FaZe Banks drops from 40K to 2K viewers as Mitch Jones, Cyr & more hit by Twitch anti-viewbotting cap

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Twitch’s new rules to limit the use of bots are already causing popular streamers like FaZe Banks, Mitch Jones, and Cyr to experience a noticeable decrease in viewership.

In early May 2026, Twitch announced it would limit how many viewers streamers suspected of using viewbots—programs that artificially increase their viewer numbers—could have.

It looks like this change went into effect on May 29th, and Streams Charts is already showing a big impact on viewership for popular streamers.

Twitch viewer caps are already hurting big streamers

Specifically, Streams Charts noted big changes for FaZe Banks, Cyr, and Mitch Jones.

After being offline for a week, Banks returned on May 28th, but viewership dropped significantly – from a high of 49,000 to just 2,293.

Banks’ livestream, called ‘Emergency Meeting,’ was short – lasting less than 40 minutes. He explained to viewers that he just wanted to quickly assure them he’s still dedicated to his podcast, ‘Market Bubble.’

Several streamers saw a significant decrease in viewers. Cyr from OTK, for example, went from averaging 2,000 to 4,000 viewers down to around 1,200. Mitch Jones, a veteran broadcaster, experienced a similar drop, falling from an average of 12,000 viewers on May 27th to just under 3,000 the following day.

I was really upset hearing about Twitch’s plan to limit how many views streams can get. I even mentioned on my stream on May 28th that I was thinking about leaving the platform altogether, because I was worried it would lead to a ton of harassment for streamers like me.

He expressed extreme frustration, saying he felt he was being unfairly limited. He explained that his account was capped at 3,000, despite having more legitimate views, which he found absurd. He believes this system actually encourages people who dislike him to artificially inflate his view count just to trigger the cap. He strongly asserted that all his activity was genuine and earned.

He admitted he was seriously considering moving to a different platform, adding that the current situation was absurd and that he felt like he was being tested like a lab rat.

Mitch Jones is considering leaving Twitch because of a limit placed on his stream’s viewership. He believes the cap of 3,000 viewers is unfair, as he regularly receives more. He’s asked Asmongold for a call to discuss the issue, explaining that the cap encourages people who dislike him to artificially inflate views against him, triggering the limit.

— yeet (@Awk20000) May 28, 2026

It’s hard to say for sure if any streamers are actually using viewbots. Twitch hasn’t revealed how it checks for and handles artificially inflated viewer numbers. Plus, as one person pointed out, streamers aren’t always the ones boosting their own views – sometimes others do it to cause trouble and get them in trouble with Twitch.

This change has caused a lot of controversy in the live streaming world, and even prompted a reaction from Kick co-founder Bijan Tehrani. He suggested Twitch should hide channels suspected of using bots to inflate their viewer numbers.

Twitch CEO Dan Clancy explained that using fake viewers (bots) doesn’t actually help streamers gain popularity. This addresses concerns from smaller content creators who were worried that channels using bots were making it harder for them to be seen on the platform.

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2026-05-30 00:19