The Full Story Behind xQc's Many Bans
Throughout his streaming career, xQc has added a touch of chaos to any game he decides to play. From "Grand Theft Auto" to "Overwatch" to platforms like Twitch and Twitter, xQc has been banned from them all. Sometimes, xQc's bans are the result of a misunderstanding or because of rules violations in specific communities, but other times, a series of unexpected events leads to the ban in question.
No matter why xQc gets banned from a platform or game, his legions of fans continue to admire his ambition, energetic personality, and adventures in the digital space. xQc has risen to fame over the past few years for his personality, but he's also demonstrated his persistence. After each ban, xQc and his fans have fought to see him reinstated in whatever game or platform he's been kicked off of. Most bans have been reversed, leaving xQc to re-enter the gaming spaces that ousted him and bring his specific brand of streaming. While xQc definitely has a shady side, it's unclear whether all of his bans were deserved. Fans are left to judge for themselves.
xQc got banned from Twitter as part of a DMCA crackdown
In late 2020, xQc got the boot from one of the most popular social networks, Twitter. He got a notice from the platform, claiming he'd violated the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). The DMCA works to protect copyrighted material in digital spaces, and xQc violated it by showing a short clip from an old stream he'd broadcast a year prior.
After xQc regained his privileges on Twitter, he voiced his frustration by tweeting, "DMCA FOR A YEAR+ OLD 10S CLIP FROM MY OWN STREAM. WONDERFUL AND WELL THOUGHT OUT SYSTEM! NEXT STOP? JAIL!" The DMCA violation came as part of an effort to crack down on the infringement of copyrighted material online, and other streamers voiced their consternation over Twitter's latest crackdown. Pokimane humorously said she'd see xQc in jail for her own violations.
xQc wasn't the only streamer affected by efforts to find and eradicate streams that featured copyrighted material. Twitch and other social platforms penalized many streamers for old material that violated the DMCA, even slightly. While xQc's ban from Twitter was only temporary, it brought more voice to streamers' frustration with the DMCA crackdown.
Twitch banned xQc for stream sniping
Twitch is the bread and butter of many streamers' livelihoods. It's where a simple match of "Fortnite" can turn into an 8-hour marathon and where streamers flock to interact with their fans via intimate Q&As. Being banned from Twitch can spell certain doom for streamers, but it didn't for xQc, who managed to finagle his way out of a ban.
During a "Fall Guys" tournament, xQc allegedly stream sniped another player, which was a violation of the tournament's rules and general streamer etiquette. Stream sniping involves players watching competitors online in order to determine where they are on the map, making it easy to track them down and defeat them. Stream sniping has long been a problem in competitive online games like "Fortnite," driving streamers like Ninja to say they'll never play the game again.
After being eliminated in a massive battle royale in "Fall Guys," xQc began stream sniping in order to take out his team's opponents. Since xQc was also streaming, it was simple to see (and document) that he was cheating, leading many viewers to wonder if Twitch would ban him for his misdeeds.
Twitch did, in fact, ban xQc, albeit temporarily. Around the time xQc received a temporary Twitch ban, he posted that his fans should stop defending him and that while he sometimes thinks his actions are funny, they're still malicious. Of course, it's not so easy to sway fans, and xQc still enjoys a healthy following despite his actions.
Dallas Fuel and the Overwatch League
xQc once enjoyed membership on a stellar "Overwatch" team, Dallas Fuel, but he ruined his chances of a career with them after a series of unfortunate choices in 2018. The saga of xQc's bans, and then dismissal, from the Overwatch League remains one of the shadiest moments in the streamer's past.
In January 2018, xQc was banned by Dallas Fuel for a homophobic rant on-air. According to Polygon, xQc directed a homophobic statement toward fellow competitor Muma after he made fun of xQc's frequent catchphrases. The Overwatch League immediately took action, fining xQc $2,000 and banning him for four games. For their part, Dallas Fuel agreed with the Overwatch League's decision.
Unfortunately, that offense was the beginning of the end for xQc's time with Dallas Fuel. He was also suspended for spamming a chat with racist emotes, and the combination of offenses led Dallas Fuel to kindly dismiss xQc from the league. It seemed like xQc's exit was best for both him and the league, as he'd called the Overwatch League and its players a "cancer" online.
xQc's offensive comments to League of Legends players
xQc was permanently banned from popular competitive game "League of Legends" after repeated offenses against the game's user policy. According to Dexerto, xQc decided to play "League of Legends" while on a ban from "Overwatch," but things quickly turned sour once users began reporting him because they found his "in-game comms extremely inflammatory and offensive." In private chats, xQc allegedly harassed players, which led them to submit reports on the streamer and trigger an investigation into his communication.
xQc responded in a non-apology on Twitter, writing, "It is never my intention to harass or use in-game chat in an abusive manner. Banter is fun and 100% of the time I type something to someone I know they are playing along and won't be hurt. If I ever typed something and you were genuinely hurt, I am sorry. I will be better." Some fans clapped back by speculating that it must be tiring to have to apologize for a new scandal every month. xQc's permaban remains in place in "League of Legends," and there's no chance the streamer can return to the arena.
xQc's many bans from the NoPixel GTA roleplaying server
xQc's ban from NoPixel's "GTA" roleplaying server is complicated, but the offenses seem similar to his behavior on other platforms. First, xQc was on thin ice after breaking character in order to tell another player to kill themselves. He quickly had his first ban reversed and returned to NoPixel, only to be banned again, and again, and again. After his fifth ban from NoPixel, xQc said he was fine with the ban and figured he probably deserved it.
"Grand Theft Auto" roleplaying typically has a long list of rules associated with it and requires players to strictly adhere to them in order to remain part of a roleplaying server. xQc's initial ban ruffled feathers, but a later ban occurred after xQc provoked two other players into breaking character.
On their respective streams, the two players launched into tirades about xQc and his dedicated fans. xQc tweeted that he didn't intend to hurt anyone with his actions and that he deserved his ban. Despite saying that there was no malice in his actions, xQc got slapped with a permaban, meaning that he can no longer participate in "GTA" roleplaying with NoPixel.