They were criticized for technical problems, interruptions and controversy, leading to the two-year hiatus as the producers and organizers took time to regroup.

[10] Winners of the categories were selected by the Streamys Blue Ribbon Panel except for the Audience Choice awards which were put to a public vote.

Internet personality Felicia Day was more critical of the more mainstream approach compared to previous years stating "My impression is it's almost like a red carpet for old media.

"[6] Likewise, Ed Carrasco of NewMediaRockstars felt that the event should have been more focused around small independent creators than large scale productions such as Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn and Tom Hanks’ Electric City which won many of the show's awards.

"[15] Carrie described the musical performance of Shontelle and featured artists Lisa Lavie, Savannah Outen, Kurt Hugo Schneider, and Sam Tsui as a highlight of the night and said that it "illustrated beautifully how the web allows content creators and consumer to interact in a way that's still rare in mainstream media.