xQc banned from Twitch after Fall Guys stream sniping controversy
Twitch: xQc Twitch has taken action against its most-watched broadcaster, Felix ‘xQc’ Lengyel, following controversy during the GlitchCon 2020 Twitch Rivals event.
xQc was accused of ‘stream sniping’ opponents during the Fall Guys portion of the event, which landed him in hot water with other big-name streamers, including shroud, DrLupo and tyler1.
- xQc has been suspended from Twitch for 7 days for stream sniping in Twitch Rivals
- Twitch has also banned him from Twitch Rivals events for 6 months
- He must forfeit his prize money from GlitchCon
- xQc is currently the most-watched, and highest-earning, broadcaster on the platform
Shroud and tyler1 both speculated that he could face a ban from the platform, although wondered if Twitch would be lenient given Lengyel’s status on the platform. He was by far the most-watched streamer in terms of hours watched throughout October 2020.
Twitch: xQcxQc banned after stream sniping
However, stream sniping is explicitly mentioned as a violation of Twitch’s community guidelines, and all broadcasters are held to the same standard.
Shortly following the announcement, xQc put out a tweet confirming that his Twitch suspension is for seven days, which would make Wednesday, November 25 the earliest he can stream agin on the platform.
What I did had no impact on the outcome but it was wrong. Sorry again, I wasn't trying to cheat out of malice I was just trying to entertain. 7 days suspension for now. Ride like lightning, crash like thunder. Go agane. PS: Give my winning to charity and i'll match it pic.twitter.com/48hgZQoyg0
— xQc (@xQc) November 18, 2020
In addition to the temporary ban, xQc is also prohibited from competing in any Twitch Rivals events for six months and has forfeited his prize money from the GlitchCon 2020 event.
The streamer has announced that he’ll be giving his winnings to an undisclosed charity as well as match the amount.
At GlitchCon our player conduct rules were violated. We require all participants to abide by the same rules in order to play in a tournament. As a result, xQc has been issued a temporary Twitch account suspension, a temporary Twitch Rivals ban & forfeited associated prize money. pic.twitter.com/SA8umOdS9E
— Twitch Rivals (@TwitchRivals) November 18, 2020
xQc immediately apologized for his actions in the aftermath of the stream sniping fiasco, and asked his fans not to defend him. He admitted it was wrong: “I’m sorry for my actions. I thought it would be funny. It did not change the outcome but it was still malicious. Sorry.”
This is xQc’s fourth suspension from Twitch in as many years. The statement from Twitch Rivals reads: “We take Twitch Rivals player conduct extremely seriously. This type of behavior is unacceptable and will not be taken lightly.”
The ban is of particular note, as it is one of the very rare times Twitch will take action against one of it’s top streamers. According to reports, xQc was the highest-earning streamer on all of Twitch throughout 2020.
