An interesting deal structure
Many streamers have been making their way over to the ever-expanding Twitch rival Kick. The latest one to make this move is Nick “Nickmercs” Kolcheff, with the agreement reportedly being worth about $10m.
Nickmercs is a prominent YouTuber and live streamer of games like Fortnite and Call of Duty, as well as a part-owner of esports and entertainment organization FaZe Clan.
in his contract with his gambling partner Stake, but not with Kick
He has revealed that he will be holding gambling-related streams on Kick as it is in his contract with his gambling partner Stake, but not with Kick. The streaming platform was partly created by Stake co-founder Ed Craven, so a link between the two companies already exists.
Not giving too much away
The 32-year-old will need to stream the action only when he is physically outside of the US due to the gambling platform not having a US license. He mentioned potentially doing so on an island. The Detroit native did not provide any further details about these upcoming streams, but he will continue showcasing certain types of content on Twitch as he signed a non-exclusive deal with Kick.
xQc criticized Nickmercs for revealing the details of the gambling clause
Prominent Kick streamer xQc criticized Nickmercs for revealing the details of the gambling clause, claiming that he added it himself and requested a separate deal with Stake as part of the negotiation process. He called Nickmercs “disingenuous” and said that he has “got to fix this s*it up.” xQc himself does sponsored gambling streams on Kick from time to time.
Attracting top talent
Kick has a number of other notable streamers showcasing gambling-related content on the platform. It has been spending big money to attract big hitters, as well as giving 95% of subscriber revenue to creators, which is significantly more than the typical 50% that Twitch offers. Questions about the sustainability of this approach have been a big topic for discussion in the gaming community.
One of the catalysts for the creation of Kick was when Twitch decided to ban streams of unregulated gambling sites like Stake. It has attracted many of the personalities who made a name for themselves through gambling streams, like Trainwreck.
None of them have really provided any specific details about their contracts or obligations to stream gambling-related content. Kick also has not shied away from controversial figures, accepting the likes of Adin Ross and Destiny.