Streamer Felix “xQc” Lengyel has fought back against haters who feel he is taking away from the work of smaller creators.
xQc is one of the biggest streamers in the world and he’s massive on YouTube as well. He currently has over 2.32 million subscribers on YouTube, where he often posts videos reacting to TikToks, streams, television shows, and other content creators. While this type of content has proven to be very successful for The Juicer, some fellow content creators are not happy about it.
Recently, someone on Twitter pointed out that smaller creators will “spend months” putting together videos — including research and editing — just to have xQc “reupload the entire thing and provide zero input” yet still get hundreds of thousands of views.
Popular YouTuber Mutahar “SomeOrdinaryGamers” Anas retweeted the point with a statement in agreement: “Just a shame garbage like this fills the recommended tab.”
The reaction to SomeOrdinaryGamers’ opinion on xQc and other commentary channels was mixed. Some agreed that it was a low-effort way to use others’ work for his own gain while others argued that they enjoyed xQc’s commentary and felt it was entertaining.
As the backlash against xQc continued, the controversial streamer decided to voice his own feelings on the topic.
“I wonder what triggers people like you so much,” he tweeted back. “Revenue share? Audience split? Algorithm? I’ve heard this complaint a million times and most ‘public figures’ try to attack it from multiple angles, just to fall flat on their face. I’m watching a video I like to my people. That’s it.”
One fan replied back that they like xQc’s reaction videos, but do agree they are “unfair” since the original video creator should be getting part of the revenue bigger streamers make off of reacting to the content.
xQc replied: “They can claim the whole f—ing thing and they do a lot of times. I swear you guys just make s— up for the hell of it. My stuff gets re-uploaded for the ‘YouTube frogs’ that miss the stream. Get me contradictory analytics, or facts. Anything else is zzzzzz.”
A YouTube partner responded that most YouTubers cannot claim monetization on reaction videos, especially from larger streamers like xQc. All they can do is try to get a DMCA strike, which he could counter. To some fans, it sounded like xQc had just admitted that he is knowingly stealing content and using it for both Twitch streams and YouTube videos thereafter.
At this point, many people demanded that the former Overwatch League pro should have to make his own content. But he probably won’t stop making reaction videos any time soon, especially with how lucrative they’ve become over the years.
Olivia Richman
About Olivia Richman
Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.
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