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xQc inks $100M non-exclusive partnership contract with Kick: 'Choice was obvious'

With Twitch continuing to face criticism from streamers, Kick is perfectly poised to capitalize on frustrations with the platform

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Felix “xQc” Lengyel has made a huge announcement, revealing that he has joined rival platform, Kick, as part of the biggest streaming deal ever. The two-year deal means that moving forward, xQc will be streaming exclusively on Kick. As one of the most popular content creators around, it is likely that he will quickly become the top performer on the site. With Twitch continuing to face criticism from streamers, Kick is perfectly poised to capitalize on frustrations with the platform.

Brokered by xQc's agent, Ryan Morrison, CEO of the Evolved Talent Agency, the deal is a non-exclusive contract that will span through two years and is worth a jaw-dropping nine-figure sum. xQc currently has over 11 million followers on the purple platform, which makes him the second most-followed English-speaking channel there.

'One of the highest deals in entertainment'

In a tweet, industry veteran Rod "Slasher" Breslau almost confirmed the deal. The tweet showcased a juice box, handshake, and shoe emoji considering that the 27-year-old is known as the 'Juicer' and that shoes are called Kicks. Breslau shared a New York Times article shortly after that, which verified the agreement. Since then, the news has been announced by both the site and xQc personally.

The streamer inked a contract worth "roughly $70 million, with incentives that could push the total to about $100 million," the New York Times article claims. Morrison, his agent also added, “This is more than most professional athletes and megastars." He further added, “This is one of the highest deals in entertainment, period.”

xQc shared his excitement about the move, saying in a statement, “Kick is allowing me to try and do things I haven’t been able to before. It should have been a difficult conversation with every platform in the space throwing offers my way, but after speaking to Kick and the team behind it, the choice was obvious.”  

Kick has been quick to differentiate itself from Twitch, branding itself as a platform that is more creator-friendly. The site provides streamers with higher revenue splits, and it also gives them a say in the direction that the platform is heading in. Despite this, there have been concerns raised about links to a crypto-based casino.

Ed Craven, CEO of Kick, spoke to the press about xQc’s signing, stating, “This is a chance for him (xQc) to truly reinvent himself in an environment where he is treated as an adult and recognized for his creative currency. It's an exciting journey that xQc embarks on with Kick - an opportunity to revolutionize the industry and take control of his streaming future.”

With this announcement, it seems safe to say that Kick is quickly becoming a serious contender in the streaming world.

'Twitch is done'

Given xQc's status on Twitch, getting him off the platform was no easy task. Recently, Twitch has been in hot water for their new program called Partner Plus and some rules about advertisements that didn't go over well with streamers. This has caused many popular streamers to feel unsure about the future of Twitch. Even big names in the industry like Mizkif and Asmongold have expressed concern and hinted at leaving Twitch. If they do leave, Twitch could lose out on a lot of viewers. MoistCr1TiKaL even took a shot at Twitch. 

Mizkif tweeted, "Twitch is done, and not just on twitch." This comes shortly after news of the xQc deal broke. Asmongold tweeted at Kick following the announcement, "Hey @kickstreaming." MoistCr1TiKaL also poked fun at Twitch, "Holy s**t…don’t worry though, twitch is offering other top streamers a free ice cream cone once a month to keep them exclusive on their platform."

Fans flocked to Twitter to give their opinions. A user wrote, "The biggest vtuber just signed 100 million with kick." Another user tweeted, "bro got a bigger contract than lebron"