Could Dr DisRespect Book Reveal More About Twitch Ban?
Dr DisRespect has written a memoir that will reveal "never-before-told stories about his career." Could it finally explain his Twitch ban?
Guy Beahm, better known as the popular live streamer Dr DisRespect, has written a book that will reveal new details about his life and career as a streamer. The book is titled Dr DisRespect: Violence. Speed. Momentum. — a reference to his slogan and aggressive style of play in shooters like Call of Duty, Apex Legends, and others. It’s out on March 30 from Gallery Books.
“As one of gaming’s most recognizable and provocative personalities, Dr DisRespect finally reveals what it’s really like being the biggest global streaming sensation and, in his factual opinion, the greatest gamer in history,” reads the book’s official synopsis. “Featuring exclusive, never-before-told stories from his career and thoughtful advice on everything from growing superior mullets to thoroughly dominating life, this memoir is as unique and unforgettable as its subject.”
Previously announced in February, the streamer unveiled a first look at the cover and the pre-order page on Twitter:
“The Champions Club demands the legend of Dr Disrespect be told,” wrote Dr Disrespect in a statement to The Verge in February. “While best read off the base of Mt. Olympus, fans worldwide will soon marvel at my history’s secrets. You’re welcome.”
The book reveal couldn’t be more timely. It comes just weeks after Beahm was banned from Twitch for reasons that remain a mystery. Since Beahm was booted from the platform where he boasted over 4 million followers, neither party has opened up about the reasons behind the ban. In interviews and on his comeback stream on YouTube in early August, Beahm even claimed that he still didn’t know why he’d been expelled from the service.
“A lot of people wanna know… they wanna know what happened.’ Why did you get banned?’” Beahm said during his first stream on YouTube. “Guess what? I want you to look me in the fucking eyes when I say this, okay? We still have no idea. We have no idea. And I’m gonna tell you this right now – as far as I’m concerned, we didn’t do anything to warrant a ban, let alone how they went about banning us. No communication before. No reaching out. Nothing. Boom. Done.”
Beahm’s short statement on the ban echoed what he said during his interviews with The Washington Post and PC Gamer back in July, the first time he opened up about the situation since being booted from Twitch on June 28. During those interviews, Beahm revealed that Twitch hadn’t even informed him of the ban until after he’d reached out to the company directly. He said that he initially found out about the ban while watching someone else’s stream. Twitch has since cut off all communication with Beahm, according to the streamer.
“Yeah, that’s the kind of the mind-blowing thing about all of this,” Beahm told PC Gamer. “Obviously, for legal counsel, I have to be careful here. But I can say however, that I will not be returning to Twitch, so, I mean, that’s it.”
At the time of the ban, a Twitch spokesperson offered news outlets only a generic statement on the matter: “As is our process, we take appropriate action when we have evidence that a streamer has acted in violation of our Community Guidelines or Terms of Service. These apply to all streamers regardless of status or prominence in the community.”
A violation of Twitch’s community guidelines or terms of service can mean many things, from a DMCA copyright violation to something much worse. Many theories have been posted online and spread on Twitter, Reddit, and other forums. Some, like a 4chan rumor that Beahm had left Twitch to start a new streaming platform called Brime, were debunked. Other rumors and reports, including one by streaming industry insider Rod Breslau which points to a more serious reason behind Beahm’s Twitch ban, have yet to be proven true or false.
The ban came just months after Beahm signed a multi-year exclusivity deal with Twitch, locking him into the platform at a time when other popular streamers like Ninja and Shroud had been poached by Microsoft for its own Mixer streaming service, which was recently shut down. Beahm confirmed to The Washington Post that Twitch had voided his contract. The streamer had stood to earn $10 million per year from the deal, according to Kotaku.
Beahm has said that he’s exploring legal action against Twitch, as the ban had broken a “heavy contract.” He said that he would let “the legal professionals do what they need to do.”
But in the meantime, could Beahm’s memoir shed more light on the situation or will he stick to his character, presenting a grandiose picture of the self-proclaimed “greatest gamer in history?” Judging from how he’s addressed the Twitch ban so far, it’s more likely that we’ll get some answers from a potential court case than the upcoming memoir.
One thing is for sure, Beahm’s fans are still hungry for answers. We’ll of course keep you updated as we learn more.
For now, check out the full cover of Beahm’s book below:
Written by
John Saavedra is the Co-Editor-in-Chief of Den of Geek. He lives in New York City with his two cats.