Pokimane is leaving Twitch after a decade of streaming on the platform, leading some fans to speculate that she may be signing with Kick – but do these rumors hold any weight?
Imane ‘Pokimane’ Anys is an internet icon and the single most-followed woman on Twitch.
Anys has been streaming on the purple platform for over a decade, and made it very clear in the past that she had no interest in moving to rival sites like YouTube due to her affinity for Twitch’s culture.
However, the broadcaster revealed in late January 2024 that she would no longer be exclusively streaming on Twitch — sparking speculation that she may be possibly eyeing a major deal with another company, instead.
Pokimane reveals why she won’t stream on Kick after Twitch exit
On January 30, Pokimane shocked the internet by appearing to hint that she is leaving Twitch.
In a cryptic tweet, she wrote: “The end of an era. Twitch has been my home for a decade… but it’s time to say thank you for all the memories and love during my League, Fortnite, and Among Us days.”
It wasn’t long before Poki officially admitted that she is no longer exclusive with Twitch, citing her many issues with the platform and even calling the company “messy” in a January 31 podcast episode.
Now, even more rumors are kicking up as viewers theorize that she might be taking a hefty payday to switch to Kick.
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Shortly after Poki’s tweet went viral on January 30, rumors began popping up that claimed the streamer would be signing a $75 million deal with Kick, as told by a netizen in a post that’s garnered over 12 million views on Twitter/X.
However, it doesn’t look like this rumor holds any weight, whatsoever, as Pokimane quickly dispelled these claims in her January 31 podcast episode.
While Poki claimed that she “doesn’t feel any type of way” towards streamers who choose to broadcast on Kick, her personal moral compass doesn’t align with the platform’s values.
“Me, personally, I would not stream on Kick, because I know that that company as a whole is funded by online crypto gambling websites that are not legal in a lot of countries that, in my opinion are kind of shady, and I personally don’t want to stream somewhere and bring my audience somewhere where they could then potentially be funneled into an addiction,” she said.
It’s also worth noting that Kick recently poked fun at Pokimane’s cryptic tweet by referencing her infamous cookie scandal from late 2023, which saw the streamer come under fire after complaints rose of her new snack brand being a tad too pricey.
It makes sense that some fans thought Poki might be making a massive amount of money from Kick, given their track record with majorly profitable, non-exclusive contracts. In 2023, xQc famously signed a $70M, non-exclusive broadcasting deal with the platform, which was quickly followed up by Amouranth joining the site, as well.