Popular livestreamer iShowSpeed announced a two-week break from content creation following an intensive European tour that generated record viewership numbers.

The creator, whose real name is Darren Watkins Jr., made the announcement during a July 9, 2025 broadcast from Monaco, telling viewers the hiatus is “for a very good reason” and promising “something huge” upon his return.

The announcement follows nearly two weeks of daily IRL (in-real-life) streams across Eastern and Western Europe that consistently attracted approximately 100,000 concurrent viewers. His July 13 broadcast reached a career-high 437,000 simultaneous viewers across YouTube and Twitch platforms.

Notable moments from the tour included a dock collapse rescue in Estonia (6.2 million VOD views), a car-lifting stunt in Poland (4.7 million views), and a footrace with NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo in Greece (5.5 million views).

Reports have emerged suggesting Twitch has offered Watkins a $600 million exclusive streaming deal spanning two years, though neither party has confirmed negotiations. The 20-year-old creator, who boasts over 41.4 million YouTube subscribers, was banned from Twitch in 2021 before being reinstated in October 2023.

Implications and Speculations

As one of YouTube Gaming’s most prominent personalities, Speed’s hiatus may temporarily affect average watch-time metrics across related gaming categories while potentially boosting secondary creators filling the content gap. His previous European tour in 2024 generated over 2.5 billion views across platforms.

Platform data indicates Speed’s recent return to Twitch after the ban generated 600,000 new followers in just nine days, attributed to his significant cross-platform influence.

The break could represent strategic positioning for a major launch, with a poll of Speed’s community speculating about a stadium-scale IRL event, music release, or video game cross-promotion as the most likely outcomes.

The creator specifically mentioned plans to “be back in Europe” after the hiatus, suggesting a second tour leg or project centered on the continent.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Check Out Our Podcast