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Felix Lengyel, popularly known as xQc, rose from being an Overwatch professional to one of the most popular Twitch streamers.
Popularly known as xQc, Felix Lengyel began his journey to fame as a professional Overwatch player in 2016. Once his esports career was well and truly underway, he started streaming regularly. He gained recognition for his skills when he competed in the inaugural season of the Overwatch League with Dallas Fuel.
He faced some controversies during his time with Fuel, which included him being abusive towards Houston Outlaws player Austin “Muma” Wilmot. Both the League and the team punished him. Another incident involved him being suspended again for trash-talking other players and spamming inappropriate emojis. He also paid a fine of $4,000.
Due to these issues, Lengyel’s tenure with the Dallas Fuel came to an end soon. However, his passion for gaming persevered. He switched to full-time streaming on Twitch, where he began to build a dedicated and loyal fanbase. He had a very humble beginning, but now he is one of the most popular streamers on Twitch. Back in June 2023, one of his old friends shared a picture on X mentioning that he let xQc stay in his apartment, where he slept on an air mattress.
5 years ago, we let @xQc stay at our L.A. apartment when he needed a place to stay. The desk was cardboard boxes we stacked on top of each other. He slept on an air mattress right there.
— Jonathan Snowden (@Reinforce) June 16, 2023
Today he signed a $100 million deal with @KickStreaming.
Unreal. pic.twitter.com/Nd7qOosb3H
The 28-year-old streamed a mix of gaming and Just Chatting sessions to offer a diverse and interactive time for his viewers, which brought in a lot of followers. Currently, he has 12.01 million followers on his Twitch channel.
What sets xQc apart from other streamers is his raw authenticity and candid personality. He is not afraid to express his unfiltered opinions, often resulting in hilarious yet chaotic moments that are trademarks of his streams.
Felix’s Growth As xQc Over the Years
In 2017, he represented Team Canada in the Overwatch World Cup, became the event’s Most Valuable Player, and joined Dallas Fuel. He became a member of Sentinels (an esports organization) after he left Dallas Fuel, and in 2019, he gained notable popularity as a variety streamer on Twitch.
Starting off with an average viewer count of 16,032 on his Twitch streams in 2019, his peak viewers went up to 312,158 in 2022 while streaming Overwatch. Some of his clips that went viral in 2020 boosted his popularity with views, which went up to 890,634.
In October 2021, it was leaked that xQc was the highest-paid streamer since 2019, which he later confirmed. He won the 12th Streamy Award in 2022 under the category “Just Chatting.” In 2023, he also won the award for the “Best Variety Streamer” at The Streamers Award. He became the 4th most-watched streamer in 2023 with a total of 89 million hours watched on Twitch.
In 2020, he faced numerous bans due to reasons like explicit content while playing Strip 4: Classmate Study. Afterward, he started playing chess under the mentorship of chess grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura. He collaborated with him to start a chess tournament named PogChamps. Here he faced another Twitch ban for accidentally playing an inappropriate video.
Lengyel was released from Sentinels and joined Luminosity Gaming in October 2020. He was accused of using unfair methods and stream-sniping his opponents during the Twitch tournament GlitchCon 2020, and he was banned from the platform. In 2023, his ex-girlfriend, Adept, accused him of defamation and sexual battery. They had a fluctuating relationship, and Adept claimed that they were married for three years. Lengyel revealed that he won the legal battle in December 2023.
The $100 Million Deal With Online Streaming Platform Kick
In 2023, he left Luminosity Gaming, after which he signed a non-exclusive deal with the online streaming platform Kick for a whopping $100 million. This secured his status as the highest-paid streamer in the industry. His decision to join Kick also brought along a major shift in streaming. He also revealed that this deal includes equity. Kick is rapidly growing and gaining traction due to its innovative features.
“Kick is allowing me to try and do things I haven’t been able to before. I’m extremely excited to take this opportunity and maximize it into new creative and fresh ideas over coming years,” xQc said about the deal.
xQc can continue streaming on Twitch, but his increased presence on Kick will draw most of his fanbase to the platform. He has been a streamer on Twitch since 2014. He vigorously started streaming in 2019 with games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Call of Duty: Black Ops 4.
One of the aspects contributing to xQc’s success is his knack for connecting with his audience on a personal level. He openly discusses his struggles with mental health and addiction and does not fear sharing his vulnerabilities. This honesty and transparency have resonated with viewers, who view him as a role model and source of inspiration.
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