Key Takeaways
- With community safety as our top priority, Twitch is investigating an incident of harassment at TwitchCon 2024 involving a Kick streamer.
- Top Twitch streamers called on the platform to take action, with Twitch emphasizing its commitment to attendee safety.
- Kick's CEO acknowledged the incident, emphasized efforts to improve policies and noted several suspended accounts.
convulsions addressed concerns after multiple reports of harassment and physical altercations involving Kick streamers at TwitchCon San Diego in September 2024. In response, Twitch confirmed that it was “investigating” the incident and stated its commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of the community while the incident unfolds.
TwitchCon, an annual convention hosted by Twitch, serves as the primary gathering place for streamers, viewers, and the broader gaming community. However, the 2024 edition in San Diego faced a series of controversies, mainly involving Kick streamers. One standout incident involved popular Twitch streamer xQc being chased by Kick broadcasters at an event, where the individual yelled inappropriate comments at xQc as he was leaving the scene. In another notable altercation, Twitch streamer Erobb got into a physical confrontation with Kick streamer DariusIRL after Darius accused Erobb of cheating on his girlfriend. This confrontation between Twitch and Kick streamers created a tense environment during the convention.
Following these incidents, several top Twitch streamers called on the platform to take action and urged Twitch to respond. In a statement to Dexerto, Twitch emphasized its commitment to making TwitchCon a safe and enjoyable experience for all attendees. The company acknowledged the concerns raised during the event and confirmed that it is actively investigating the incident. Twitch also highlighted its ongoing efforts to increase security, highlighting that it has a dedicated safety team at its events and works closely with local law enforcement. We reiterated that the safety of our attendees is our top priority and that we are taking steps to prevent such issues from occurring in the future.
Kick CEO Eddie Craven also addressed the situation in a series of tweets, acknowledging the importance of the event bringing together creators from various platforms and thanking Twitch for allowing the Kick community to participate. He emphasized that the actions of a few individuals are not representative of the platform as a whole and noted that several accounts have been suspended for violating Kick's IRL streaming policy. Craven also emphasized Kick's ongoing efforts to review and improve its policies, especially around major events like TwitchCon.
It's unclear what steps Twitch might take to prevent future incidents, but it's important to remember that Kick was introduced as a direct competitor to the platform. Kick is already attracting many of the top Twitch creators, offering higher payouts and more relaxed community guidelines. But the TwitchCon incident involving the Kick streamer highlights the downsides of lax moderation and raises questions about how to balance creator freedom with keeping the community safe.
