Will Kick Really Overtake Twitch As The Best Streaming Platform?

If you’re at all connected to the world of streaming and content creation, then you’ll have seen the virulent debate ongoing between Kick and Twitch since the tail end of 2022. It’s something of a digital war, with all-new and controversial platform, Kick, attempting to poach as many of the world’s best and most popular streamers as possible. There are hundreds of millions of dollars changing hands and countless users migrating between platforms, but is there any real chance that Kick will overtake Twitch?

In recent weeks, Kick has acquired some monumental streamers, signing the likes of Adin Ross, xQc, and Amouranth – and it promises that things are only just getting started. There may be a lot of money involved in the acquisition of these creators, but is that all there is to it? Is this a sustainable approach for Kick, which is desperate to rival Twitch in almost every way possible?

Let’s discuss that concept.

What Is Kick And Why Is It Popular?

Kick is a streaming platform that – for the most part – attempts to take what Twitch has done so successfully over the years and make it even better. It really gained mass popularity towards the end of 2022 when Trainwreck, a hyper-popular and philanthropic streamer announced he was working on a project that would grind Twitch into the dirt. This desire to create an all-new platform came following new rules being enforced by Twitch that restricted gambling streams – which at the time was pulling in millions of viewers on the site.

Lo and behold, Trainwreck announced that he’s a co-founder of a new streaming platform backed financially by Stake.com, a sportsbook and online casino that represented some of the most popular gambling streamers. He immediately began a campaign designed to besmirch the name of Twitch, revealing that Kick planned to put in place initiatives that streamers would benefit endlessly from, including:

A revenue split of 95-5 in favour of the streamer, rivalling Twitch’s 50-50 split
‘Relaxed rules’ that promptly got Kick in trouble, with some creators going so far as having sexual intercourse on stream
Better discoverability for smaller streamers looking to make a name for themselves

By today, many streamers migrating to Kick are doing so because they either a) despise Twitch and all the changes that are being made, or b) see dollar signs dancing in their eyes. There was even a promise that Kick would pay every streamer on the site ‘at least something’, regardless of how many viewers they have.

Will Kick Be More Popular Than Twitch?

It’s a refuge for banned Twitch streamers and those looking to break free from some of the disappointing changes being made by Twitch, but is it really going to be more popular than the ‘OG streaming platform’?

To answer that question, it’s important to bear in mind that there are stark differences between Kick and Twitch. Firstly, Twitch has more than a decade of experience in the business, and it has spent that time building up an enormous user base that consists of tens of millions of users – if not more. Since getting started in December 2022, Kick has amassed a core following, but for the most part, it’s users looking to jump ship with the dream of making money in the short term.

Essentially, there’s very little brand loyalty to Kick – it’s all about the money at the moment.

Furthermore, Twitch is still seen as the home of gaming and esports streams, while Kick is focusing much more heavily on Just Chatting streamers and creators that don’t really play games at all. This is arguably the foundation of the modern streaming industry, with the original creators of days gone by using platforms like Twitch to broadcast their gameplay to audiences of millions. It’s very difficult to see a world where gaming and esports migrate so heavily to Kick that it cripples Twitch.

Moreover, Kick is still developing – and while there’s a lot in the pipeline, it’s still growing. For instance, when xQc signed his $100 million contract and moved over to Kick, his first stream brought the platform to its knees, technically speaking. There are plans for things like drop campaigns on Kick, but at present, Twitch Drops are one of the driving reasons behind the ongoing success of the site. There’s no evidence yet that publishers and developers will even want to partner with Kick for these campaigns.

So, it’s difficult to say whether Kick will be more popular than Twitch, but we honestly can’t see it happening – even in the long run.

Which Streamer Will Join Kick Next?

That’s the literal million-dollar question, isn’t it? For the most part, it’s impossible to say who will join Kick next, as there’s a diverse audience out there, but not everyone wants to represent Kick. It was said that Amouranth joined Kick because she was sick of how Twitch was ‘squeezing streamers’, and that’s the driving reason behind many other content creators leaving the purple platform in favour of the green one.

In recent weeks, Twitch has made some controversial changes, such as announcing a new ‘tier’ called Partner Plus, which awards certain streamers with a higher revenue split but comes with its caveats. There have been changes to the platform’s core ruleset and operating model that have initiated conflict between the site and its creators in the last few months, and it’s hurting the platform immeasurably.

And let’s not forget that YouTube streaming exists – and there’s also the potential for some huge streamers on that site to join Kick. For instance, TimTheTatman or Dr Disrespect could migrate, bringing a hardcore gaming audience onto Kick – which may boost the platform’s ratings in the community.

The Final Word on Kick

Ultimately, Kick has potential – a lot of it, in fact – but it’s only tangible so long as the money keeps flowing. As more users join up, it’ll become more saturated, and it’ll be tougher for the platform to sustain the high rates of pay that it has been promising its users for several months. It also looks bizarre sometimes on social media, maintaining a campaign of hatred against Twitch that at times seems juvenile, and some controversial signings have left a foul taste in the mouth of critics the world over.

Twitch has a bigger audience, a more professional platform, a more powerful infrastructure, and the majority share when it comes to gaming and esports broadcasts. It’s still the top-tier platform for those looking to become a streamer, and it’s a familiar and comfortable presence in the industry. It’s hard to imagine it going anywhere, but there’s no doubt that Kick is well and truly hurting Twitch’s leadership team.

It’s a war – let’s see how the battles play out.