Twitch orders US Army to stop tricking viewers into recruitment with fake giveaways

Viewers would be offered the chance to win a controller before being re-directed to a recruitment page

Popular video live streaming service Twitch says it has forced the US Army to stop using fake prize giveaways to attract recruits.

According to a report in The Nation, the army had been offering viewers a chance to win an Xbox Elite Series 2 controller (an “enhanced controller with customisable options and extra paddles for advanced play that costs upward of $200”).

Pursuing the offer would send viewers to an army recruitment page “with no additional mention of a contest, odds, total number of winners, or when a drawing will occur”.

Following The Nation‘s report, Twitch streamers and viewers from across the community voiced their outrage on social media.

A spokesperson for Twitch addressed the controversy in a statement to gaming website Kotaku. “This promotion did not comply with our Terms,” they said, “and we have required them to remove it.”

The US military has an extensive commercial deal with Twitch, capitalising on the platform’s large base of young US men.

The armed forces are an official sponsor of Twitch’s esports brand, Twitch Rivals. Some of the biggest fixtures in esports, on well-known games like League of Legends and Valorant, feature the US military logo prominently in the branding.

Commentators are also obliged to periodically mention the army.