xQc questions Twitch’s disciplinary process, calling out platform’s alleged leniency towards Kai Cenat

Popular Twitch streamer and YouTube content creator Felix ‘xQc’ Lengyel has raised questions on Twitch’s disciplinary process, expressing his belief that the platform has been lenient towards fellow streamer Kai Cenat.

In his May 9 live-stream, xQc noted that Cenat has gotten away with certain actions that would have resulted in lifetime bans for other streamers, and that Twitch has been “pretty lenient” with him.

Amazon-owned platform’s disciplinary process for banning streamers and issuing suspensions is not entirely transparent, with the platform rarely announcing specific reasons behind the bans and instead referring streamers to its community guidelines. This lack of transparency between the streamer, viewer, and the platform often causes confusion within the community, especially when popular A-listers are perceived as getting a pass compared to those with smaller followings.

Cenat, the controversial Twitch figure who has been in the news lately due to a 7-day ban (The second ban since 2022) he received for some lewd activities during his streaming hours, has threatened to leave Twitch if he receives another ban.

Based on his experience and knowledge of Twitch’s TOS, staff, and moderators, xQc stated, “Kai got away with f**king so much. Ok, reasonably so. At the time, he was new on Twitch… If you want to scope out and look at what people normally get banned for, he would have gotten banned like five or six times. I think that’s like the absolute minimum.”

The Canadian streamer was also quick to note that he was not trying to “snitch” on Cenat, and acknowledged that he had “balled out super hard” on Twitch.

“I’m not going to be a snitching Andy. Kai balled out super hard. This is objective. Him saying ‘Oh well he got banned for this, lol.’ If you want to scope out and look what people normally get banned for, he would have gotten banned like five or six times. I think that’s like the absolute minimum. I’m not saying that’s good or bad, I’m just saying that’s how it is,” the popular Twitch figure explained.

Nevertheless, xQc’s comments raise important questions about the popular streaming platform’s disciplinary process and whether certain streamers are given preferential treatment over others. This lack of transparency has led to accusations that Twitch is inconsistent in the enforcement of its community guidelines.

There are also rumours that Cenat could move over to the Stake-backed Kick platform, following in the footsteps of Adin Ross, who recently made the switch. Cenat has teased the possibility on his own stream while unboxing a gift pack from Kick, but it remains to be seen whether he will actually make the move.

ALSO READ| Twitch’s top streamer, Kai Cenat contemplates leaving platform amid ban controversy and intense competition

Twitch continues to dominate the live-streaming space, but as more and more streamers look for alternative platforms such as YouTube Gaming and Facebook Gaming, the company may need to reevaluate its disciplinary process and ensure that all streamers are held to the same scale.