Imane “Pokimane” Anys is arguably the biggest homegrown name on Twitch, and remains one of its top stars despite stepping away from the platform to some degree.
Pokimane has been called the “Queen of Twitch” by many, and that’s for good reason. The Canadian streamer was long the most-watched and most-subscribed woman on Twitch, hitting numbers that few have been able to match. She has also done generally strong work avoiding the pitfalls that have seen other streamers land in hot water.
There’s a lot to talk about when it comes to Pokimane, her rise to the top of Twitch, and where she’s headed now. Here’s how she got to the top and what’s in store for her next.
Who is Pokimane?
Pokimane is a Moroccan-Canadian content creator based out of Los Angeles, California. She is primarily known for her work on Twitch, but has a presence on basically every major social media platform.
Pokimane was born in Morocco on May 14, 1996 but moved with her parents to Quebec, Canada at age four. She lived in Canada through her adolescence and began taking classes at McMaster University in Toronto before dropping out to begin a full-time streaming career. She later moved to Los Angeles, a hub of Twitch streamers and YouTubers.
Why is Pokimane famous?
Pokimane is mostly known for being one of the most successful women on Twitch. She is one of the best-known streamers on the platform and is one of the few streamers to garner mainstream recognizability in English-speaking regions.
She often lands at the center of serious topics on Twitch. Unlike most others, Pokimane has openly discussed topics like sexism in the industry and streamer burnout. Her romantic life has also been a constant source of speculation. Though she hasn’t been in a confirmed relationship since her rise to fame, speculation regarding who she might be dating comes up regularly.
This leads to Pokimane appearing frequently in streaming news. It has also resulted in notable feuds with some streamers including the likes of Tyler “Ninja” Blevins. Though Pokimane has stepped back from Twitch to some degree and is focusing on creating more content on other social media platforms, her streams still attract a sizable audience.
Is Pokimane still in OfflineTV?
Pokimane remains a part of OfflineTV. Though she doesn’t collaborate with her fellow content creators as frequently as in years past, she is still a part of the network.
OfflineTV is a network of content creators that featured William “Scarra” Li, Orlando “Based Yoona” Flota, Chris Chan, and Pokimane. Pokimane lived in the OfflineTV streamer house until 2020, at which point she moved to live with other content creators. She remained associated with OfflineTV despite no longer living with them.
In 2022, many of the active OfflineTV members moved back in with one another but Pokimane was not a part of this. Once again, she continued her association with OfflineTV despite not living in the OfflineTV house.
What languages can Pokimane speak?
Pokimane can speak English, French, and Moroccan Arabic. While she hasn’t gotten as many opportunities to show off fluency in French or Darija, she does occasionally get requests to speak in the languages and often obliges.
Is Pokimane quitting Twitch?
Pokimane has not quit Twitch but streams on it much less frequently than she did in years past. This stems from a change in her approach to content creation.
In 2022, Pokimane took an extended break from social media. She returned after a month away with a video on YouTube discussing why she walked away. Pokimane stated that the years-long grind on Twitch was taking up so much time and energy that she wasn’t able to take care of other facets of her life.
After this revelation, she stated that she was changing her approach to content creation. Pokimane still streams on Twitch, but does not have a fixed streaming schedule and only appears a few times each week rather than almost every day. She also increased her efforts on other streaming platforms, which allows her to still grow while not spending her whole life on Twitch.
Has Pokimane been banned by Twitch?
Pokimane has been banned on Twitch just once in her entire career on the platform. The ban occurred in 2022 and lasted just two days.
Pokimane’s sole ban from the platform stemmed from a DMCA strike on her account after broadcasting episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender. The move came at a time when many other top streamers were broadcasting television shows to their viewers, a move popularized by Felix “xQc” Lengyel streaming shows starring celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay.
Pokimane acknowledged the ban and seemingly accepted it. She has not been banned since this and has avoided other controversies since then.
What is Pokimane’s rank in Valorant?
Pokimane reached Valorant’s top rank, Immortal, during the Episode 3 Act 2 season. She achieved this feat in 2021, showing that her gaming skills remain sharp despite primarily falling into the “Just Chatting” section of Twitch at that point.
Pokimane first rose on Twitch as a League of Legends streamer, where she displayed above-average skill in the game. Those skills aren’t limited to the world’s top MOBA, as she climbed the ladder in Riot Games tactical shooter Valorant as well.
Prior to hitting Immortal, Pokimane topped out at the diamond rank. During Episode 3 Act 2, she reached the top rank in the game. She has not maintained that ranking in subsequent seasons but might just be able to do it again in the future.
