Kick was the ghost that haunted TwitchCon

polygon.com:

TwitchCon was a bit diminished this year compared to last. Gone were headliners Megan Thee Stallion, Travis Scott, and Kim Petras. Instead, we got a lineup of DJs and smaller artists in an immersive venue that included roller coaster rides and an escape room inside what was ostensibly a grocery store.

The shadow that loomed over TwitchCon this weekend, though, was the number of other events that were happening in Las Vegas simultaneously, including the When We Were Young music festival and the off-campus presence from rival creator platform Kick.

Though content creators flocked to Vegas for Amazon’s platform, which took over exhibit halls and sound systems, Kick made its own appearance at a nearby casino, where it sponsored a gaming lounge and Ultimate Fighting Championship live screening. Nickmercs and other streamers were in attendance. The space was also sponsored by Meta’s Threads and FaZe Clan.

Kick promises streamers they can keep 95% of their revenue, only giving up 5% in fees. Last week, Kick signed Twitch streamer Nick “Nickmercs” Kolcheff in a nonexclusive one-year deal for an undisclosed amount. Forbes reported Kolcheff was offered $10 million. It’s only the latest in a series of deals with prominent streamers, which include Twitch’s most popular female streamer, Kaitlyn “Amouranth” Siragusa, and former Overwatch pro gamer Félix “xQc” Lengyel, who has nearly 12 million followers on Twitch and a $100 million deal with Kick. The sizes of these deals and the names being signed have drawn massive attention to the newcomer platform.

“Money talks and as long as the investors of Kick see a return in some fashion, they’ll continue to be seen as a viable competitor to Twitch,” said Alyssa Sweetman, community advisor