XQc Temporarily Banned on Twitch: What Will His Viewers Do?
Last week, popular Twitch streamer XQc faced another temporary ban from the platform. This isn’t the first time he’s had to take a break from streaming, and based on his reputation, it may not be the last.
Despite his occasional run-ins with Twitch’s terms of service, xQc has become one of the platform’s most prominent personalities. So, what will his audience do while he’s not streaming?
In the past year, no Twitch channel has had more viewership than xQc. According to stats from Twitch website SullyGnome, he has accumulated a staggering total of 132,443,699 hours watched. This puts him nearly 20 million hours ahead of second-place Portuguese CS:GO streamer Gaules.
XQc’s recent ban was a result of breaking stream-sniping rules during a Twitch Rivals Fall Guys tournament at GlitchCon. His suspension lasts for seven days, but there aren’t many streamers on the platform who consistently generate the same level of audience that he does.
As one of xQc’s friends and fellow Twitch partner Nick Polom mentioned, Twitch has “unleashed a swarm of bees” by banning the hyperactive former Overwatch League pro. Polom refers to the chaotic and spam-filled nature of xQc’s Twitch chat, which is part of the platform’s culture.
With xQc absent from Twitch for the past few days, it’s unlikely that his viewers simply took a break from the platform for a week. While his stream and audience represent a caricature of Twitch culture, they still embody much of what the platform has fostered over the past nine years.
In his final two streams before the ban, xQc averaged over 50,000 viewers across more than 20 hours of airtime.
Since Twitch generates a significant number of hours watched on a weekly basis, it’s difficult to determine if xQc’s absence has actually resulted in fewer viewers. In fact, over the past three days, the platform has seen an increase in viewers compared to the preceding days. Finding xQc’s viewers would require examining individual channels.
It’s challenging to pinpoint where exactly xQc’s viewers have gone, but viewership statistics suggest that content creators like Mizkif may be hosting displaced xQc fans. Mizkif, another variety streamer, has experienced a boost in viewership. During the weekend, his Just Chatting streams dedicated to a grassroots esports organization called One True King (OTK) garnered more than double his average viewership during weekdays.
Mizkif’s “OTK Thanksgiving” stream on Saturday, Nov. 21, and the Charity Pokémon box opening event on Sunday, Nov. 22 attracted average viewership of over 53,000 and 70,000, respectively.
While the special nature of these streams might contribute to Mizkif’s weekend success, xQc’s absence could also be a factor. In the past month, xQc and Mizkif have shared common interests on Twitch, including streams in the Just Chatting and Minecraft categories.
Meanwhile, other top personalities like NICKMERCS, TimTheTatman, and Asmongold haven’t experienced any significant increase in viewership over the past week.
It’s difficult to determine exactly what xQc’s viewers are doing while he’s away, but there’s a strong possibility that some of them are spending time with Mizkif.