KICK Studios head talks OTK partnership, community events, and what's next
KICK is breaking in its new KICK Studios project with a bang, and that bang comes in the form of a partnership with famed streamer collective OTK.
KICK has been busy at work this year in building on its own momentum. The streaming platform made major waves when it brought on MrBeast, one of the world’s biggest online content creators, to assist with his TeamWater initiative. The move resulted in millions of dollars being raised for MrBeast’s charity, and one of the biggest bumps in renown KICK has experienced since its launch.
The platform is continuing to partner with big names in streaming and content creation by way of its partnership with OTK. This collaboration also marks another new initiative at KICK: The hard launch of its KICK Studios program. To better understand the future of that program, the nature of the new partnership with KICK, and what’s next for everyone involved, we sat down with Andrew Santamaria, the head of KICK Studios, to get more information straight from the source.
WIN.gg: What is the goal of the KICK-OTK content partnership, and what makes the partnership important for KICK?
Andrew Santamaria (Head of KICK Studios): We’re excited to be in partnership with OTK to produce a slate of livestream events, which will be hosted on OTK’s KICK channel. The vision is to merge gaming and IRL content in an organic way and take it to the next level with larger scale streams. We’re raising the bar on interactive live content via gameplay tournaments and activations that both our communities can participate in alongside some of their favorite streamers. Both companies lead with a creator-first approach, so we’re bringing together established and emerging KICK creators with OTK’s strong roster of lifestyle, gaming, and esports streamers.
Joining forces with an innovative team like OTK is pivotal as they’ve been longtime leaders in the talent and livestreaming space. The collaboration also marks the launch of KICK Studios, a program designed to equip creators of all sizes with resources to bring their original content ideas to the platform. KICK is looking to amplify creative, authentic content that has a positive impact across various categories–gaming, IRL, just chatting, music, and art. Currently, we’re in development on a few concepts including “Underground Uprise,” [which is] a music challenge series where DubzMusic and Uhmaayyze task artists with producing an original song on livestream, and “BBFM,” a weekly radio-style show with bbjess featuring the entertaining and quirky segments that she’s known for.
What made KICK and OTK decide to run an OSRS (Old School RuneScape) event?
With the Trials of Gielinor: Old School RuneScape event, we wanted to lean into the nostalgia around a classic game, and we had the opportunity to collaborate with the developer Jagex. We put together four epic teams of MMORPG streamers with participation from Sodapoppin, Odablock, MaryyMaybe, Sardaco, AnnieFuchsia, and many more. The OSRS choice made sense, as the popularity and enthusiasm for the game has endured since its launch, and it continues to break player count records.
Why is it important for a platform like KICK to host community-focused streams like this one, and what is KICK’s goal in doing so?
Investing in immersive community experiences that bring streamers, fans, and game developers together is a priority for us. KICK is an incubator for some amazing emerging streamer talent who are putting in the work daily and really leaning into gaming and esports content. We want to empower creators by scuffing the shiny floor, tearing up the cue cards, and keeping it authentic.
The growing impact of livestream content within the entertainment and gaming landscape is undeniable. Our ultimate goal is to usher in livestreaming as the new mass-consumed media where the audience is not only watching, but actively participating and building community in real time.
Are there any highlights from the OSRS event that stand out?
It was fantastic to see World of Warcraft creators being coached up by OSRS creators during the stream. That generated some organic, viral moments for the KICK, OTK, and OSRS communities. This is what happens when you let creators play the games they want to play, in a setting that they want to play in. All I can say is SodaBlock is a force not found on any bingo card.
Overall, aligning with OTK and Jagex on this event was a massive success. The official broadcast was hosted on OTK’s KICK channel and the participants co-streamed as well, which drove substantial viewership and engagement. The analytics double down on that, revealing that the stream brought in just under 150,000 Hours Watched, maintained 17.7K Average Viewers, and reached 24.6K Peak Viewers.
Are there other games KICK has its eyes on to next highlight in this way?
We’re definitely working on more gaming events that we can’t announce just yet. Fighting games have made a resurgence in the past few years, so we’re exploring opportunities in that genre.
What’s next for the KICK and OTK partnership? Anything for fans to look forward to?
There’s definitely a lot for the creator community to look forward to. KICK will have a significant presence at the DreamHack Atlanta gaming and esports festival in October. We’ve partnered with the festival for the past few years, and we’re amped to return with another solid programming lineup including an IRL activation with OTK. Stay tuned for details on that.
Jared Wynne is the Editor-in-Chief at WIN.gg, overseeing its content. He has been working in digital media for over two decades, most often in and around the gaming industry. His all-time favorite games include Baldur’s Gate, Doom, and Counter-Strike, but he’ll play just about anything that seems interesting. His previous credits include The Daily Dot, The Esports Observer, GameLand, and more.
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