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xQc
Lengyel in 2021
Personal information
Born
Félix Lengyel

(1995-11-12) November 12, 1995 (age 28)
Laval, Quebec[1]
NationalityCanadian
Occupations
Twitch information
Channel
Years active2014–present
Genres
Followers11.1 million
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2015–present
Subscribers2.16 million[2]
Total views1.319 billion[2]
100,000 subscribers
1,000,000 subscribers
Last updated: October 23, 2022
Esports career information
GameOverwatch
Playing career2016–2019
RoleTank
Career highlights and awards

Félix Lengyel (French pronunciation: [feliks lɑ̃ʒɛl];[a] born November 12, 1995), better known as xQc or xQcOW, is a Canadian Twitch streamer, internet personality, and former professional Overwatch player.

Lengyel began his esports career in 2016, while also regularly streaming. Most notably, he played for the Dallas Fuel in the Overwatch League's inaugural season, before being released midway through the season due to repeated controversy and suspensions, as well as for Team Canada in the Overwatch World Cup from 2017 to 2019.

After leaving competitive Overwatch, Lengyel focused on a full-time streaming career on Twitch, while being a content creator for organizations such as Sentinels and Luminosity Gaming. Although he has been temporarily banned multiple times on the platform, he was the most watched streamer on Twitch in both 2020 and 2021.

Career

Early streaming

Lengyel was streaming on Twitch when he was 19 years old, playing League of Legends (LoL), and streamed under the alias xQcLoL.[3] The online alias of xQc came from the last letter of his first name, x, and the abbreviation of his home province Quebec, QC.[4] With the release of Blizzard Entertainment's video game Overwatch (OW) in 2016, Lengyel transitioned to mostly playing Blizzard's title; becoming so synonymous with the game, he changed his alias to xQcOW.[3]

Esports

Lengyel began his Overwatch esports career competing in small online tournaments as a tank player for teams such as DatZit Gaming.[3] In October 2016, he was picked up by the multi-game esports organization Denial Esports.[5] After a few months, Denial disbanded, and the former members of the team operated as an independent roster under the moniker Yikes,[6] which was later changed to Arc 6.[7] The team competed in Season Zero of Overwatch Contenders, which is when his competitive drive increased to an unhealthy level. "I did not care about sleeping or eating well, keeping up with friends or family," he said. "I would only turn my phone on before going to bed. If I performed poorly I would put everything aside and play ranked until I felt better about my play."[8] Lengyel also played for Team Canada in their 2017 Overwatch World Cup campaign. He and the team reached the finals of the tournament, before being defeated by defending champions, South Korea.[9] Despite losing the finals, Lengyel was named the event's most valuable player.[10]

Lengyel (left) at the 2018 Overwatch World Cup

Lengyel was signed to the Dallas Fuel of the Overwatch League (OWL) in October 2017, ahead of the league's inaugural season.[7] Prior to the start of the season, he received two suspensions on his personal Overwatch account from Blizzard. The first was a 72-hour suspension in November, after he misused the game's reporting system, and the second was a seven-day suspension in December after he threw games on stream.[11] Lengyel's OWL debut came in the Fuel's first match of the season, on January 10, 2018, in a 1–2 loss to the Seoul Dynasty.[12] Following team's third match of the season, a 0–4 loss to the Houston Outlaws on January 18, Lengyel made homophobic remarks on his personal Twitch stream towards Outlaws player Austin "Muma" Wilmot, who is openly gay. Lengyel apologized to Muma on Twitter later that day, stating that he did not mean to say anything with "malicious intent" and spoke "too fast." The Fuel responded to the incident by benching Lengyel in the following match, on January 19. That same day, the Overwatch League fined him $2,000 and suspended him for four matches. The Fuel then extended that suspension through February 10.[13]

Lengyel's first match back from his suspension was on February 23, in 3–1 win over the Los Angeles Gladiators.[14] However, his return did not last long, as he was fined $4,000 and suspended by the league for another four matches on March 10, after he used an emote in a "racially disparaging manner" during an Overwatch League stream and on his personal social media, as well as used "disparaging language" against Overwatch League broadcasters and players on his social media and personal stream.[15] The following day, Lengyel was released from the team.[16] In an interview with The Washington Post, Lengyel said that there were no racial undertones intended when he used the emote, and while he "did not feel like [he] did a mistake at all," he did regret using it because of how it was misconstrued. He went on to say that he enjoyed playing Overwatch professionally, but he was unsure if it was the career path he wanted continue to take.[17]

Lengyel joined several Overwatch teams throughout the following years, including Overwatch Contenders teams GOATS and Gladiators Legion,[18][19] as well as competed for Team Canada in the 2018 and 2019 Overwatch World Cups.[20][21]

Return to full-time streaming

After his release from Dallas Fuel in 2018, Lengyel focused mainly on his streaming career. In February 2019, esports organization Sentinels signed him as a content creator,[22] and by May 2019, Lengyel became one of the most successful variety streamers on Twitch.[8] According to Lengyel, he received a three-day ban from Twitch on July 30, 2019, for streaming a "sexually suggestive" video that briefly showed a penis; the ban came despite a Twitch employee permitting the video. However, a day later, he was unbanned.[23] In December 2019, he was Twitch's most watched streamer, logging nearly eight million hours watched — over two million more hours than the second-most viewed channel of the month. On the year as a whole, he was the sixth-most watched streamer, with nearly 54 million hours of watch time; over 14% of his watch time came from December alone.[24]

Lengyel received another three-day ban on February 29, 2020, after he showed nudity in Strip 4: Classmate Study, an adult-themed game based on Connect Four. By default, all nudity in the game is censored, but he entered a code into the game that uncensored it, and the female character in the game had her breasts exposed. Twitch upheld the ban after he appealed. Following, the game was at the top of Steam's "new and trending" list.[25] Towards the end of March 2020, Lengyel started playing chess on stream, and in April, chess grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura began mentoring Lengyel. Twitch and Chess.com partnered to create the first edition of PogChamps, a chess tournament that occurred from June 5 to 19.[26] Lengyel played in the tournament. In one of the matches, Lengyel faced Cr1TiKaL; Cr1TiKaL defeated him in just six moves. The match became the most-watched video on Chess.com's YouTube channel by May 2021, amassing over ten million views.[27] Lengyel ultimately lost to Ludwig Ahgren in the consolation bracket semifinals.[28] Lengyel received a 24-hour Twitch ban in the middle of PogChamps, on June 12, after he accidentally opened a video of two gorillas having sex that was submitted by one of his viewers.[29] On August 27, 2020, Sentinels parted ways with Lengyel, after he requested to be released.[22] He found a new organization on October 1, signing with Luminosity Gaming.[30] On November 18, 2020, Lengyel was banned for seven days after he and his team stream sniped an opposing team in Fall Guys during a Twitch Rivals event, marking his fourth suspension from Twitch. He also received a six-month ban from Twitch Rivals and was forced to forfeit his prize winnings from the event.[31] Despite his three bans in 2020, Lengyel had the highest watch hours at over 174 million hours — nearly 50 million more than the second-highest channel.[3]

Midway through 2021, Lengyel led all streamers Twitch in terms of viewership, with 163 million hours watched, which was nearly double the second-largest channel.[32] In June 2021, Lengyel moved back to Canada, stating that he was swatted multiple times, a problem that many Twitch streamers have had to deal with, and "was genuinely scared [he] was going to die."[33][34] His earnings from the platform was leaked in October 2021, along with all of the top streamers on Twitch. The leak revealed that he was the highest-paid individual streamer, earning over $8 million since 2019. Although accuracy of the leak has been questioned, Lengyel confirmed that his reported numbers were correct.[35][36] With 274 million hours watched in 2021, he was once again the most-watched streamer on Twitch. He also had a peak viewership of 173,000 viewers, although it was well below the channel with the highest peak, which had 2.5 million viewers.[37]

In early April 2022, Lengyel took part in the r/Place social experiment, an online canvas in which registered Reddit users could edit by changing the color of a single pixel. After he had targeted a My Little Pony art piece, he said that he received more death threats in one hour than he had in his previous six years of streaming combined.[38] Lengyel broke his Twitch viewership record during the event, peaking at over 293,000 viewers.[39] He broke that record later that month while streaming a beta build of Overwatch 2, with a peak of over 312,000 viewers.[40]

Personal life

Lengyel was born on November 12, 1995.[41][4] He is of Hungarian descent.[42]

Awards and nominations

Year Ceremony Category Result Ref.
2017 2017 Overwatch World Cup Most Valuable Player Won [10]
2018 2018 Esports Awards Streamer of the Year Nominated [43]
2020 Canadian Game Awards Best Streamer Nominated [44][45]
2020 Esports Awards Streamer of the Year Nominated [46]
2021 2021 Esports Awards Streamer of the Year Nominated [47]
2022 The Streamer Awards Best GTA Role-play Streamer Nominated [48]
Streamer of the Year Nominated
Canadian Game Awards Best Streamer Nominated [49]
12th Streamy Awards Streamer of the Year Pending [50]
Just Chatting Pending

See also

References

  1. ^ "Twitch". La Presse (in French). October 6, 2021. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "About xQc". YouTube.
  3. ^ a b c d Howard, Charlie; et al. (February 25, 2022). "The Rise Again of xQc — From esports failure to king of Twitch". Upcomer. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Lee, Alexander (September 29, 2020). "Everything You Need To Know About xQc". G Fuel. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  5. ^ Duwe, Scott (October 13, 2016). "Denial Esports Signs Overwatch Team". Dot Esports. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  6. ^ Carpenter, Nicole (May 3, 2017). "Denial Esports drops its entire Overwatch team". Dot Esports. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Duwe, Scott (October 28, 2017). "Dallas Fuel signs eccentric tank main xQc to Overwatch League roster". Dot Esports. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Viana, Bhernardo (May 7, 2019). "XQc: 'There will never be a harmony between streaming and playing that I'm comfortable with'". Dot Esports. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  9. ^ Van Allen, Eric (November 4, 2017). "Overwatch World Cup Comes Down To A Fight Over Meters". Kotaku. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  10. ^ a b Alonzo, Damian (November 9, 2017). "Win or lose, the Overwatch World Cup was full of great storylines". PC Gamer. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  11. ^ Grayson, Nathan (December 19, 2017). "Overwatch League Players Keep Getting In Trouble". Kotaku. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  12. ^ Katsuragi, Chris (January 10, 2018). "Dallas Fuel vs Seoul Dynasty | Map 4 Recap". Overwatch Wire. USA Today. Archived from the original on October 21, 2018.
  13. ^ Wolf, Jacob (January 19, 2018). "Dallas Fuel suspend xQc for anti-gay slurs; Overwatch League fines player". ESPN. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  14. ^ Wenrich, Connor (February 23, 2018). "Dallas Fuel burns blue with a 3-1 win". Overwatch Wire. USA Today. Archived from the original on October 21, 2018.
  15. ^ Mastin, Sabriel (March 10, 2018). "xQc receives a new fine nd suspension". Overwatch Wire. USA Today. Archived from the original on March 10, 2018.
  16. ^ Wolf, Jacob (March 11, 2018). "xQc released from Dallas Fuel after receiving second Overwatch League suspension". ESPN. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  17. ^ Avi, Selk (March 14, 2018). "'I blame myself': A fallen e-sports star reflects on video gaming's image problems". The Washington Post (Interview). Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  18. ^ Carpenter, Nicole (June 7, 2018). "Controversial former Overwatch League player xQc joins Contenders Trials team". Dot Esports. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  19. ^ Abbas, Malcolm (February 12, 2019). "Popular Twitch streamer xQc joins Gladiators Legion as a substitute main-tank". Dot Esports. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  20. ^ Baker, Harry (July 10, 2018). "Canada announce final starting roster for 2018 Overwatch World Cup". Overwatch Wire. USA Today. Archived from the original on August 15, 2018.
  21. ^ Richardson, Liz (July 29, 2019). "Team Canada introduces Overwatch World Cup roster". Dot Esports. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  22. ^ a b "xQc parts ways with Sentinels". Reuters. Field Level Media. August 27, 2020. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  23. ^ Byers, Preston (July 31, 2019). "xQc's Twitch channel unbanned after less than a day". Dot Esports. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  24. ^ Michael, Cale (December 28, 2019). "XQc ends 2019 on a high note by claiming December's top spot on Twitch". Dot Esports. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  25. ^ Bily, Dustin (March 3, 2020). "Strip Connect Four gets a free marketing boost after Twitch bans xQc for streaming it". PCGamesN. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  26. ^ D'Anastasio, Cecilia (June 14, 2020). "The Grandmaster Who Got Twitch Hooked on Chess". Wired. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  27. ^ Abbot, Will (May 9, 2021). "PogChamps 4 and the fight for the future of chess". Wired UK. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  28. ^ "VoyBoy, MoistCr1tikal Win Chess.com PogChamps Finals". Chess.com. June 23, 2020. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  29. ^ Duwe, Scott (June 12, 2020). "XQc receives 24-hour Twitch ban for showing clip of gorillas having sex". Dot Esports. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  30. ^ Frascarelli, Victor (October 1, 2020). "Luminosity Gaming Signs Streamer xQc, Lands Sponsor for Reality Show on Twitch". The Esports Observer. Sports Business Journal. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  31. ^ Chalk, Andy (November 18, 2020). "xQc has been suspended from Twitch for stream-sniping in Fall Guys". PC Gamer. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  32. ^ Murray, Trent (August 6, 2021). "xQc dominates the first half of the year - Twitch viewership recap for H1 2021". The Esports Observer. Sports Business Journal. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  33. ^ Ng, Hayley (February 23, 2022). "Doxxing and Swatting: The Deadly, Growing Threats Faced by Twitch Streamers". Centennial Beauty. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  34. ^ Richman, Olivia (May 16, 2022). "xQc has moved back to Canada after doxxing issues continue". InvenGlobal. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
  35. ^ Grayson, Nathan (October 6, 2021). "Massive Twitch hack reveals streamers' pay, with top stars making millions". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  36. ^ Irwin, Kate (October 22, 2021). "XQc talks Twitch, Overwatch 2, and his move to Los Angeles". Dot Esports. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  37. ^ Troughton, James (January 10, 2022). "XQC Was 2021's Most-Watched Twitch Streamer". The Gamer. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  38. ^ Datuin, Sage (April 4, 2022). "xQc says he's received more death threats in April than past 6 years combined thanks to viral r/Place art streams". Dot Esports. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  39. ^ Miter, Mateusz (April 5, 2022). "xQc breaks his all-time Twitch viewership record off the back of Reddit's /r/Place hype". Dot Esports. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  40. ^ McIntyre, Isaac (April 29, 2022). "xQc roars to huge new Twitch record off the back of Overwatch 2 beta hype". Dot Esports. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  41. ^ Lengyel, Félix [@xQc] (November 12, 2020). "quarter of a century. FeelsBirthdayMan https://t.co/IgJQ7Nw2ft" (Tweet). Retrieved July 19, 2022 – via Twitter.
  42. ^ Birkás, Péter (March 12, 2018). "Kirúgták a botrányt halmozó magyar származású e-sportolót" [Scandal-hit e-athlete of Hungarian descent fired]. 24.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  43. ^ "Esports Awards 2018 | Esports Awards". April 26, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  44. ^ "Streamer Nominee - xQc". Canadian Game Awards. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  45. ^ "Canadian Game Awards : The Results". Canadian Game Awards. September 19, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  46. ^ "Esports Awards 2020 | Esports Awards". April 27, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  47. ^ Esports.gg (November 21, 2021). "Esports Awards 2021: Ibai wins Streamer of the Year, beating out Shroud, Dr Disrespect, xQc". Esports. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  48. ^ Miceli, Max (February 22, 2022). "All nominees for QTCinderella's Streamer Awards". Dot Esports. GAMURS Group.
  49. ^ Vegvari, Steve (April 8, 2022). "Introducing the Winners of the 2022 Canadian Game Awards". Canadian Game Awards. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  50. ^ Hipes, Patrick (October 27, 2022). "Streamy Awards Nominations: MrBeast Tops List Again". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 28, 2022.

Notes

  1. ^ The original, Hungarian pronunciation of Lengyel is [ˈlɛɲɟɛl].

External links

Media related to XQc at Wikimedia Commons

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=XQc&oldid=1123084894"