Twitch Rewrites the TwitchCon Rulebook

TwitchCon's Big Safety Overhaul: What's Actually Changing

After the problems at TwitchCon San Diego 2025, a lot of creators and attendees were asking the same question: what is Twitch actually going to do about it? If you missed my coverage of that event, issue 200 of Stream Report has the full breakdown. The short version: it was a rough one.

This week, Twitch laid out their answer (opens in a new tab). The new policies take effect starting with TwitchCon Rotterdam this summer, but these aren't Rotterdam-specific changes. This is Twitch rethinking how TwitchCon works going forward.

Let's unpack what's changing.

Meet & Greets: Reservations Only, No Walk-Ups

This one is straightforward and overdue. Going forward, every Meet & Greet at TwitchCon will require a reservation. Walk-ups are gone, and that includes guests or plus ones accompanying an attendee.

Beyond reservations, Twitch is reworking the physical setup:

• Better separation between queues and creators
• Improved crowd management and queue design
• Clearer entry and exit paths
• Additional dedicated staff on-site
• More creator support resources before and during the event
• Updated escalation channels so help is easier to access

That last point matters. One of the recurring themes from San Diego was creators feeling unsupported when things went wrong. Reservations-only was always the right call. The chaotic walk-up dynamic was a problem waiting to happen, and it finally did.

IRL Streaming: New Rules and a Consent Lanyard

Twitch is introducing a formal IRL streaming policy for TwitchCon. The key changes:

• Streamers and attendees must keep all pathways clear, including aisles, stairways, entrances, exits, and emergency routes
• New no-recording/no-streaming zones with clear signage
• A new lanyard that attendees can wear to signal they don't want to be on camera. If someone is wearing it, IRL streamers are expected not to interview or approach them.

The lanyard is the most interesting addition here. IRL streaming at events has always had an uncomfortable consent dimension. Not everyone at a convention wants to appear in someone's Twitch stream, and previously there was no structured way to communicate that without an awkward confrontation. The lanyard gives attendees a passive, visible signal.

Will it work perfectly? Probably not. It relies on streamers actually respecting it, and enforcement will be imperfect in a busy venue. But the alternative, no system at all, is clearly worse.

Security: More Investment, Faster Response

Twitch says it's increasing its overall investment in TwitchCon security: more trained staff, clearer escalation plans, and stronger coordination across onsite teams.

Here's the reality: vague promises of "more security" only mean something if the underlying staffing and protocols actually match the size of the event. We'll see.

What This Actually Means for You

The changes Twitch is making are the right ones. Reservations-only Meet & Greets, a formal IRL consent system, and more invested security should have been standard well before San Diego 2025 forced the issue.

What I can't tell you yet is whether the implementation will match the policy. TwitchCon is a large, complex event, and the gap between "we've updated our guidelines" and "attendees actually feel safe" is bridged by execution, not announcements.

It's worth noting that this is also the final year for TwitchCon in Rotterdam before the event moves to a new European location, with TwitchCon San Diego continuing at the San Diego Convention Center through 2028. Tickets for Rotterdam went on sale March 27 at €125 (2-day) and €75 (1-day), with prices increasing by €10 after April 22. You can grab them at twitchcon.com (opens in a new tab).

Pete’s Content Corner

Delve into my weekly selection of content creation highlights - handpicked videos, podcasts, and tweets that promise to captivate, educate, and entertain.

1. YouTube has rebranded BrandConnect to YouTube Creator Partnerships (opens in a new tab), now integrated directly into YouTube Studio. Brands can search from 3M+ creators using Gemini-powered discovery, and creators who opt in to share channel insights get surfaced 60% more in brand searches. Roberto Blake says YouTube won't take a percentage (opens in a new tab) of your brand deals, which, if true, makes this worth opting into.
2. Trovo has announced it's shutting down its live streaming service (opens in a new tab) on June 30, 2026, pivoting to focus on its gaming business. The platform originally launched as Madcat in March 2020. If you have VODs on Trovo, download them before the June deadline.
3. OpenAI has shut down Sora (opens in a new tab), its AI video generator, killing both the app and the $1 billion Disney deal that was announced in December. Reports say no money ever changed hands.

Thanks, as always, for taking the time to read Stream Report.

Pete ✌️