Twitch’s 100-Hour Limit On Highlights Could Erase Decades Of Speedrunning Records

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This decision has promptly ignited strong opposition, notably from the speedrunning community, who heavily depend on recorded material for verifying world records and chronicling gaming lore.

Twitch’s Announcement and Policy Details

Starting April 19, 2025, Twitch has announced a new rule that sets a maximum storage limit of 100 hours for highlights and uploads per channel. This limit applies to all content, whether it’s published or not, meaning any videos exceeding this limit will be automatically deleted. However, this policy does not affect VODs (Video on Demand) or clips. It’s important to note that VODs are removed after a certain period, ranging from 7 days to 60 days, depending on the streamer’s account status. Clips, being shorter in length, are not suitable as substitutes for long highlights.

Starting April 19th, we’re introducing a 100-hour storage limit for Highlights and Uploads. However, this change won’t affect your Past Broadcasts (VODs) or clips. It’s worth noting that less than half of one percent of streamers go beyond the 100-hour mark, and these videos account for a mere 0.1% of the total viewing hours. Users will be notified if they reach this limit.

— Twitch Support (@TwitchSupport) February 19, 2025

Twitch has mentioned two primary reasons for this shift: budgeting issues related to costs, and a lack of impact on user engagement from highlights. They clarified that this adjustment impacts fewer than half a percent of active Twitch channels and accounts for even less than one tenth of one percent of total viewing time. In other words, it’s a relatively minor aspect, but they pointed out that it is costly. This move will enable them to redirect resources towards enhancing more effective audience engagement features like Clips and the mobile feed.

The Backlash From the Speedrunning Community

Regardless of Twitch’s explanation, numerous creators, particularly those within the speedrunning community, have voiced significant worries about the potential outcomes of this move. Speedrunning is a specialized esports culture focused on swiftly completing video games, with notable achievements and advancements frequently archived in Twitch highlights.

1) This move appears to be a poor choice.

2) I believe this decision might be a regrettable concession on Twitch’s part, potentially paving the way for a playback feature introduction soon.

3) It seems that Twitch is making an unwise decision here.

4) This action strikes me as a questionable choice by Twitch, possibly signaling the forthcoming addition of a playback feature.

5) In my opinion, this step appears to be a less-than-ideal one for Twitch, hinting at the potential arrival of a playback feature in the near future.

— Squeex (@SqueeX15) February 19, 2025

A significant number of speedrunning records are more than ten years old, and unfortunately, there’s no formal method for safeguarding or archiving them.

SummoningSalt, who is both a speedrunner and a gaming documentarian, recently shared a warning on social media for other speedrunners. He emphasized, “It’s essential for all speedrunners to download and upload their highlights onto YouTube.” He made this appeal on Bluesky.

Friendly reminder to all speedrunners: It’s essential that you save and share your highlights on YouTube. A significant chunk of speedrunning history could vanish if we don’t act promptly. Whether you’ve completed under 100 hours or not, it’s better to be cautious and preserve your runs. The 100-hour benchmark stands for now, but the future might bring changes, so let’s keep our records safe!

— SummoningSalt (@summoningsalt.bsky.social) 2025-02-19T20:11:08.752Z

For numerous streamers, the April 19th deadline serves as a frenzied sprint against the clock. Although Twitch makes it simple to transfer content to platforms like YouTube, some creators have accumulated hundreds or even thousands of hours of archived material over time. Regrettably, those who left streaming but contributed memorable moments to gaming history might miss out on preserving their past accomplishments.

Is Twitch Really Running Out of Storage?

Critics have noted that since Twitch is owned by tech titan Amazon, which rules the roost in cloud storage, some broadcasters question if storage expenses are a real concern. At least they’ve given a heads-up on the amount of storage each streamer has consumed.

Hey there! In the course of today, you’ll find a novel storage tracker integrated within your Video Producer page. This handy tool will keep you updated on your current storage consumption across Highlights and Uploads.

Furthermore, we will reach out personally to all users who may be affected by this change later this afternoon.

— Twitch Support (@TwitchSupport) February 19, 2025

Some think this action is contributing to a broader trend of prioritizing short-form engagement over long-form content storage on Twitch. Others suspect that Twitch aims to motivate streamers to use YouTube or other platforms for archiving, thereby reinforcing Twitch’s position as a live-streaming service rather than a repository of content.

download their content or face the possibility of losing it permanently.

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2025-02-20 19:40