Empowering Japanese Culture Worldwide Through Community Power—Insights on Twitch, Streamers, VTubers, and More from a Twitch Executive at TGS 2025

The second day of this year’s Tokyo Game Show 2025 concluded in a vibrant atmosphere, and on Business Day, September 26, 2025, we had the opportunity to interview two executives from Twitch, the U.S.-based streaming platform. We’re sharing highlights from our conversation with Mary Kish, Head of Community, and Lewis Mitchell, APAC Content Director.

Lewis Mitchell (left) and Mary Kish (right) Thumbnail image No.001 / Empowering Japanese Culture to Reach the World – Talks on SHAKA, Strigra, VTubing, and More from Twitch Executives on Japan’s Market and Future Outlook [TGS2025]

The Japanese “game streaming” market experienced explosive growth starting during the pandemic. Its convenience—both streamers and viewers stay indoors—and its alignment with society’s shift toward entertainment scarcity, which left people with idle time, made it feel like long-dormant seeds suddenly sprouted into full bloom. Even as the pandemic has subsided somewhat, this momentum shows no signs of slowing down, now expanding even to real-world events.

In the midst of Japan’s streaming boom, Twitch has emerged as a major presence and become instantly familiar to gamers. Honestly speaking, before recently, I had the impression that Twitch was just another obscure streaming site—something only hardcore fans would know about. But today, asking a gamer if they know Twitch would likely make “not knowing” the minority opinion.

At this year’s TGS 2025, Twitch showcased its presence by forming a partnership with Japan’s esports/streamer team ZETA DIVISON and participated in the exhibition. We sat down to learn how Twitch views the current Japanese market and what goals they have for the future.

Twitch

Empowering Japanese Culture to Reach the World Through Community Power

4Gamer:
Thank you both for taking time out of your busy schedules today. Could we start with a brief self-introduction?

Lewis Mitchell (hereafter, Mitchell):
Ladies first!

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Mary Kish (hereafter, Kish):
Hello. I’m Mary Kish, Head of Community at Twitch. My role involves helping people recognize each other within the community and supporting users in discovering the Twitch brand. It’s an incredibly rewarding job.

Mitchell:
I’m Lewis Mitchell, Content Director for APAC at Twitch. As Mary just mentioned “community,” it’s vital to note that for Twitch, our creators and viewers together form a core community—something we simply cannot do without. My team and I primarily focus on supporting the creator side—our so-called partners. As you may know, Twitch creators begin as affiliates; once they meet certain criteria, they become official partners. Japan has its own local support team for these creators, who have been working hard at this year’s TGS.

4Gamer:
For an icebreaker, could you each share a booth that particularly caught your interest here at TGS? Personal preferences are welcome.

Kish:
There were so many great games it was hard to choose! I was especially drawn to SILENT HILL f (PC / PS5 / Xbox Series X|S). I love horror games both to play and watch others stream. I was also thrilled by the abundance of information on the Resident Evil series, and Ghost of Yōtei looks like it will become a truly outstanding title.

Mitchell:
I used to be into FPS games quite a lot—but now I’m past that age (laughs). These days, I’m more drawn to slower-paced, relaxed games. So maybe this weekend, I’ll check out some indie titles.

4Gamer:
Thank you very much. Twitch is primarily known as a streaming platform, yet it actively participates in offline events like TwitchCon and exhibitions such as TGS. What’s the purpose and significance of Twitch attending these kinds of events?

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Mitchell:
As mentioned earlier, we regard community as absolutely essential. These events offer invaluable chances to hear directly from our community members and engage in meaningful exchanges. TGS is especially perfect for us—it brings together top-tier creators all the way down to viewers, forming a complete ecosystem that’s hard to find elsewhere.

Kish:
Twitch isn’t just about gaming—our platform supports streams on cooking, casual chat, and much more. But at its heart, gaming remains our core focus. That’s why TGS is the first place we want to be in Japan. It’s a space where community members can meet, collaborate, and connect with one another as creators. This is exactly what we envision as the true “Twitch Community.”

4Gamer:
That’s insightful. Japan is often described as “insular” or “Galapagos-like,” but how do Japanese community trends compare globally? Are they notably different?

Mitchell:
From our perspective, there’s actually little difference in the overall flow. Looking at our company’s history, it began with FPS players starting streams and gradually expanding into other genres. It wasn’t about skill alone—but about creators entertaining audiences. This trend is consistent worldwide, including Japan.

Kish:
I’d add to Lewis’ point: globally, but especially in Japan, one area seeing rapid growth is VTubing (VTubers). Their rising presence and expanding platforms are something we’re truly excited about.

4Gamer:
How does Twitch approach the Japanese market specifically?

Mitchell:
Among all our markets, Japan stands out for its incredibly fast growth. That’s why we’ve established a dedicated local team to work closely with various publishers. In recent years, we’ve clearly sensed shifting mindsets among major publishers like Capcom, Bandai Namco, and Nintendo—mindsets that are more open to collaboration. Of course, this is only possible through strong partnerships with creators.

Kish:
We’re also learning from content creators about upcoming trends—but direct interaction between them isn’t always easy, given how scattered they are geographically (laughs). That’s why we’ve created events like tonight’s Twitch Connect, specifically to bring these individuals together. The goal is for members to discover shared interests—like women forming guilds and finding collaboration partners.

4Gamer:
Earlier, I saw you both interacting with Twitch partner streamers in the lounge area of the ZETA DIVISON booth. What are your impressions of Japanese Twitch streamers?

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Mitchell:
I truly feel that creators everywhere share a common creative drive—to explore and propose new concepts. While game genres may differ, the underlying mindset is surprisingly universal.

Kish:
The idea of advancing one genre to the next level—this could be considered a hallmark of Japanese streamers. A prime example is SHAKA, who literally redefined his genre. Even internationally, many people say they don’t understand Japanese but know “SHAKA.” Then there’s “GTA RP”—uh… Strigra?

4Gamer:
Yes, it’s Strigra.

Kish:
Strigra is essentially a next-generation evolution of GTA RP. The fact that they filled an entire stage with fans at a live event—something unprecedented globally—is incredible. As seen in the rise of VTubing, Japan’s unique strength lies in how passionately people engage and contribute across many areas.

4Gamer:
How about Japanese viewers? What’s your impression?

Kish:
Personally, I’ve noticed that there are often a few highly passionate fans for individual creators. These dedicated followers play a major role during events by connecting with their favorite streamers.

Mitchell:
At this year’s TGS, panel discussions featuring SHAKA and k4sen were both completely full—clear evidence of how many enthusiastic fans there are. I could sense an incredibly positive energy: “I want to support my favorite creator.”

4Gamer:
What about esports? This field has long been a stronghold for Twitch. Do you see further growth ahead?

Mitchell:
Esports itself has grown dramatically—from small gatherings of just dozens with $50 prizes, now evolving into massive stadium events offering millions in prize money. While early esports success was closely tied to Twitch’s own growth, recent trends show increasing collaboration with publishers. For example, during past VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) events, k4sen’s watch party attracted viewership comparable to the main channel. Meanwhile, Twitch has introduced initiatives like Drops—where users receive in-game items for streaming continuously for a set time. We’re now actively combining major esports broadcasts with community-engagement strategies.

4Gamer:
Earlier you mentioned ZETA DIVISON’s lounge area. Will your partnership continue?

Mitchell:
Absolutely! Our partnership with ZETA DIVISON felt natural—built on years of prior interactions and shared values. In fact, many team members are already streaming on Twitch. Given this organic foundation, the current collaboration feels like a logical next step. We’re eager to amplify what’s already been achieved through our work together. And we hope visitors to the lounge will discover new connections and inspiration through these conversations.

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Kish:
We’re truly honored to have partnered with ZETA DIVISON. Their rapid growth over recent years and significant achievements are impressive. Collaborating with them has been a wonderful experience. I hope all visitors to the lounge will relax, enjoy connecting with other creators, and also share their feedback—what they expect from Twitch.

4Gamer:
So can we conclude that Twitch feels positive about its Japan expansion?

Mitchell:
Japan’s growth is remarkable—I’d say we’re “happy” about it. It’s the fastest-growing market in our APAC region. But we’re not satisfied with the status quo, and we never will be. We want to do more creative things and discover even more creators. Community support remains essential—and that requires grassroots marketing efforts like this one.

4Gamer:
What kind of initiatives are effective for discovering new creators? While streaming barriers have lowered significantly compared to just a few years ago, taking the first step can still be difficult.

Kish:
You’re absolutely right. That’s why we’ve invested heavily in collaboration tools—designed to help community members share information and grow together.

4Gamer:
Collaboration helps discover new creators?

Kish:
Yes. What we’ve observed is that when two creators stream together or share chat spaces, their communities naturally connect more easily. This opens the door for new audiences to discover emerging creators—directly expanding our community base. We also invest in educational support to help creators sustain long-term streaming. We provide concrete guidance on branding, marketing strategies, editing clips effectively, and spreading word-of-mouth through real examples. Additionally, we offer various resources like Twitch Creator Camp—and we’ll keep exploring new ways forward.

4Gamer:
That’s very helpful. Actually, I used to stream on Twitch myself—though it was a long time ago, and I’ve stopped since (laughs).

Mitchell:
That’s such a shame! But compared to back then, so many things have improved now. Even if someone stepped away from streaming before, we’d love for them to come back. And you too—we’re counting on you (laughs).

4Gamer:
Thank you (laughs). Lastly, any message for our readers?

Mitchell:
It’s been three years since I started this job—and Japanese community members continue to inspire me every day. Their creativity and passion constantly push me to explore Japan’s market even further. More culture is now spreading from Japan to the world—VTubing being a prime example. Going forward, we’ll keep supporting our communities and help more people take that “final step” toward becoming creators.

Kish:
I’m truly honored by our new partnership with ZETA DIVISON. I’m really looking forward to meeting many creators at tonight’s Twitch Connect event—and especially thrilled about being able to invite Japanese female streamers into the Womans Guild (Women’s Guild). But we’re still just getting started. Every new initiative brings valuable lessons, and I want to keep learning from them as we take on even greater challenges.

4Gamer:
Thank you so much!

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