Following feedback from the community, Twitch decided to remove its controversial Hype Chat feature just five months after its launch in June. Hype Chat allowed viewers to pay for the privilege of having their messages pinned to the top of a streamer’s chat window.
Feature met with mixed reactions: Twitch is retiring it starting November 15
In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), Twitch explained that its decision to remove Hype Chat was based on community feedback. The platform plans to reinvest its efforts in Cheering and Bits features instead. The Cheering and Bits system allows viewers to support streamers by purchasing virtual items, and these will now include the functionality offered by Hype Chat.
Previously, Hype Chat was available to nearly all Twitch partners, allowing viewers to pay anywhere from $1 to $500 to pin a message; The duration, number of characters and visual design depended on the amount spent.
Twitch received a 30 percent share of the revenue generated by this feature. This move brings Twitch in line with YouTube, which has a similar feature called SuperChat. However, streamers criticized Twitch for revenue sharing and the inability to opt out of this feature.
Rather than keeping Hype Chat as a standalone feature, Twitch decided to integrate it into its existing Cheering and Bits system. This means that all Partners and Affiliates on the platform will have the option to pin a Cheer message to their channel.
Twitch plans to further elaborate on the details of this change during the platform’s monthly update broadcast on November 15.
It’s not uncommon for Twitch to experiment with new features that may not always resonate with its user base. The removal of Hype Chat also shows that the platform is responding to user feedback and making adjustments to improve the overall streaming experience, which is a good thing.
In a related news report, it was stated that Twitch had recently updated its appeals process and enforcement approach for suspended streamers and introduced a new “path to reinstatement”. These changes were introduced following TwitchCon Las Vegas, and the platform also announced its newfound support for simulcasting on other platforms.
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