Kick forced to make service upgrades after shock xQc signing

Shay Robson
Kick logo with viewer count below

Kick has been forced to make upgrades to its services after the streaming platform went down following the signing of Twitch star xQc.

Since its launch in late 2022, Kick has rivaled some of the biggest streaming platforms, even going toe-to-toe with the industry titan in Amazon-owned Twitch.

Offering lucrative deals, Kick has been able to lure several prominent figures from other platforms so far, including the likes of Adin Ross, who signed “the biggest streaming deal ever” with the Stake-backed streaming service.

Others include the likes of BruceDropEmOff, who joined Kick after receiving several bans from Twitch, and now one of the Amazon-owned platform’s biggest stars, xQc, has signed a $70 million deal in a non-exclusive two-year partnership.

However, the signing of their newest star brought more traffic to the site than anticipated, forcing the platform into upgrading its services as they continue to grow at an exponential rate.

Kick upgrades services after unexpected downtime

In a tweet late on June 16, just a few hours after news broke of the signing of xQc, the platform informed users it was facing stability issues — due to experiencing up to 50 times more traffic than usual.

“Kick is experiencing stability issues due to immense traffic (50x our usual). We are overwhelmed by your support and will get this fixed quickly,” they wrote.

In a second tweet, the platform explained it’d be using the unexpected downtime to upgrade its services in order to handle the exponential growth expected in the coming weeks.

“We’re currently using this slightly unexpected downtime to upgrade some necessary services. This will ensure Kick will be ready to handle exponential growth over these coming weeks. We appreciate your patience.”

With one of Twitch’s biggest streamers now broadcasting on its number one competitor, it’s fair to say many are pessimistic for the Amazon-owned platform’s future, with other top streamers going as far as to claim Twitch is “done.”

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About The Author

Based in Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK, Shay Robson is a Journalist for Dexerto. Typically, you'll see Shay tackling the entertainment news, writing about your favorite Twitch streamers and influencers. But, as a passionate esports fan, you'll also catch him covering League of Legends and Valorant when he gets the chance. Contact: shay.robson@dexerto.com