Streaming sensation xQc revealed that he and other Kick co-owners “put their foot down” to ban content that crosses the line.
Since its launch as a competitor to Twitch, Kick has taken the streaming world by storm, signing some of the biggest names in the space such as Felix ‘xQc’ Lengyel, Amouranth, chess pro GM Hikaru, and many more.
However, the platform has faced quite a bit of scrutiny in the ensuing year. Many streamers took advantage of the site’s laissez-faire approach to moderation in the early days by routinely producing controversial content, knowing they’d get off with a slap on the wrist.
For instance, in April, divisive creator N3on was only briefly banned after a dangerous driving stream with New York street racer Squeeze Benz ended with a hit-and-run.
That was then, though. In recent months, Kick has stepped up its approach, suspending Jack Doherty when he crashed his McLaren while on his phone and permanently banning Fousey after threatening to harm himself.
Speaking with Logan Paul on IMPAULSIVE, xQc revealed that this sudden change in philosophy from Kick is because he and other co-owners of the site demanded the company take action during a round table meeting.
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When asked if he was worried about Kick’s content going too far, xQc revealed that he wasn’t, due to discussions that took place six months prior.
“We put our foot down and said, ‘This cannot fly anymore,’” Lengyel revealed before explaining that he’d received equity in Kick when he signed his $100M contract with the platform. “Being invested in what you do and saying, ‘I want this to do good,’ and putting all your energy into it and being fully committed, that was really important to me.”
The French Canadian added that he and others told Kick, “You need to decide whether you want to be the trashy one on the block, or if you want to have a more refined product and actually have a chance at doing something.”
According to xQc, Kick’s CEO Edward Craven understood where he was coming from, noting that the site was “really rough” at first with Ice Poseidon getting arrested in Thailand and other content going too far.
And although there have been some clips that keep pushing the envelope, xQc says the moderation has really stepped up and the site hasn’t had any big controversies for months now.
This revelation from xQc comes at an interesting time for the streamer, as in September, he revealed that he was unsure if he’d resign with Kick once his contract finishes up.
