The story of xQc: Why the GTA RP streamer is always shrouded in drama

Twitch streamer and former Overwatch professional Felix “xQc” Lengyel has been regularly involved in several controversies over the years.

xQc was famously a part of the Dallas Fuel Overwatch franchise but was released due to multiple suspensions/bans. He infamously made homophobic remarks directed at fellow Overwatch player Austin "Muma" Wilmot of the Houston Outlaws.

Around early 2019, xQc became a full-time Twitch streamer/content creator. However, his streaming career has also been fraught with controversies. The streamer has been suspended multiple times by Twitch for a range of violations. In recent months, he has been banned by NoPixel’s GTA RP server an alarming number of times.

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A look back at xQc's controversial streaming career

Since the beginning of his career, xQc has been known as a “rule-breaker.” He found fame as a Twitch streamer due to his humor and a tendency to get into hilarious situations.

The former Overwatch professional "mutually parted ways" with Dallas Fuel after a series of violations. This included making homophobic remarks, using Twitch emoticons that were racial in nature, and using “disparaging language against his fellow team members.”

Needless to say, xQc has never been shy about speaking his mind, a quality that he brought forth to Twitch full-time back in early 2019. He spends hours regularly engaging with his audience, takes up on-stream characters that he sometimes sticks with even off-stream, and is one of the hilarious internet personalities around.

For example, the following video showcases his adventures while playing Cyberpunk 2077, a game he played for a considerable time when released.

While the nature of his streams has helped xQc gain a huge audience on Twitch, there have been some downfalls as well. According to Twitch Tracker, the streamer has 5.6 million followers on the platform, along with a whopping 79k subscribers.

In the first quarter of 2021, xQc registered more than 73 million viewing hours on Twitch, making him the most popular content creator on Twitch currently. Regardless, his time on Twitch has been fraught with controversies and suspensions.

The most watched Twitch streamers in January:1. 🇨🇦 @xQc 2. 🇪🇸 @auronplay3. 🇪🇸 @TheGrefg4. 🇺🇲 @hasanthehun5. 🇧🇷 @Gaules6. 🇩🇪 @Trymacs_YT7. 🇪🇸 @IbaiLlanos8. 🇺🇲 @LVNDMARK_tv9. 🇺🇲 @summit1g10. 🇨🇦 @shroud pic.twitter.com/84AARiuVVe

— The Esports Writer (@FionnOnFire) February 5, 2021

The streamer received a 24-hour ban for watching explicit content on Twitch after he was caught live-streaming intercourse between two gorillas. Additionally, he received two three-day bans for showing explicit content and was most recently banned for seven days in November 2020.

The seven-day ban resulted from xQc stream-sniping Benjamin “DrLupo” Lupo during a Fall Guys Twitch Rivals event. Additionally, xQc’s Twitch community has often been accused of being highly toxic. His viewers regularly abuse or harass other content creators, especially if the streamer gets into an altercation during his live streams.

At GlitchCon our player conduct rules were violated. We require all participants to abide by the same rules in order to play in a tournament. As a result, xQc has been issued a temporary Twitch account suspension, a temporary Twitch Rivals ban & forfeited associated prize money. pic.twitter.com/SA8umOdS9E

— Twitch Rivals (@TwitchRivals) November 18, 2020

This is something xQc has himself complained about in the past. In August 2020, the streamer posted a series of tweets expressing his frustration after multiple incidents where his viewers had been toxic to others.

Image via xQc, Twitter

However, it must be noted that xQc also has a tendency to go after fellow gamers and habitually ends up going on angry rants. The streamer often criticizes other gamers that he meets online, something his record on NoPixel’s GTA RP server exemplifies. A brief look into the nature of the incident and the reasons behind his bans suggests the same.

xQc had initially been banned after breaking multiple server rules. This included knocking down other players repeatedly while using a vehicle, something he regularly does. His second ban came because he used an exploit to kill two cops who had arrested him. The streamer did so because he disagreed with the reasons for his arrest and had initially criticized the two players.

xQc’s third ban came after his viewers harassed another player who had had an altercation with the streamer. The player had indulged in “metagaming” and told other cops that it was xQc who had murdered him in-game. This led to toxicity from his fans. The fourth ban came because the streamer discussed the ban of another player banned on the server.

xQc claimed after the fourth ban that there was a bias against him. He has said multiple times that he will no longer play on NoPixel’s GTA RP server, despite his girlfriend claiming that she misses the streamer. While xQc is known for his humor and bluntness, the streamer often ends up crossing lines.

He regularly goes on rants against fellow streamers and players, which implicitly encourages his audience to spread hatred against them. The streamer had earlier claimed that he is addicted to the GTA RP server and reached out to Koil, as shown below.

"Can you please do it, man (unban)? I know I'm addicted but who isn't? It's a fun game you know. If I don't play for a month, I'll be so far distance that I'll forget about it (GTA V). Well, you know, I was doing better man. I was actually improving. I was containing the hot magma. I was improving. I was doing great."

Regardless, xQc’s troubles with Twitch and the GTA RP server seem to stem from the fact that he habitually goes on rants against fellow players. Whenever the streamer does not like an aspect of a fellow gamer or their actions, he more often than not criticizes the person in question. This has led to scrutiny from platforms and servers and encourages his viewers to spread the toxicity against the people xQc is ranting about.

However, as can be seen above, xQc has claimed that he is “improving.” Fans might see a change in approach from the streamer in the future.