Twitch fans, get ready to say goodbye to the iconic BibleThump emote. From September 30, you will no longer be able to use this beloved symbol of sadness on the platform. After more than a decade of being a staple on Twitch, the rights to the BibleThump emote are set to expire, and its time on the platform may come to an end.
The end of the BibleThump Era (2013-2024) is nigh! On 9/30, the rights to our beloved emote expire. 😭 While this is sad news, we know that all emotes go to heaven. SPEAKING OF SAD - we're going to need a new emote to spam these feelings…
— Twitch (@Twitch) September 25, 2024
For many users, BibleThump has been a go-to emote when expressing emotions of frustration or sorrow. This crying pink face, which has become a symbol of Twitch culture, joins other iconic emotes such as Kappa, Pogchamp, and FrankerZ. Since its addition to Twitch in 2013, it has held a special place among users, but this could soon change.
Origins of BibleThump
BibleThump originated from The Binding of Isaac, a 2011 roguelike video game developed by Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl. In the game, players control Isaac, a young boy trying to escape his fanatical mother through a series of procedurally generated dungeons filled with enemies and traps. Based on a biblical story, the game frequently shows Isaac sobbing, curled up in a ball, as tears stream down his pink face.
The image of Isaac's tearful expression was quickly adopted into Twitch culture and became the BibleThump emote. For more than 10 years, it has been used across the platform to signify moments of despair, sadness, and even empathy.
However, that long run could soon be over. Twitch's rights to use BibleThump are expiring, and so far, there hasn't been confirmation that it will stay. But McMillen, one of the game's creators, has not ruled out a solution that could save the emote.
Potential to save the emote
For those wondering what happened with the Bible thump emote, I'm 100% fine with coming up with a good solution to keep or modify the emote but I'm not in control of the new twitch policies so it's really up to them.
— 🜏 Edmund McMillen 🜏 (@edmundmcmillen) September 25, 2024
Edmund McMillen has expressed that he is willing to work out a deal to keep BibleThump on Twitch. “I'm 100% fine with coming up with a good solution to keep or modify the emote,” McMillen said on social media, showing that he's open to discussions. This opens the door for Twitch to negotiate with McMillen to extend their rights to the emote, potentially saving it from disappearing.
https://t.co/v8p85yek2R pic.twitter.com/rylvHMX93i
— 🜏 Edmund McMillen 🜏 (@edmundmcmillen) September 25, 2024
However, the decision to keep BibleThump on Twitch may come down to money. McMillen hinted that if Twitch pays the price to renew the rights, the emote could stay. However, with Twitch recently cutting costs, it's unclear whether the company is willing to spend money on maintaining emotes.
Twitch's tightening budget
Twitch, like many tech companies, has been tightening its belt. The company has gone through several rounds of layoffs and has made significant changes to its business model. For instance, Twitch has stopped offering multimillion-dollar exclusivity deals to streamers and recently pulled out of South Korea, a major market for esports, due to high operating costs.
Twitch CEO Dan Clancy has openly said that the platform is “not profitable,” and this has led to price increases and a more frugal approach. In this environment, it's uncertain if Twitch will find the cost of keeping BibleThump worthwhile. McMillen has made it clear that the decision is now in Twitch's hands: “I'm not in control of the new Twitch policies, so it's really up to them.”
For Twitch users who have grown attached to BibleThump, the prospect of losing the emote may feel like the end of an era. Whether Twitch will choose to save it or let it go remains to be seen, but for now, the countdown to September 30 is on.
