Twitch’s rival streaming platform Kick keeps on stirring up controversy, and Pokimane shared her decisive stance on the streaming site on June 21.
When her chat asked her if she would leave Twitch for the other platform for $10 million in a livestream, she answered: “I would rather make zero dollars and keep my dignity.”
Pokimane previously criticized close links between Kick and crypto gambling website Stake, whose owner has been pointed out as a significant investor, although Stake’s supposed “ownership” of Kick has been denied by the streaming platform. “Why would I compromise my morals and ethics for more money when I have money?” she explained to the chat.
Pokimane has been vocal on Kick’s links with online gambling since she commented on xQc’s $100M-deal with the platform that was announced on June 17. Valkyrae also claimed Pokimane reached out to her and questioned her for supporting Kick’s deal with xQc.
Pokimane entered a call with xQc later on, where he claimed she questioned ethics of streamers who signed with Kick, including him. They argued on Kick’s ethics and whether she attacked him for sealing a deal with the platform, and eventually ended the conversation “in an impasse.”
In an earlier livestream, Pokimane also spoke of the platform regarding its potential threat to Twitch’s leading status in the streaming industry. She said that instead of being a threat, Kick was beneficial to Twitch.
Related: xQc streams Breaking Bad on Kick two days after his Dark Knight DMCA warning
“You don’t understand that Kick makes Twitch money. [It’s] using Twitch’s services and if Twitch wanted, they could just stop giving it to Kick,” she said on the livestream. “But right now, they’re just sitting back like: thanks, I guess.”
xQc is part of the ever-growing list of streamers who’re leaving Twitch for Kick after signing juicy deals, such as Amouranth, Trainwreck, and Adin Ross.
Launched in March, the streaming platform’s global audience is growing, but it’s also a bit controversial due to lenient policies on online gambling.
While Kick allows all kinds of gambling livestreams, Twitch enforced a ban on unregulated websites and restricted promotion of other gambling services in October 2022.
