X: KickMicrosoft has confirmed that Xbox has no formal partnership with Kick, after the streaming platform used the brand’s name in official material, sparking confusion.
On Dec 17, Kick posted “kick [handshake] xbox” on X, leading some to believe Microsoft had entered a formal partnership with the Stake-backed site.
Trainwreck, who is involved with the business and one of the early adopters of the Kick platform, added, “Big moves” – adding to the impression that Kick and Xbox had teamed up in some way.
As the images circulated on social media, criticism quickly followed, with some accusing Xbox of aligning itself with a platform some view as controversial. Kick has previously faced criticism due to its association with online gambling and streamers who were banned from Twitch due to inappropriate behavior.
A post which has over 1.3 million views and 40,000 likes reads “Microsoft has partnered with the company famous for employing pedophiles and rapists and having people die on stream, cool.”
The situation escalated enough that Microsoft issued a clarification, replying to the post.
The company confirmed that Xbox has not partnered with Kick.
“Kick independently published an app on our platform, and we are actively evaluating it under our Store policies. Apps that do not comply with these policies are removed.”
Kick has continued to grow since its launch, positioning itself as an alternative to Twitch with more creator-friendly revenue splits. However, its connection to crypto gambling company Stake has remained a recurring point of controversy.
