Following numerous allegations of sexual assault and harassment in the video game industry, Twitch announced that it will review cases involving streamers as quickly as possible, prioritizing the "most serious cases" and initiating permanent suspensions immediately if warranted.

"In many cases, the alleged incidents occurred outside of Twitch and more information is needed to make a determination," Twitch said in a statement, "In some cases, it may be necessary to report the case to the appropriate authorities who are better suited to conduct a more thorough investigation."

Twitch also said the investigation in the company's investigation, and promised to ensure "appropriate due diligence" in the investigation.

"Those who wish to come forward and share additional information, or those who have not yet shared their experiences and wish to do so, can do so confidentially using the reporting tool on each streamer's channel page," the statement said.

Twitch also promised to step up its efforts to ensure that its platform is safe for everyone. Policies regarding hateful conduct and harassment are being reviewed, offensive username detection, AutoMod, and banned word lists are being improved, and a new project "focused on reducing harassment and hateful conduct" is underway.

As documented on StreamerBans Twitter feed, the hammer has already fallen on a number of streamers, including BlessRNG and iamsp00n.

So far, the reaction to the Twitch update seems cautiously optimistic. Stronger policies and enforcement are clearly a step in the right direction, but questions remain about how they will be enforced, with some on Twitter claiming that reports of harassment they have made in the past have been ignored and others expressing concern that top tier streamers will be given preferential treatment Some.

Twitch's policy on banning has been opaque: for example, Guy Beahm, aka DrDisrespect, was suspended by Twitch last year after live-streaming from a bathroom at E3, but the suspension was revoked two weeks later. Luke "MrDeadMoth" Munday, who allegedly assaulted his pregnant partner during a Fortnite stream, was also suspended for just two weeks, but his suspension was made permanent following backlash against his reinstatement.

"Those who have come forward have shown incredible strength, vulnerability, and courage," Twitch said, "We cannot single-handedly address issues that are pervasive throughout the gaming and broader Internet community, but as a service to the community We take our responsibility as a service to the community seriously. We continue to appreciate the accusations against Twitch officials and will look for ways Twitch can work with other industry leaders on this important issue."

Thanks, Videogamer.

Update: The post initially stated that he was in his 20s when WarwitchTV was accused of groping the teenager. Several readers pointed out that he was in fact much older. The reference to his age was removed.