Summary
- Kick, founded by Bijan Tehrani, Ed Craven, and Trainwreckstv, has gained attention but not everyone considers it the best platform due to debates over its streaming content, risky categories, and founders.
- The allure of multi-million dollar contracts has attracted big streamers to Kick, but others publicly express concerns about joining the problematic platform.
- Kick's controversies include contentious internet personalities like Adin Ross and xQc, as well as security vulnerabilities that have allowed hijacks and malware uploads, though the site has addressed these issues.
Kick is quickly becoming a household name since it was released in December 2022. Since it was founded by Bijan Tehrani, Ed Craven, and Trainwreckstv, the site has been drawing a lot of varying attention. While there are people who believe the old notion that "all publicity is good publicity," there are reasons why Kick isn't considered the best in the game by all. For example, there have been many debates over Kick which involve the people who stream on it, its risky viewing categories, and its founders.
In spite of everything, Kick has seen quite a few big streamers join its site in the past few months. The motives for this fluctuate, but it seems that one of the largest deciding factors is the multi-million dollar contracts that are being offered. Conversely, several streamers have publicly detailed why they would be unwilling to join the problematic platform.
Kick Has A Lot of Red Flags
To understand why Kick has become so widely debated, it's important to look at why it was founded in the first place. At its core, it's meant to be an alternative to the Amazon-owned Twitch streaming service. Kick markets itself as a creator-friendly platform because it offers a 95/5 revenue split. Though the monetary value is higher than most other streaming services, Kick is backed by a gambling site known as Stake. Content such as gambling can be blocked from recommendations on Kick, but there are those who believe Kick should punish gambling streams like Twitch does.
While this isn't exclusive to Kick, the new streaming site is also home to a few contentious internet personalities. This includes Adin Ross, who was permanently banned from Twitch. Ross has never been shy about sharing his opinions, but it seems his more erratic behavior began after he befriended Andrew Tate. Recent months have seen him involved in gambling content, accidentally streaming adult films, and using anti-LGBT terminology.
Additionally, xQc is another controversial figure on the platform. The Canadian streamer signed a multi-million dollar deal with Kick which brought an enormous following to the site. However, xQc has been involved in a lot of drama over the years. This ranges from gambling and cheating on his girlfriend, and more recently he's been accused of abusing fair use laws. Other disputable creators on Kick include but are not limited to, Amouranth, Destiny, and N3on.
Furthermore, although Kick is adding new features, its security system may be lacking. This is especially relevant if one considers the recent hijacks of Destiny's stream and threats made towards Adin Ross' channel. A Swiss developer and hacker by the name of Maia Arson Crimew brought to light several critical vulnerabilities in the platform's code. One oversight allows users to impersonate one another via chat messages while another allows people to upload malware. The upload system is meant to only allow images, but Kick didn't implement it correctly. Fortunately, Kick addressed the issues in a tweet.
Of course, websites like Twitch and YouTube are far from perfect themselves. Content creators have had plenty to criticize about Amazon and Google. Some people, however, would rather continue to build on a platform that's more established and less controversial. Pokimane, a current Twitch streamer, commented that joining Kick would compromise her ethics and morals. Additionally, an American YouTuber and live streamer, Ludwig, chimed in that switching from YouTube to Kick would be "throwing" away the brand. As such, while the site is making progress, it's unlikely that Kick will take down Twitch anytime soon.