments, joined professional gaming teams, and live-streamed his gameplay.

Career

Beginning his professional gaming career in 2009 with “Halo 3,” Blevins represented organizations such as Team Liquid, Cloud9, and Renegades. He commenced streaming in 2011, focusing on “H1Z1” and “PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds” (“PUBG”). In 2017, he became part of Luminosity Gaming, competing in “Halo,” “H1Z1,” and “PUBG,” and triumphed in the “PUBG” Gamescom Invitational Squads classification later that same year. His popularity on Twitch surged after he started playing “Fortnite Battle Royale,” gaining 1.5 million followers from September 2017 to March 2018. A record-breaking 635,000 viewers tuned in when he played “Fortnite” alongside Drake, Travis Scott, and Juju Smith-Schuster in March 2018. This momentous occasion prompted Epic Games to pair gamers with celebrities at E3 2018, culminating in Ninja and musician Marshmello winning the “Fortnite Battle Royale” event. He broke his earlier Twitch viewing record in April 2018, achieving 667,000 live viewers during Ninja Vegas 2018.

In 2018, Tyler collaborated with Red Bull Esports to host the Red Bull Rise Till Dawn “Fortnite” event in Chicago. Ninja estimated his earnings to be nearly $10 million that year, and in 2020, Epic Games recognized his contribution to “Fortnite’s” success by introducing a Ninja cosmetic skin in the game. Reports from Reuters indicated that Electronic Arts paid him $1 million to promote the battle royale game “Apex Legends” in 2019. After departing from Twitch in August 2019, he exclusively streamed on Mixer until its shutdown in July 2020, upon which he resumed streaming on his YouTube channel. As of early 2020, his monthly earnings from “Fortnite” streams were reportedly over $500,000.

In 2015, Tyler and his family participated in “Family Feud,” and later competed on “Celebrity Family Feud” in 2019. He released the album “Ninjawerks: Vol. 1” in 2018, featuring tracks from electronic artists like Alesso, Tycho, and Nero, under the Astralwerks record label. Additionally, in 2019, Ninja appeared in the NFL’s Super Bowl ad titled “The 100-Year Game,” and in August that year, he published the book “Get Good:

My Ultimate Guide to Gaming.” In 2019, he participated in Fox’s “The Masked Singer,” where he performed Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” and Devo’s “Whip It” while dressed in an ice cream cone costume; he was the second contestant eliminated during the second season premiere, following figure skater Johnny Weir.

In April 2023, it was made public that Ninja would be joining GameSquare as Chief Innovation Officer with the goal of transforming the esports gaming landscape. GameSquare Esports Inc. is planning to merge with Engine Gaming and Media to establish itself as the largest and most powerful esports and media company in the sector.

Microsoft Deal/Payout

As previously mentioned, in August 2019, Tyler shocked the gaming community by revealing that he had inked a deal with Microsoft to transition all of his streaming activities exclusively to Mixer. Fellow esports icon Shroud joined Ninja on Mixer two months later.

In June 2020, Microsoft declared that it would be shutting down Mixer and integrating the platform with Facebook Gaming. Reports indicated that Facebook offered Ninja and Shroud double their previous earnings with Microsoft to switch platforms. Both chose not to accept Facebook’s offer. Consequently, Microsoft had to activate a buyout clause, resulting in Ninja receiving around $30 million and Shroud $10 million to exit. In August 2020, they both went back to Twitch. Two years after rejoining Twitch, Ninja announced a hiatus from streaming. However, he later proclaimed his return in September 2022, streaming across multiple platforms simultaneously, including Twitch, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook.

Combining the buyout and his earnings from the single year of the Mixer deal, Ninja is estimated to have made $40 million from Microsoft.

Controversies

Blevins has stated that he refrains from streaming with female gamers to safeguard his marriage from speculation. In 2016, he faced a 48-hour suspension from Twitch after disclosing a donor’s address who had made a racist donation message. In 2018, during a stream, Ninja inadvertently used a racial slur while rapping along to Logic’s “44 More”; he later apologized and clarified that he did not intend to say that specific word.

Personal Life

Tyler met fellow gamer Jessica Goch at a “Halo” tournament in 2010, and their relationship began in 2013. The couple tied the knot in August 2017 and enjoyed their honeymoon in the Caribbean. Goch, who is now known as Jess Blevins, served as Ninja’s manager and was also a popular streamer, boasting over 224,000 subscribers on YouTube and 500,000 followers on Twitch.

In October 2022, Jessica announced her decision to step down as Ninja’s manager to explore new opportunities.

Charity Work

Tyler is deeply committed to charity work and raised over $110,000 for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention during a charity stream in 2018. While taking part in an April 2018 “Fortnite Battle Royale” Esports competition, he donated $2,500 to the Alzheimer’s Association for every game he won. That same month, Ninja also helped generate $340,000 at the #Clips4Kids event and contributed $1 million to charity after…In 2018, Tyler achieved victory at the “Fortnite” Pro-Am event. Amidst the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic, both Tyler and Jess contributed $150,000 to Feeding America.

Awards and Honors

At the Streamy Awards in 2018, Blevins took home awards for Gaming and Live Streamer. He was also recognized as Esports Personality of the Year at the Esports Awards and named Content Creator of the Year at The Game Awards 2018. The following year, in 2019, he won the Live Streamer award once more and received the title of Twitch Streamer of the Year at the Shorty Awards. Additionally, “Time” magazine listed Ninja among the world’s 100 most influential people in 2018.

Real Estate

Ninja and Jess acquired a 6,700-square-foot mansion in the Chicago suburbs in 2018. This 5-bedroom residence features a game room and a theater.