Pokimane Reveals Why She's Turning Down Major Esports Offers

Pokimane's always done things her own way. Take her unconventional rise to her current superstar streamer status, which included the formation of OfflineTV, and becoming a partner with the Cloak clothing brand, which shows the behind-the-scenes reality of the biggest streamers around. With her hand in so many pots, it may be surprising to learn that she has turned down a number of offers from prominent esports organizations.

A little over 10 minutes into her Thursday, Sept. 16 stream, Pokimane got a question from a fan asking if she thought every creator should join an esports org, and her answer revealed a lot about how she operates. In her words, "No, I actually think a lot of creators get low-balled by orgs... Throughout my whole come-up I've gotten a lot of offers from orgs, but I always just felt like ... I want to just be me."

Clearly, staying true to herself has proved to be a successful decision for Pokimane, and it looks like that won't be changing any time soon. As she went on to elaborate, "I don't want to be under another company. I don't want anyone telling me what to do, how to live, how to be." Doing her own thing comes naturally for Pokimane. From accidentally kicking off the room tour trend to speaking her mind on sexist streaming double standards, the star always gives her fans the real deal. Here's what Pokimane had to say about her decisions to turn down possibly lucrative streaming deals.

Even in the name of authenticity, you might find it hard to imagine turning down big money from a prestigious competitive gaming team like Pokimane apparently has. Though it may seem like her OfflineTV involvement is similar to being in an esports org, the streamer took time to clarify the difference in her eyes: "OTV isn't really an org. I consider it more like a group or collective, but I love what OTV is."

Being part of "a group of really cool people" with a collective she co-founded has allowed Pokimane to "decide what the f*** we do or don't do," she said. Unlike being part of an org, in which outside influence could limit her professional decisions, Pokimane still has full creative freedom.

Staying out of an esports org also seems like a good move that could help Pokimane recover from burnout she's communicated to viewers. Maintaining a sense of balance can be hard as a streamer, but it looks like Pokimane wants to keep her priorities in order.