Nibel is leaving Twitter, and you can (partially) blame Elon Musk

Outside of stellar game industry coverage, Nibel was best recognized for their Mob Psycho avatar, which displays the titular character Mob against a yellow backdrop. | Image: One / Dark Horse Comics

Nibel (@Nibellion) has left the building. The popular Twitter user best known for their steady, reliable stream of gaming industry news and recognizable Mob Psycho avatar announced today that they would be leaving the platform, citing a lack of financial support and concerns over Elon Musk’s leadership.

A final message was posted to the now-locked account announcing the departure, definitively saying, “After some introspection, I’ve made the decision to focus my time and energy elsewhere and move on from Twitter. This marks the end of my video games coverage and my active participation in this platform.” Nibel posted a more detailed message to their Patreon subscribers, confirming that the month-old Patreon account would also be abandoned and that future plans for a Discord server were being scrapped. Billing for the Patreon account has already been deactivated, and refunds for recent payments are being looked into.

Image: @Nibellion
Nibel’s final Tweet, addressing their departure from Twitter.

Nibel explained that attempts to create a reliable revenue stream had proved unsuccessful. “I’ve learned a lot in a short period of time. Unfortunately, I was not able to create an interesting and sustainable Patreon which is evident in the number of Patrons stagnating during the first weekend and the first (of many) pledges being deleted during the first week,” Nibel wrote in the Patreon update. “I have miscalculated the value of my Twitter activity and realize that it is nothing worth supporting by itself for the vast majority of people.”

While Nibel wasn’t a verified Twitter user, they managed to amass almost half a million followers and became one of the most reputable sources for gaming news on the platform, often reporting on new releases and updates faster than major gaming publications. In fact, this success, paired with a lack of Twitter verification (a feature that Musk reportedly wants to charge users $20 a month to maintain), has previously led to fake gaming news circulating the platform due to the creation of fake accounts impersonating Nibel.

Twitter itself and Musk’s recent acquisition of the platform were also mentioned as contributing factors for their departure, with Nibel saying on Patreon: “I don’t think that Twitter has yet experienced good leadership, and this trend will not change with Musk either. I do not trust the platform. I do not trust Musk and his seemingly infinite immaturity.”