Streaming star xQc is sparking mixed opinions after defending TwitchCon, saying the event significantly ramped up security after fellow streamer Emiru was assaulted by a fan.
On October 17, popular internet personality and cosplayer Emiru was holding a meet and greet at TwitchCon when an attendee skipped the line and walked up to her, grabbing her by the shoulders and leaning down in an attempt to kiss her.
One of the streamer’s private security guards shoved the man away, with multiple convention-goers reporting he was able to walk out of the venue without being detained.
According to Emiru, Twitch didn’t take action against the individual until her manager advocated for her, initially banning him from their website for 30 days. It wasn’t until later that the company permanently banned him from both on-site events and the online platform.
Emiru expressed frustration and disappointment with Twitch’s response to the situation. The event quickly came under fire for this and several other incidents that were reported by streamers, such as VTuber IronMouse claiming security guards had trashed gifts from her fans.
While many top streamers, including Emiru, have said they will not be attending TwitchCon in the future (and even speculating 2025 may have been its last run ever), Felix ‘xQc‘ Lengyel had a decidedly different opinion.
xQc faces heat for praising TwitchCon security after Emiru assault
He addressed the assault during an October 21 broadcast, where he admitted that it was “one of the most egregious [things] we’ve seen,” but commended TwitchCon for ramping up security after the fact.
“Chat, I was there, and I’ll be honest with you… the overall event was safer and better. I had two police in front of my lineup. In between the lines, there were police and sh*t like that. This was after the Emiru event. …They learned something on that front.
“But on other fronts, it’s usually bad. [This year], it was better. In other years, there were these guys in front of the event who were harassing and touching people. It was weird. There was none of that sh*t this year.
“This year, we had better shuttles at the back for partners. Everything was overall better. That one event was worse, though. It sucks that it happened.”
While his chat instantly accused him of “glazing” the platform, he insisted that he was merely giving his own honest version of events. He also reiterated that Twitch’s response to the attack on Emiru was “dogsh*t” and “weird,” claiming he felt CEO Dan Clancy didn’t want to address it even privately.
Other influencers who attended TwitchCon say they also had a good time outside of major pitfalls that hampered their experience, such as creators being confronted by IRL streamers without their consent and difficulties with accessibility.
For instance, Minecraft streamer GoodTimesWithScar won a Twitch Rivals competition, but was unable to get on stage due to no ramps being available to accommodate his wheelchair.
While Twitch has issued a statement regarding Emiru’s assault, they have not spoken publicly about the overall impression left from this year’s event, leaving many in the community worried that if drastic changes aren’t made, there may never be another one.
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