NICKMERCS inks 8-figure deal with Twitch rival, Kick.com

Ahead of TwitchCon Las Vegas, creator Nicholas “Nickmercs” Kolcheff has announced he will expand on to competitor Kick.com. The exact details were not disclosed, but the one-year non-exclusive deal was for eight figures. Nickmercs will continue to stream on Twitch, but the majority of his broadcast hours will shift to Kick.

“At Kick, we’re all about empowering creators to do more,” said Ed Craven, cofounder of Kick.com, “Nick has one of gaming’s most loyal audiences and his ability to mobilize them towards live events, where they unite as a tight-knit community, is nothing short of inspiring. Over the course of the next 12 months, we are helping Nick produce even more events and to kick off this signing, we are coming in as major sponsors of this year’s MFAM Central, happening in Vegas October 20th and 21st.”

Nickmercs and Kick build community

Together, Kick and Nickmercs plan to elevate his community events and creator-led esports tournaments. At this time, Nickmercs plans to solely focus on promoting his MFAM gauntlet tournament series, rather than costream other esports events on Kick.

“Building a community is everything I’ve ever wanted to do,” said Nicholas “NICKMERCS” Kolcheff. “By expanding on Kick.com, I’ll be able to reach new audiences and welcome even more fans into the MFAM. We will compete on big stages, host big events, and share new content in new ways. This is a major move for me, and I can’t wait to share this new experience with the community. It’s all for them.”

Expanding outside of Twitch is a major move for the streamer. According to data from SullyGnome, Nickmercs has accrued over 20 million hours of watched on Twitch year-to-date. His channel also ranks in the top 20 by followers.

However, he isn’t the only major Twitch personality to explore their options on Kick. Both xQc and Amouranth signed massive deals with the livestreaming service backed by gambling site, Stake.com. The Kick’s 95-5 revenue split in favor of creators is highly attractive compared to Twitch giving (most) creators 50% of subscription revenue.

“It’s no secret live-streaming has changed since I first started over a decade ago,” Kolcheff said to GamesBeat. “Kick gets it and will help create new memories for the gaming community. We’ll get better together. That’s my goal, always has been.”

Kick’s looser restrictions on content and hands-off approach could be a selling point to Nickmercs. While the streamer managed to avoid a Twitch ban, Activision pulled Nickmercs’ Call of Duty operator skin earlier this year due to a comment many took as anti-Pride.

Nickmercs will kick off his Kick streams starting October 23 after his various activations that will run parallel to TwitchCon Las Vegas. MFAM Central at The Palms Casino Resort includes the “MFAM Classic” golf tournament, the FaZe Arcade presented by Xfinity and the MFAM UFC watch party. Kick is a presenting sponsor for the entire Las Vegas takeover.

GamesBeat’s creed when covering the game industry is “where passion meets business.” What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you — not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it. Discover our Briefings.