Twitch Users To Vote An Emote To Replace The Iconic BibleThump

Are goodbyes really necessary? Twitch prepares to bid its farewell to one of the most beloved global emotes in the streaming platform, BibleThump. Unfortunately, their rights with this icon from the indie game, “The Binding of Isaac,” are expiring on September 30, 2024. 

With that, the platform asked its user base to vote for their favorite among the unveiled three potential replacements for the said emote. However, this was not greeted warmly by the community and further sparked a controversy. 

The End of an Era

The crying face of Isaac from “The Binding of Isaac,”  BibleThump, made its legacy on the streaming platform. For over a decade, it managed to become a Twitch chat staple to express users’ sadness or emotional moments. Evidently, it is deeply ingrained in Twitch’s culture to use the emote. The platform also acknowledged the sentimental value and significance of this in their released statement,

“On 9/30, the rights to our beloved emote expire. While this is sad news, we know that all emotes go to heaven.” 

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

 

The Proposed Replacements

With the departure of BibleThump from Twitch, a void was left for emote spammers. To fill this, the platform revealed three of their new emote options: 

• BigSad

• UnBearable

• LayersOfSad

These emotes all feature crying characters drawn by the artist, Symon Redd. It attempts to resemble the essence of the original icon, BibleThump. On September 27, Twitch launched a poll on X (formerly Twitter) that asked its users to vote on their preferred placement. The platform mentioned in their caption, 

“Attention Chat! Though the end with our beloved :BibleThump: is soon, a new tear must fall! Now it’s up to YOU to decide which one lives on. Vote and help us pick the next reincarnation!” 

Attention Chat! Though the end with our beloved :BibleThump: is soon, a new tear must fall! Now it’s up to YOU to decide which one lives on. Vote and help us pick the next reincarnation! 😭

— Twitch (@Twitch) September 26, 2024

 

Community Backlash

However, the efforts seem not to be enough for the users. Although Twitch attempted to involve the community in the making of a replacement decision, their response has been negative. Several users have taken to their social media platforms to voice out their dissatisfaction with the suggested actions of the company. This particularly includes their decision to retire BibleThump in chat.

Most of the sentiments on this controversy heed Twitch to renew their rights to BibleThump rather than voting for its replacement. Apart from this, there have been criticisms over the new emote designs. Some claim that it is evidently lacking in comparison to the original iconic character. This is inevitable, as BibleThump has been part of their life for more than a decade. 

On top of everything, Twitch faced accusations from users of being “cheap” after refusing to extend the licensing agreement. JakeNBlake, an IRL streamer, simply dismissed the poll with “Nawwwwww,” while some were more blunt with their criticism. 

A Possible Solution Overlooked?

Amidst the rights renewal issue of BibleThump, its creator came in to shed light. It seems that Twitch didn’t necessarily have to retire the beloved chat emote. The Binding of Isaac’s creator and rights holder, Edmund McMillen, publicly stated he’s 100% fine with coming up with a good solution in order to keep or modify the emote. He further emphasized that the decision is ultimately on Twitch. 

Upon this revelation, speculation arises that Twitch’s motivation to seek replacement might be more of a financial one than the ought practicality. Discussions went around saying that creating an in-house emote may cost way cheaper than a renewal of BibleThump’s licensing agreement. However, some users remain adamant on keeping the emote for its significance. 

What’s Next?

Sadness binds BibleThump and Twitch users together for a decade. It’s ironic to use the emote to express dejection over its retirement on Twitch, though it just shows its relevance. With September 30 approaching, people await the final verdict of Twitch whether it’ll keep the icon on the platform. Only one thing’s for certain, and that is people will miss having the sad Biblethump emote in their chats.