Trainwreck moves to Kick, a new Twitch rival: “Twitch lost its grasp on reality”

Twitch star Tyler ‘Trainwreck’ Niknam is moving to an all-new platform, Kick, as “a non-owner advisor and non-exclusive broadcaster.” He has urged others to follow him and give the platform a year to grow with its streamer-friendly policies, including a 95% sub revenue split.

“Twitch has deemed most of us irrelevant,” Trainwreck opened with on December 5.

A trendsetter on the Amazon-owned streaming platform, Train knows what the grind is like from zero to hero. Now with a legion of fans in the millions, he has been vocal with his discontent with policy changes from the Terms of Service, to the recent gambling ban, and more.

He has also put in legwork to support smaller creators, which he considered the backbone of the streaming giant. After years of trying to give them a voice though, he’s had enough of Twitch and is helping out on a new platform to build a better place for streamers.

That new platform is Kick, Trainwreck revealed.

“I have a good understanding of Twitch, its foundations, whether they be underground or mainstream, and the way everything works,” he stated in a Twitlonger. “Twitch pads the pockets of a handful of creators, and they are the only ones that won’t admit Twitch’s negligence toward the majority of its streamers.

“Twitch has built an empire off of our backs and has the audacity to spit in all of our faces by not only giving us no financial security, with its inconsistent policies, but by also cutting our pay in places that they have no right to cut.”

Twitch: TrainwrecksTV

Train blasted Twitch’s 50-50 sub split as the “highest… of any platform in the livestreaming world.” He also said, for that 50% split, the site does next to nothing to promote upcoming creators. 

“Twitch does nearly no marketing for streamers, no discovery, and limited help in building their business. Those streamers only succeed from the blood, sweat, and time they put in themselves. Twitch’s only role is as a website host.”

Kick is in beta right now, with the same categories as what you’d see on Twitch. It feels just like the Amazon-owned platform, but behind the scenes there are a number of creator-friendly policies Trainwreck has been pushing for.

This includes a 95-5 sub revenue split, the best of any streaming site out there. Tips, called Kicks, will feature a 100% split to the creator ⁠— the platform takes nothing, and there’s an option to cash out money on the same day rather than waiting for a monthly payout.

The platform will focus on monetization through ads by partnering “with the world’s leading advertisers to generate cash flow.”

Partnered streamers will “get a steady income based on hours watched and total viewers you stream to with an option to be paid out on the same day,” with no real exclusivity in the contract.

As it relates to Train’s own content on the platform, he’s made sure gambling can still exist in an “ethical” manner: “Fill balances must be disclosed. No wager locked giveaways, no code locked giveaways, and no lying to audiences regarding the reality of gambling’s losing nature.”

These are just some of the changes Train has looked at pushing on Kick, and there’s more to come.

“Kick understands that a successful platform starts with a successful streamer. I’ve worked with their team already to create these benefits that no other platform has.

“The platform is still in the building stages. Kick will roll out these features in the near future under my direction. I’m in constant communication with the ownership and developer team and I’m confident in their mission.”

It’s a big jump for one of Twitch’s biggest names to make ⁠— and that’s why for now, he’s staying non-exclusive and will be broadcasting on both the Amazon-owned platform and Kick. He’s urged other streamers to do the same and give the platform a year to grow into a potential rival.

“Be patient with Kick and give it time to develop. There will be bugs and issues, and this isn’t a complete launch… watch Kick’s development and decide if it’s the right platform for you.

“The Kick team and I are making Kick a baseline non-exclusive platform. We’re putting the power into the streamers hands to decide if you want exclusivity or not. If you want to pursue exclusivity, we will offer additional paid options through our creator program.”

Train has had a lofty vision of what live streaming should look like, and Kick is giving him the platform to do that. For the little guy struggling on Twitch, Kick is offering the opportunity of a lifetime. Whether it can sustain that long term is the real question.

“Kick’s team and I have a vision to make a live streaming platform that’s actually built first for creators. Not just for Twitch’s huge creators with paid contracts, but for the small and mid-sized creators who are the foundation and backbone of all live streaming platforms. 

“We’ll bring live streaming back to what it was before Twitch lost its way. An authentic experience between viewers and streamers.”