Riot Is Putting Its Esports on Kick, the Platform Stake's Founders Own

Riot Games is making Kick an official broadcast partner for its esports, starting with the League of Legends Midseason Invitational on June 28. League, Valorant, and Teamfight Tactics events will stream on Kick alongside the usual Twitch and YouTube feeds, covering both global and regional competitions, with China and Korea left out.

So the matches you already watch get one more place to watch them. That part is boring. The interesting part is who Kick is.

What is actually in the deal

This is distribution, not an exclusive. Riot is adding Kick to its platform lineup, not pulling anything off Twitch or YouTube. Official broadcasts go up on Kick, and the platform also gets watch parties and co-streaming, which is where most of the audience actually lives now. Insider Gaming notes co-stream viewership has been outdrawing the official broadcast across esports, so opening the door to Kick creators is the bigger half of this.

Riot says the viewing experience carries over. The same drops and incentives "available during our global event broadcasts on other platforms" will be on Kick too, per the announcement, so you will not lose your free skins by watching there.

The reasoning Riot gave is regional. "KICK is the primary platform for many passionate esports fans, especially in LATAM, MENA, and Europe," the company said, framing the move as meeting fans where they already are. Kick has been eating into Twitch's lead with Spanish-language audiences in particular.

Kick creators also get access to Riot's creator and partner programs across League, Valorant, TFT, and Wild Rift.

The part the press release walks past

Kick is owned through Easygo Entertainment by Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani, the same two who founded the crypto casino Stake. Kick and Stake share founders, money, and a marketing playbook. That is the company Riot just signed.

This matters because Riot has spent years keeping gambling at arm's length from its broadcasts. Team Vitality is sponsored by Stake but cannot show it on its League jerseys, so it runs the French retailer E.Leclerc in those matches instead. In June 2025 Riot loosened betting sponsorship rules for orgs, but betting brands still cannot appear on the broadcast itself, per Insider Gaming. None of that changed with this deal. So Riot is now broadcasting on a platform a gambling company built, while still telling teams they cannot put gambling logos on screen. Square that how you like.

Moderation

Kick has, at various points, sold loose moderation as a feature. Riot addressed that head on, saying creators on Kick will be held to the same standards and policies as creators on other platforms, "ensuring a safe and positive experience for all." That is the promise. Whether a platform known for the opposite actually enforces Riot's rules is the thing worth watching once games start.

Riot is not first here. ESL already broadcasts Counter-Strike and Dota events on Kick. The streaming map is shifting, and Riot would rather be on the new platform than hand those regional audiences to someone else's stream.

MSI 2026 starts June 28. That is when we find out whether any of this changes what watching Riot esports feels like, or whether it is just a new logo on the same broadcast.