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At present, the streaming community is embroiled in an enduring conflict centered around prominent streamers Felix "xQc," Imane "Pokimane," and Hasan "HasanAbi." The ongoing controversy arises from xQc's recent agreement with Kick, the newly launched streaming platform, resulting in significant drama within the community.
For context, on June 16, Felix signed a two-year non-exclusive deal with Kick worth $100 million. While some have congratulated him for the life-changing money, others have raised concerns about the nature of the deal due to Kick being co-owned and funded by Stake, a gambling website.
How did Pokimane and HasanAbi get involved in the beef with xQc?
One of the main catalysts for the ongoing feud can be traced back to a particular stream by Pokimane on June 17. While responding to the news about Felix's deal, Pokimane read a message from her chat suggesting that Kick was "taking over" the streaming landscape.
In response, she promptly dismissed the claim and provided her reasoning:
"'Keep doubting Kick. It is already taking over. Fire emoji.' Respectfully, people that say stuff like this, you don't understand that Kick makes Twitch money. Like, Kick is using Twitch's services."
For those wondering, Pokimane was referring to Kick using Amazon Web Service's (AWS) Interactive Video Service (IVS). In response to the above statement, xQc took to his own stream (June 17) to state:
"Well, I'm confused. This is not how it works...I don't have to be on the defensive here. Brother, Amazon isn't Twitch. When will people get this? There's a massive difference."
Pokimane's take was quickly shared across the internet, triggering a swift response from her later that same day. She posted:
When did HasanAbi get involved?
Meanwhile, HasanAbi, being a close associate of Pokimane, expressed his own perspective on the matter. Given their relationship, he did not contradict Pokimane's statements.
Furthermore, he claimed that xQc's decision was ultimately geared towards eventually incorporating gambling into his streams (since Stake sponsors Kick).
Felix responded to his take by stating (June 19):
"If it was about money, nobody would care. If it was only about money then I wouldn't be talking about this. I would just turn the stream off and I would ignore all this sh*t."
He also suggested that Hasan did not refute Pokimane's claims since she is considered to be among the faces of Twitch:
"I get it. Protect queen Poki at all costs - means she gets to say whatever she wants and just claim dogsh*t and she's given a free pass because she's Poki. I get it Hasan. I get it man."
Pokimane says she won't join Kick due to "morals"
In a live stream on June 21, Pokimane addressed the possibility of joining the Kick in exchange for $10 million. However, she implied that she would not be willing to compromise her personal principles in order to join the website. She said:
"Nope! No. It's not because I got, like, $10 million. It's just because... I'm good as I am. Why would I compromise my morals and ethics for more money when I have money?"
xQc, in response to Pokimane's remarks, promptly expressed dissatisfaction, highlighting that Amazon itself has been involved in questionable deals. He said:
"How about we talk about the Amazon and the Draft King's deal? How about we talk about that? Or can we talk about her close friends that took ACR (poker) deals? Or, we could talk about her other close friends that took Stake deals that gambled on a daily."
Pokimane talks to Valkyrae about congratulating xQc and Kick
On June 21, the drama continued to unfold. Fellow streamer Rae "Valkyrae" disclosed during her stream that Pokimane had actually reached out to her regarding a tweet she had posted congratulating both Kick and Felix on their deal. She revealed:
"I had a discussion with Poki the other day, actually. Privately. I tweeted, 'Congrats to xQc and Kick,' because I think it's like a win-win situation for both parties. And, she reached out and was like, 'Kind of surprised that you were publicly supporting it.'
(Timestamp: 02:23:20)
She gave her own take on the matter, stating:
"Long story short, I like gambling, personally. I think it's fine to do, you know if you're of age. You can gamble but you can afford to lose. You're okay with it. It's all good."
xQc debates Pokimane and HasanAbi
A significant development in the ongoing feud occurred when Pokimane and HasanAbi participated in a conference call with xQc during his live stream on June 21. The entire debate has already been uploaded to xQc's YouTube channel:
During the stream, Pokimane clarified that her concern about compromising her morals was specifically related to joining Kick, as she has consistently advocated against gambling. She emphasized that while it may be acceptable for Felix, it would contradict her own principles.
Hasan expressed his continued concern about Kick being funded by Stake, which he perceived as a significant issue. However, Felix countered their arguments by asserting that Kick is, in fact, a live-streaming product rather than a gambling platform.
Despite the lengthy and ongoing debate, xQc appears unimpressed with the recent statements made by Pokimane and Hasan. Alluding to Pokimane's remarks, he took to Twitter to express his sentiment (June 22):
Prior to this, Pokimane herself shared a cryptic message on Twitter stating:
It remains to be seen what further developments will unfold in the next chapter concerning xQc's latest deal.
