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

How Much is Tyler “Ninja” Blevins Worth?

Known as “Ninja,” Tyler Blevins is a prominent American gamer and internet personality with a net worth of $50 million. He gained recognition primarily through “Fortnite,” which has contributed to over 24 million YouTube subscribers, 2.5 billion views on the platform, and 18.5 million Twitch followers. With subscriptions costing $5 each month, his earnings from gaming typically range from $500,000 to $1 million monthly.

In June 2018, a partnership was forged between Ninja and Red Bull Esports, and by September, he became the first Esports player featured on the cover of “ESPN The Magazine.”

On August 1, 2019, Blevins informed his audience of a significant change, leaving Twitch to stream on the Microsoft-owned Mixer platform; at that moment, “Ninja” was the most-followed channel on Twitch. When Microsoft decided to close Mixer, he returned to Twitch and received a substantial monetary compensation for his transition… stay tuned for more details on this agreement in the following paragraphs.

Tyler’s Early Life

Born Richard Tyler Blevins on June 5, 1991, in Detroit, Michigan, Tyler was raised in Grayslake, Illinois, alongside his mother Cynthia, father Chuck, and his older brothers, John and Chris. Both parents are of Welsh descent, and it was Chuck who first introduced Tyler to video games as a child. While attending Grayslake Central High School, he played soccer and held a job at Noodles & Company. During his time at Wisconsin’s Silver Lake College, he began participating in video game tournaments and streaming his gameplay.

Tyler’s Gaming Career

Blevins embarked on his professional gaming career in 2009, starting with “Halo 3.” He represented organizations such as Team Liquid, Cloud9, and Renegades and began streaming in 2011 while playing “H1Z1” and “PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds” (“PUBG”). In 2017, he joined Luminosity Gaming, where he played “Halo,” “H1Z1,” and “PUBG,” achieving victory in the “PUBG” Gamescom Invitational Squads classification that same year. Following his transition to playing “Fortnite Battle Royale,” his popularity surged on Twitch, accumulating 1.5 million followers from September 2017 to March 2018. During a high-profile gaming session in March 2018 with celebrities Drake, Travis Scott, and Juju Smith-Schuster, his live stream attracted 635,000 viewers, a record for Twitch. This success prompted Epic Games to pair gamers with celebrities at E3 2018, culminating in Ninja and his partner, the electronic musician Marshmello, winning a “Fortnite Battle Royale” event. Ninja set a new Twitch record in April 2018 with 667,000 viewers during Ninja Vegas 2018.

In 2018, he collaborated with Red Bull Esports to host the Red Bull Rise Till Dawn “Fortnite” event in Chicago. Ninja estimated his earnings for 2018 to be nearly $10 million, and in 2020, Epic Games paid tribute to his influence in “Fortnite” by adding a Ninja cosmetic skin to the game. Reports from Reuters indicated that Electronic Arts compensated Blevins $1 million to promote the battle royale game “Apex Legends” in 2019. Following his switch from Twitch in August 2019 to an exclusive streaming partnership with Mixer, he turned to his YouTube channel after Mixer ceased operations in July 2020. By early 2020, it was estimated that he earned over $500,000 monthly from his “Fortnite” streams.

In 2015, Tyler and his family participated in “Family Feud” and later took part in “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 label. Ninja appeared in an NFL advertisement, “The 100-Year Game,” during the Super Bowl in 2019, and later that year, he published the book “Get Good: My Ultimate Guide to Gaming.” Additionally, he participated in Fox’s “The Masked Singer” in 2019, performing “Old Town Road” and “Whip It” while dressed in an ice cream cone costume; he was the second contestant eliminated during the season premiere.

In April 2023, Ninja was announced as the Chief Innovation Officer at GameSquare, aimed at transforming the esports gaming landscape. GameSquare Esports Inc. is on the verge of merging with Engine Gaming and Media to establish itself as a leading and influential entity in the esports and media realms.

Details of the Microsoft Deal

As mentioned earlier, in August 2019, Tyler shocked the esports community by declaring his agreement with Microsoft to exclusively stream on Mixer. Esports star Shroud followed suit two months later.

Following the announcement that Mixer would close in June 2020 and integrate with Facebook Gaming, the latter reportedly offered Ninja and Shroud double their earnings from Microsoft to switch platforms, which they both declined. Consequently, Microsoft activated a buyout clause, leading to Ninja receiving approximately $30 million and Shroud $10 million upon their exit. Both streamers made their return to Twitch in August 2020. After two years back on Twitch, Ninja took a streaming hiatus but later declared his return in September 2022, streaming across multiple platforms including Twitch, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook.

All in all, Ninja is estimated to have earned around $40 million through both the buyout and the year’s earnings from his Mixer partnership.

Tyler’s Controversies

Blevins has publicly stated that he refrains from streaming with female gamers to shield his marriage from speculation. In 2016, he faced a 48-hour suspension from Twitch after disclosing the address of a donor who made a racist donation along with an offensive screen name. Furthermore, during a stream in 2018, Ninja inadvertently used a racial slur while rapping along to Logic’s “44 More;” he later apologized and clarified that it was unintentional.

Insights into Ninja’s Personal Life

Tyler first met fellow gamer Jessica Goch at a “Halo” tournament in 2010, and they began dating in 2013. The couple wed in August 2017 and spent their honeymoon in the Caribbean. Now known as Jess Blevins, Goch was not just Ninja’s spouse but also his manager, gaining over 224,000 YouTube subscribers and 500,000 Twitch followers.

In October 2022, Jessica announced her decision to step down from her role as Ninja’s manager to seek new ventures.

Ninja’s Charity Initiatives

Tyler is dedicated to philanthropy, having raised over $110,000 for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention during a charity stream in 2018. While participating in a “Fortnite Battle Royale” Esports event in April 2018, he donated $2,500 to the Alzheimer’s Association for every game he won. That same month, Ninja also succeeded in raising $340,000 at the

After winning the “Fortnite” Pro-Am event in 2018, he donated $1 million to charity at the #Clips4Kids event. Furthermore, during the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic, Tyler and Jess contributed $150,000 to Feeding America.

Awards and Honors

Blevins won the Gaming and Live Streamer awards at the Streamy Awards in 2018, along with being recognized as Esports Personality of the Year at the Esports Awards and Content Creator of the Year at The Game Awards 2018. He also secured the Live Streamer award again in 2019 and was honored as Twitch Streamer of the Year at the Shorty Awards. Additionally, in 2018, “Time” magazine featured Ninja among the world’s 100 most influential people.

Real Estate

Ninja and Jess acquired a 6,700-square-foot mansion in the Chicago suburbs in 2018, featuring 5 bedrooms, a game room, and a theater.