“My hand was shaking.” – Kick tries to poach Europe’s biggest Twitch streamer

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As a long-time gaming enthusiast and follower of the streaming world, I must admit that Ibai Llanos Garatea has truly made a name for himself as one of the most popular European streamers out there, rivaled only by a select few Americans. His dedication to League of Legends and his very own esports team is nothing short of inspiring, and his impressive streaming statistics speak volumes about his passion and commitment.

Ibai Llanos Garatea stands out as the most prominent European streamer on Twitch. In the global landscape of gaming streaming, only the American creator KaiCenat boasts a larger following. Ibai is an ardent League of Legends player and even heads his own esports team.

Looking back on the past year, I’ve found myself streaming for an astounding 1,500+ hours and amassing a jaw-dropping 104 million watch hours. Just last July, I made some serious waves when over 3.8 million viewers joined me for a boxing event, an event that even managed to captivate the attention of none other than Will Smith himself!

Due to its immense popularity, Ibai has become a desirable figure for competing platforms such as Kick. Earlier this year, the 29-year-old hinted that he might entertain an offer from Kick if they were prepared to offer him an unusually high compensation package in two years.

According to Ibai, that offer arrived about a month ago:

Kick came at me with everything about a month ago. Knekro already knows the offer they made me. I nearly crapped myself—my hands were shaking.

Although Kick’s proposal might appear appealing, it’s essential to take into account some substantial disadvantages. Despite the flexibility provided by their “non-binding contracts,” which lets streamers continue on Twitch or YouTube, Kick probably has certain conditions attached. For instance, they may require a specific number of streaming hours and could encourage promoting gambling within your streams.

In terms of esports and sports events, Ibai appears to be an excellent match for the platform Kick, considering its focus on gambling. Nevertheless, potential harm to his public image might pose a problem. Kick isn’t well-regarded, and joining them may necessitate Ibai ending existing business ties and potentially establishing new ones with Stake, a crypto-casino.

This might also associate him with contentious personalities such as xQc, Adin Ross, and Amouranth, broadcasters whose public images may not require as much safeguarding.

Considering the drawbacks outlined previously, it appears improbable that Ibai would agree to Kick’s offer, especially if it equals the reported $100 million deal xQc got for his switch.

What are your thoughts on Kick? Should Ibai consider making the move?

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2024-10-21 19:09