Game livestreaming has long been confined to its own world, but a new €92 million deal might just shake the world of streaming.
Twelve years ago, Twitch – a website created for video gamers wanting to livestream their actions – was launched in the United States by two Yale graduates.
Two years later it was bought by Amazon for $970 million (€892 million) and today, it is the leader in live game streaming.
This week, the gaming world was rocked when two of Twitch’s top users announced they were leaving the website to join Australian rival Kik.
The setback for the Amazon-owned company goes beyond gaming and could be a sign that streaming itself is changing.
how it all started
Kik only launched in December to compete with Twitch, where moderation is strict and gambling is not accepted. On the other hand, the Kik crypto casino website is backed by Stake.
The platform is committed to transforming gaming and knows Twitch well. Andrew Santamaria, Kik’s head of strategic partnerships, worked at Amazon Games for three years.
According to a recent LinkedIn post written by the executive, Kik treats its streamers as “stars” and has one of the lowest revenue fees among streaming websites. While Twitch operates on a 50-50 model for most users, streamers get to keep 95 percent of their earnings on the Australian option.
In an interview with website DigiDays, Santamaria explained how Kik is different, saying: “We offer a slightly more adult and sophisticated experience in livestreaming”.
Gaming boosts streaming in touch
This week, Kik’s desire to bring that “sophisticated experience” means fizzling out to snag two of Twitch’s best streamers; Better than anything I’ve seen in gaming before.
While the buyout amount of streamer Amauraanth was not disclosed, the platform offered gamer xQc – real name Felix Lengyel – a two-year $80 million (€73.5 million) contract that could reach $100 million (€92 million). Is.
For the purpose of comparison, music streaming service Spotify offered $20 million (€18 million) to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Harry and Meghan for their now-defunct podcast series Archetypes, and reportedly offered Jeff Rogan three paid $200 million (€180 million) for A year and a half exclusivity on his podcast.
Lengyel’s $100 million (€92 million) contract is roughly equivalent to soccer star Lionel Messi’s recent Inter Miami deal.
Speaking to The New York Times, Ryan Morrison, the gamer’s agent, said of the biggest livestreaming deal ever, “It’s more than most professional athletes and megastars. This is one of the highest deals in the entertainment sector.
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