Twitch superstar Felix “xQc” Lengyel is having to move once again thanks to ongoing issues related to doxxing and swatting.
xQc recently tweeted that he is moving back to his home country of Canada. He tweeted in all caps that he already has a setup built and that “everything is back to normal” with regard to his streaming schedule. However, although the tweet was positive, with the former professional Overwatch player showing off his simple, cozy setup, the story behind xQc’s move isn’t as heartwarming.
Fans of xQc might remember his chaotic move back to Canada in early 2021 due to a home invasion. Someone attempted to break into his home with a crowbar, according to the Streamer.
Soon after that, xQc revealed that he was also getting constantly swatted, which is when people will call the police about something “dangerous” at that the target’s address to bring the police to their home, often during a livestream. Swatting can be a dangerous practice, and those who are found guilty of it have often gone to prison.
xQc ultimately decided to move to Los Angeles in part to escape the constant harassment, but he later revealed in late 2021 that he was unhappy with the vibe of the city. He then moved again soon after, calling Los Angeles residents “weird” and the city “fabricated.”
xQc is now being forced to move again, and his fans were a bit curious about the sudden move, but it was soon revealed that xQc has to constantly move to avoid not just swatting, but doxxing too. xQc has often stayed in Airbnb’s, so he could keep his address private.
It was never made public if another swatting or break-in incident took place or if xQc just moves all the time in order to avoid address leaks and dangerous swatting incidents. However, there is more to this story than just fan mischief.
In June 2021 after admitting he was “slightly, if not moderately addicted” to gambling and realizing how many impressionable viewers he was exposing to it, xQc stopped promoting gambling sponsors during his streams. However, that changed on May 16.
The Twitch star spent a portion of his stream yesterday playing slots—much to the dismay of some of his viewers, who called him out for changing his stance weeks after disclosing his gambling “addiction” again, not once but twice. After being poked and prodded about his decision, the Laval Quebec native revealed the reason behind it.
The streamer claims he’s tired of seeing viewers “pick and choose” who they call out for doing sponsored gambling streams, so he went ahead and flipped the switch. “Everybody threw us all under the bus when the chips were down, and everybody turned on us,” said xQc, presumably referring to a backlash over his sponsored gambling streams on Twitch in the past. “Everyone was a bunch of b*tches. But when some other streamers [decided to do sponsored gambling streams again], everybody flipped and said, ‘oh dude, if I had that much money, I would do it too! I respect this guy!” he said.
It’s unclear who exactly xQc is referring to. Though he does believe viewers won’t give him the same treatment. “People are selectively choosing who they back up when, if your real motive is behind morals and ethics, you can’t pick and choose,” he stressed.
It’s for that reason that he started doing sponsored gambling streams again. “I started malding seeing people pick this and choose that, and you know what, at the end of the day, I was like, I love gambling, so I’m just going to gamble,” he said.
It wasn’t long before xQc’s decision sparked a discussion about the issue, “I don’t think there is anything else on Twitch that actively encourages destructive behaviour other than gambling on stream,” said one fan on Reddit.
“Taking money from shady a** companies to fuel your gambling addiction in front of your audience of tens of thousands of easily influenced children is not it,” said another. It is important though that although gambling streams are controversial and widely considered to be unethical, they’re still permitted on Twitch.
However, the streaming site has ramped up efforts to manage them. So, that might change in the future.
