If there is one thing that seems to follow popular Twitch streamer xQc wherever he goes, it is controversy. While playing as a professional e-sports player in the early days of his career, xQc, whose real name is Félix Lengyel, received several suspensions for homophobic comments as well as antics that were deemed to be racially disparaging. He managed to sustain his career though and later made a switch to being a full-time streamer on Twitch around 2017.
One would think that this career-switch would necessitate a change in xQc’s personality but it is not so. Since joining Twitch, the Canadian streamer has been caught up in allegations of undercutting opponents as well as streaming adult and inappropriate content on the platform. This has fetched him several suspensions of varying lengths but his profile continues to soar.
Breakdown of the Sources of xQc’s Net Worth
He Makes as Much as $80,000 Monthly On Twitch
The major money-spinner for xQc is his hugely-popular Twitch channel. The young man’s journey to becoming a Twitch star dates back to his childhood years. While growing up in Quebec, the young Félix loved snowboarding, skateboarding, and trampolining. He also loved playing video games and at some point, started uploading his antics for people to watch online.
From there, xQc would go on to play professional e-sports before going on to become a full-time Twitch streamer around 2017. Since doing so, his numbers have grown exponentially and he is now one of the most popular personalities on the platform with about 7.3 million followers and 251 million views. In fact, from November to December 2020, xQc’s channel was the most-watched Twitch channel with views reaching 4.71 million hours.
Such astounding success has been attributed to the diversity of games that xQc plays on his channel. The Canadian streamer is no one-trick pony but rather plays as many as 365 different games each year. They range from well-known titles, such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, to lesser-known fares such as Babysitter Bloodbath.
Im playing 1 game of chess if I win I go live if not im taking the day off
— xQc (@xQc) May 29, 2020
Another thing that xQc has going for him is his ability to inspire trends. For instance, in March 2020, he took a serious interest in playing chess and spent the next several months collaborating with some grandmasters. This resulted in a situation whereby the game surged in popularity on Twitch as well as YouTube.
All these make xQc one of the kings of Twitch and he is reaping the rewards in multiple-folds. He has more than 30,000 paid subscribers on his channel who pay at least $4.99 each month. Half of this amount goes to Twitch while xQc retains the remainder. He also earns extra income from his share of ad revenue as well as cheers and monetary donations from viewers. All in all, it is estimated that xQc makes as much as $80,000 on Twitch monthly translating into annual earnings of about $960,000 from the site each year.
He Has Played for Several e-Sports Organizations and Has Represented Canada at International Level
Another avenue that accounts for xQc’s impressive net worth is the prize monies that he has pocketed from various e-sports tournaments. The Quebec native has previously plied his trade with e-sports organizations such as DatZit Gaming, Denial, Arc 6, Dallas Fuel, GOATS, and Gladiators Legion. He has also represented his motherland at international tournaments such as the Overwatch World Cup.
At the 2017 edition of the Overwatch World Cup, xQc was able to pilot his team to second place. He received part of the cash prize attached and was also named the MVP of the tournament.
xQc Has a Lucrative Merch Line That Includes His Popular Juice T-shirts
YO THERE'S A SMALL MERCH DROP SPECIAL FOR VALENTINES DAY. IT'S A 9 DAY PRESALE SO GET IT QUICK BEFORE IT VANISHES. SHIPS OUT IN MARCH. IT STARTS IN AN HOUR (1:00PM PACIFIC). I'm picky as heck for merch stuff, so I can assure you it's comfy and top quality. juicer. pic.twitter.com/McrzAHutTM
— xQc (@xQc) February 14, 2020
XQc also boasts of a thriving merchandise line. As can be expected, the merch line comprises sweatshirts as well as items such as mugs and stickers. There is also a popular line of “The Juice t-shirts” which have proven to be a hit with the streamer’s fans.
Items from xQc’s merch line retail for tens of dollars and a scroll through various online stores would show that they usually sell out shortly after release. Given this, there is no doubt that it is generating handsome revenue for its owner.
The Streamer Also Has a Formidable Presence on YouTube with about 500 Million Views to His Credit
xQc’s net worth has also benefited from his considerable presence on YouTube. The gamer has a thriving eponymous YouTube channel where he posts videos of unboxings, reactions to the content of other creators, and highlights of his gameplay. To date, that channel has amassed more than 1.2 million subscribers as well as more than half a billion views. This means that xQc potentially earns anything from $10.8k to $172.3k monthly which translates into $129.2k to $2.1 million annually.
Recap of the Sources of xQc’s Net Worth
- Twitch Earnings – $960,000 per annum
- Prize winnings from e-sports tournaments – N/A
- Merch Line – N/A
- YouTube Earnings – $129.2k to $2.1 million per annum
XQc’s Controversial Antics have Affected His Earning Power and Potentially Cost Him Millions in Endorsement Deals
One of the major ways through which Twitch streamers, as well as other influencers, make money is through endorsement deals with several brands but this does not seem to be the case with xQc. The Quebec native doesn’t really have any discernible endorsement deals to his name and the reason behind this may be his controversial history. For instance, during his days as a professional e-sports player, xQc was flagged for homophobic comments targeted at a gay player, Austin Wilmot, during a tournament around 2017.
This led to a four-match suspension from the Overwatch League and he was also fined $2,000 as well. Such punishment led xQc to apologize and many thought that he had turned a new leaf. This was, however, not the case as in early 2018 he was fined and suspended once more. This was for using an emoticon in a racially-disparaging manner as well as hauling abusive language on fellow competitors on social media.
❌ Twitch Partner "xQcOW" (@xqc) has been banned! ❌https://t.co/Yg2gbrUP9c#twitch #ban #fourthban #partner #twitchpartner ????????
— StreamerBans (@StreamerBans) November 18, 2020
Since coming over to Twitch, xQc has not forsaken his controversial ways. From 2019 – 2020, he received as many as four suspensions for different offenses. The first was on the 31st of July 2019 when he received a 72-hour ban for showing an explicit video with pornographic scenes. The second was on the 29th of February 2020 when his account was suspended for 3 days for having a CGI character take off her clothes in an adult-themed game.
The next Twitch suspension for xQc came on the 12th of June 2020 when he was banned for 24 hours for showing a video of two gorillas having sex. The Canadian personality was then handed a seven-day ban after he attempted to gain an unfair advantage over his opponents in a Twitch Rivals event in November 2020.
What I did had no impact on the outcome but it was wrong. Sorry again, I wasn't trying to cheat out of malice I was just trying to entertain. 7 days suspension for now. Ride like lightning, crash like thunder. Go agane. PS: Give my winning to charity and i'll match it pic.twitter.com/48hgZQoyg0
— xQc (@xQc) November 18, 2020
Despite all these controversies, or perhaps because of them, xQc’s popularity continues to soar on Twitch. There have, however, been repercussions as it has made several brands to be wary of collaborating with him lest he dents their carefully-constructed image.
xQc Ranks Amongst the 12 Richest Twitch Streamers in the World
With a net worth estimated to be in the region of $1.5 million and $3 million, xQc ranks amongst the 12 richest Twitch streamers in the world right now. Others that join him on this distinguished list are:
- Moon Moon Ow – $1.7 million
- NightBlue 3 – $2.5 million
- Dr. Lupo – $3 million
- Syndicate -$3.5 million
- Dr. Disrespect – $3.5 million
- Imaqtpie – $4 million
- PhantomLord – $4 million
- TimTheTatman – $5 million
- Shroud – $6 million
- Summit1G – $6 million
- Ninja – $15 million