Asmongold’s Twitch suspension and departure from OTK, explained

Zack Hoyt, who goes by the online names Asmongold and ZackRawrr, is once again at the center of controversy. The content creator, who rose to fame through streaming World of Warcrafthas mocked Hurricane Katrina survivorsAnd defended the use of certain swear words to his audience. Now, recent comments from Hoyt about the ongoing conflict in Gaza have renewed widespread criticism of the creator and led to Twitch banning his channel.

In the wake of an incendiary livestream on Monday, other creators have spoken out against Hoyt’s comments about Palestine, while Hoyt’s own business associates have testified to the dangerous nature of his rhetoric. On Wednesday, Hoyt himself released an apology video for his viewers. But the incident still resulted in action from Twitch – here’s why.

Twitch typically does not confirm the specific reason behind a ban. However, we know that the streaming platform banned Hoyt’s channel the day after a stream in which he spoke about the ongoing conflict in Gaza and the Palestinian people. When asked for comment on the ban, a Twitch representative said: “We take enforcement action if there are violations of our rules community guidelinesincluding our hateful conduct policy and other rules.”

On his livestream on Monday, Hoyt said about the Palestinian people dying in Gaza“I don’t give a fuck. They are terrible people. It’s not even a question.” In the same rant, he described the Palestinians as an “inferior culture.” Online, people called on Twitch to ban the canal. On Tuesday, Hoyt’s alternate Zackrawrr channelwhere he made the comments was deactivated. At the time of publication, the channel was still deactivated and sources familiar with the matter were available reported that Hoyt was given a two-week ban. His original channel remains active, but he has not used it for streaming since June 2023.

At the time of Hoyt’s livestream, a number of media outlets had reported a finding by UN aid agencies that Israel threatened to starve the north of Gaza. The reporting came as Israel continued to do so bomb North Gaza and Lebanonan offensive that has led to the deaths of 40,000 Palestinians in the past ten months, the Gaza Ministry of Health said. Earlier this year, a UN special rapporteur said there were “reasonable grounds” for it formally labeling the attack as genocide.

Hoyt’s comments provoked a combination of responses. Some touched on the insensitivity of the comments about current events, while others clowned on Hoyt, who is known for streaming from an unkempt bedroom covered in trash.

“What’s sad is that millions of Americans actually believe this about black and brown people outside the Global North,” Daniel Ahmad, a frequent gaming world commentator, said on X in response to the video. (Ahmad’s comment was Liked more than 9,900 times.) Another person replied“’Inferior culture’ says the guy who doesn’t even wipe his ass.”

The nature of the comments even inspired people close to Hoyt to speak out. In addition to streaming, Hoyt is the co-founder of the media company One True King (OTK) and PC vendor Starforge Systems. Tips Out, Chief Operating Officer of OTK, responded to Hoyt’s comments on Tuesdayspeaking as the son of Syrian immigrants about his personal history of experiencing prejudice growing up in the United States.

For many who heard Zack’s comments, the language he used, whether intended or not, caused the same dehumanization that plagued their ancestors, their grandparents, and in some cases their families today. It is the same language used to justify wanton violence, genocide and the destruction of our universal brotherhood. It’s the same language used to dismiss a video of a Palestinian woman and child being burned alive as a “prize of war.”

The next day the official OTK account on X announced that Hoyt would “step away from his role” at OTK and other affiliated companies.

“OTK denounces all forms of discrimination and violence, and such behavior cannot be tolerated,” said the bill. “We spoke with Zack last night and he will be resigning from his positions at OTK and our affiliates Starforge, Mythic and Mad Mushroom.”

On Wednesday Hoyt shared an apology video on YouTube respond to his comments. In the video, he announced that he would be resigning from his leadership positions at OTK and Starforge Systems, and expressed regret over the impact of his comments.

“I look back at some of the things I’ve said and done over the last two years, and I don’t think I’ve been wrong about anything that’s clearly been right, but there have been ways I’ve communicated and ways I’ve acted , which are indefensible. “Looking back on it, it’s just disgusting,” he said.

Some online applauded Hoyt for taking responsibility in his apology, though it’s too early to see what long-term impact this might have on his work, or whether Hoyt will remain apologetic. Within hours of the YouTube post, the streamer followed up with one Reddit post explaining his apology to his viewer base. “I’m not changing anything other than trying to be more positive and less narrow-minded,” he wrote in a statement that also opened with the R slur.