Twitch has suspended the popular PogChamp emote. The live streaming platform announced the decision on Twitter this past week. Twitch cited tweets made by the emote’s face, pro Street Fighter player and entrepreneur Ryan Gutierrez, as the reason for the suspension. The move left everyone wondering who would be in the next face of the emote. Twitch responded with a simple answer — everyone. For the foreseeable future, Twitch will be selecting a new face for the emote every 24 hours.
The decision to ban PogChamp stemmed from tweets made by the professional Street Fighter player. Ryan “Gootecks” Gutierrez posted to Twitter after the storm on the Capitol building. His tweets questioned whether more “civil unrest” would occur after a woman was shot during the raid to delay the results of the presidential election. In response, Twitch immediately banned the use of the emote.
PogChamp or “Poggers” for short is an extremely popular emote on the live streaming service. Viewers of a stream will drop the emote in the chat to convey excitement. As one of the oldest phrases on the site, it has burrowed its way into the gaming culture. The term “Poggers” has even inspired memes and use in real-life.
Until a permanent face for the emote is found, Twitch has decided to select different streamers to feature as the PogChamp. The emote will be changed every 24 hours. The platform says they “will work with the community” to find a better design to describe the best moments of Twitch.