Twitch
Twitch
xQc gets $1,500 knife skin in first hour of CS2
Olivia Richman
While Felix “xQc” Lengyel may have a wonky personal life, his cash is up right now thanks to Counter-Strike 2. Counter-Strike 2 has been out for a solid hour and xQc has already unboxed skins worth thousands on the market. After months and months of hints, CS2 finally launched and the FPS community has jumped on the bandwagon, including xQc. The stream decision has paid off big time. https://twitter.com/JakeSucky/status/1707143054002683988?s=20 Counter-Strike …
Twitch
What happened at Horseshoe Bay with Ice Poseidon?
William Davis
Paul “Ice Poseidon” Denino is making headlines for the recent controversy that split the Kick community. Unfortunately, this is not the first time Ice Poseidon takes things too far. One of his worst controversies happened in Horseshoe Bay, Texas. Ice Poseidon is no stranger to controversies and getting banned from the platform of his choosing. Earlier this month, Ice Poseidon hosted a problematic stream that is forcing Kick to change …
Twitch
Twitch users can now see why they were banned from chat
Olivia Richman
Twitch has introduced a moderation feature that will now reveal the reason users are banned from chat. Chat moderation has become more and more important as streaming grows and channels become bigger. It can be difficult for larger streamers to watch what’s going on in their chats, meaning trolls and toxic people can sometimes try to get away with harmful behavior. Twitch is attempting to make it easier for streamers …
Twitch
What’s xQc’s real name, and why does he have an accent?
Fariha Bhatti
The streaming world’s golden boy, Félix “xQc” Lengyel, eventually became a familiar name for a broader audience in 2023. But what is his real name, and why does he have an accent? A large chunk of xQc’s personal and professional life is available online. Still, his recent drama with ex-girlfriend Adept and Sidemen charity match appearance has caught the interest of a new audience interested in knowing more about the …
Twitch
Nadia accuses Call of Duty of sexism
Olivia Richman
Streamer Nadia has accused Activision Blizzard of sexism after not getting invited to Call of Duty Next. CoD Next is one of the biggest Call of Duty events of the year, with fans coming from all over the world to meet popular Call of Duty competitors and creators. It should also have a lot of information on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. In preparation for the big event, invites …
Twitch
xQc abuse allegations closed, speaks on past relationships
Olivia Richman
Felix “xQc” Lengyel recently went public with the results of a sexual assault and domestic violence investigation. A criminal investigation was recently opened up against xQc after his former wife Samantha “Adept” Lopez made sexual assault and domestic violence claims against him. It was the latest of ongoing drama between the two content creators, a public split that has resulted in a lot of tension and concerning accusations. On June …
Twitch
Amouranth is ready to sell something else again
Olivia Richman
Another day, another business venture for Kaitlyn “Amouranth” Siragusa. The streamer has recently announced that another business is incoming. Amouranth is no stranger to investing in businesses and creating her own products, everything from gas stations to farts in a jar. Now, Amouranth is looking to tackle the notoriously challenging beverage industry with a drink of her own. On August 24, Amouranth shared the news with fans on social media. …
Twitch
Streamer claims she was kidnapped and held captive
Olivia Richman
Popular Just Chatting streamer Cheon “Berry” Yeseo had fans worried when she suddenly disappeared from social media. Now she has returned with a horrific story to tell. On August 14, 2023, fans became concerned when her stream ended in an unexpected way. After a few days, Berry posted on Instagram that she had been kidnapped and tied up. Meanwhile, the attacker had hacked into her accounts and was posting as …
Is IShowSpeed banned from YouTube?
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Controversial YouTuber Darren “IShowSpeed” Watkins had fans worried when he exposed himself on stream. But it looks like YouTube is blushing and turning the other way. On August 16, IShowSpeed decided to stream himself playing Five Nights at Freddy’s on YouTube. The popular horror game includes a lot of jump scares from demented animatronics and apparently one of those shocking moments prompted IShowSpeed to start thrusting. After yelling, IShowSpeed exclaimed: …
MoistCr1TiKaL has Twitch contract terminated
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Charles “MoistCr1TiKaL” White is no longer streaming on Twitch. Moist is known for his hot takes and hilarious commentary on YouTube, where he posts videos of him talking about a variety of relevant gaming and culture topics. But a lot of the content from those videos actually comes from his streams on Twitch. Unfortunately, Twitch has now terminated his contract. On August 15, Moist announced in a video titled “Goodbye …
Fran reveals real reason behind breakup, says xQc cheated
Fariha Bhatti
Twitch
Félix “xQc” Lengyel and Francine “Fran” Vo’s very public relationship recently ended. While everyone thought it was mutual, the latter has revealed the real reason behind the breakup. Taking to Twitch, Fran revealed that xQc cheated on her. Initially, xQc’s fans didn’t believe her until the Juicer himself confirmed the accusation. After the Adept drama, xQc started dating Fran in a public relationship. Both the streamers shared occasional updates and …
xQc responds to abuse and cheating allegations on stream
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Felix “xQc” Lengyel has reached a breaking point as allegations from former partners continue to pop up. The relationship side of his private life exploded into the public when xQc split with Samantha “Adept” Lopez in March of this year. It was revealed around that time that xQc and Adept were married, and the divorce resulted in some stressful court cases and financial drama. Then, xQc claimed that Adept had …
Fousey has been banned from Twitch twice in one week
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Twitch streamer Yousef “Fousey” Erakat has now been banned twice in one week. On August 11, Fousey found himself banned from Twitch for a second time within a few days. The reason is unknown at this point, so it’s uncertain how long Fousey will be off the platform. Fousey has been banned in the past but then went three years without getting in trouble with the streaming platform. That ended …
“I’m coming for you”: xQc exposes haters after react-gate
Olivia Richman
Twitch
After getting all but humiliated in a livestream debate with Ethan Klein, Felix “xQc” Lengyel has now threatened to expose a lot of the haters that have jumped at his throat for making bank on reaction videos. React-gate has become the biggest controversy in the streaming world over the past month, with big streamers getting called out for “lazy” content that doesn’t transform the clips they are reacting to. Many …
React-gate drama explained: xQc and Ethan Klein argue over stolen content
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Ethan Klein, H3H3 podcast host, has been in an ongoing beef with Felix “xQc” Lengyel after he called out the popular Kick streamer for stealing content. xQc and other content creators have been under fire for “reaction videos,” with others accusing them of using other people’s videos to get clicks without adding any substance of their own. The latest person to agree with this sentiment and openly discuss it is …
Kai Cenat arrested, being charged with inciting a riot in NYC
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Another day, another controversy for Kai Cenat. This time, the popular influencer has been charged with starting a riot in New York City. Kai Cenat has become one of the largest streamers on Twitch, building a huge following of young fans thanks to his loud outbursts, celebrity guests, and over-the-top antics. When Cenat told fans to join him for a live stream in New York City, he probably should have …
Kick vs. Twitch: xQc shares his preference
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Felix “xQc” Lengyel recently signed a non-exclusive deal with Kick that allows him to continue streaming on both platforms. But he recently shared which one he prefers. Kick started gaining traction in 2022 as an alternative to Twitch for those who wanted more freedom to do controversial things like gamble and adult content. It seemed like a gimmick at first, but then the platform started sniping big names from Twitch, …
MrBeast suing MrBeast Burger for delivering “inedible” food
Olivia Richman
Twitch
YouTuber Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson is using the company in charge of his fast food brand, MrBeast Burger. MrBeast Burger is one of the YouTuber’s many side projects outside of creating massive videos for his millions of fans. While he recently launched one physical location, the brand is largely meant to be delivered through delivery apps. Recently, MrBeast sued the company he’s partnered with, Virtual Dining Concepts, over the quality of …
IShowSpeed may return to Twitch, thanks to Kai Cenat
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Kai Cenat is known for his larger-than-life personality and record-breaking sub count on Twitch, but he is not without his controversies. He is often seen with fellow content creator Darren “IShowSpeed” Watkins, who was banned from the platform for ongoing sexism and harassment claims, even including him in his subathon. Now, Cenat is asking Twitch to let his friend come back. IShowSpeed has continued to make headlines for all the …
xQc confirms breakup with Fran in emotional livestream
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Felix “xQc” Lengyel is single. Again. In a recent live stream, xQc confirmed that his relationship with fellow Overwatch content creator Fran is over. According to the Juicer, the relationship has been over for quite some while now, but the two had attempted to “keep the facade up” to avoid public drama. xQc didn’t reveal the specific reason that he ended things with Fran, but it seemed like he wasn’t …
Twitch is the largest of all the major livestreaming platforms in and around the gaming world, but it wasn’t always that way. Th platform’s history dates back over many years and to a form of the service that had little to do with gaming. So how did it arrive to the top of the gaming marketplace from those humble beginnings?
Twitch transcends justin.tv, is acquired by Amazon
Twitch was originally born out of justin.tv, an early livestreaming website that focus more on general lifestyle streaming than on any one particular niche, gaming included. justin.tv, named after co-founder Justin Kan, was launched in 2007 and went on to feature multiple categories of streaming options. Among these was gaming, a category which quickly outpaced the growth of platform’s other categories.
Responding to this growth, justin.tv spun out its gaming section in 2011 into a new service called Twitch.tv, and that is the true starting point of Twitch as it exists today.
It would still be some time before Twitch would resemble its modern-day operation. The biggest move towards that progression came in 2014, when the streaming platform was purchased for just shy of $1 billion in cash by services and technology giant Amazon. That move transitioned the company being a private operation largely funded by private investment and internal revenues to one of many arms of one of the world’s largest and richest companies.
Twitch dominates gaming livestreaming
The growth of Twitch largely coincided with the growth of livestreaming the world over, and gaming was a key driver of that growth as audiences flocked in droves to watch charismatic personalities play through their favorite games both new and old. Some of those personalities would become so popular that they would rival mainstream celebrities in notoriety with younger audiences, from Tyler “Ninja” Blevins to Imane “Pokimane” Anys.
Some of those personalities would be poached by rival streaming platforms that cropped up in response to the runaway popularity of Twitch. Microsoft’s Mixer and YouTube’s YouTube Gaming both signed streamers with massive audiences to exclusive streaming deals via big-money contracts. But Twitch proved resilient; no matter how popular the streamers were when they were signed away, someone else seemed prime to fill their spot. Twitch had become more than just a vehicle through which popular personalities could stream. It was itself a destination for its audience.
Twitch does still continue to compete with rival platforms. Kick is perhaps its biggest competition today, offering generous
subscription revenue splits
in an effort to sway streamers away from Twitch. But Amazon’s platform remains the most popular.
Twitch finds controversy over moderation, censorship
Given the nature of the Twitch platform, one that is entirely reliant on user-generated content, it should come as no surprise that moderation and censorship have long been hot topics of conversation. Consistency, or lack thereof, is often cited as Twitch’s biggest issue as its moderation team struggles to pass judgments across a litany of streamers producing a great variety of content.
Those content types have only grown over time. While Twitch found massive popularity by moving away from the greater variety of justin.tv and focusing specifically on gaming, the platform has ironically pushed back into other categories in more recent years, attempting to find additional growth by emphasizing the streaming of art, music, and its popular “just chatting” content that sees streamers talking directly to their audience without any particular activity driving their engagement.
But while Twitch is now a lightning rod for controversy and discussion given its great size and breadth, that controversy has shown no real risk to lessening its grip on the livestreaming industry. Twitch has become the dominant name in its category, and with its biggest streamers continuing to
set new records, all signs point to that dominance continuing for the foreseeable future.
