PogChamp, an iconic emote on the Twitch platform, was removed on January 6, 2021. This move came as a surprise to many users who had grown accustomed to using and seeing the emote in chat. Its removal marked the end of an era for the Twitch community.
The decision to remove PogChamp came after the original face behind the emote made controversial statements on social media. The individual’s comments sparked a heated debate and led to concerns about Twitch’s association with the emote. As a result, Twitch made the decision to remove the emote to distance itself from the controversy and uphold its community guidelines.
PogChamp, short for “Pog Champion,” was originally introduced to Twitch in 2016. It quickly gained popularity and became one of the most widely used emotes on the platform. The emote featured an image of Ryan Gutierrez, a professional Street Fighter player, with an expression of excitement and surprise. Its purpose was to convey a sense of hype or excitement in chat during live streams.
Over the years, PogChamp became deeply ingrained in Twitch culture. It was often used to react to exciting moments, big plays, or surprising events happening on stream. Its versatility and widespread recognition made it a staple emote for Twitch users.
The removal of PogChamp had a significant impact on the Twitch community. Many users expressed their disappointment and nostalgia for the emote, as it had become a familiar and beloved symbol within the platform. Some even started campaigns to bring back PogChamp or suggested alternative emotes to fill the void.
Twitch, in response to the emote’s removal, introduced a new feature called “PogChamp of the Day.” This feature automatically updated the PogChamp emote with a different face every 24 hours, showcasing various streamers and content creators from the community. This initiative aimed to celebrate the diversity and talent within the Twitch community while also providing a temporary replacement for the original PogChamp emote.
PogChamp was removed from Twitch on January 6, 2021, due to controversy surrounding the original face behind the emote. Its removal marked the end of an era for the Twitch community, as PogChamp was one of the most popular and recognizable emotes on the platform. Despite the disappointment, Twitch introduced the “PogChamp of the Day” feature to honor different streamers and maintain the sense of excitement and hype that PogChamp had represented.