Riot Games Adds Kick as Global Streaming Partner

Riot Games has added Kick to its global roster of official broadcast destinations for League of Legends Esports, VALORANT and Teamfight Tactics. Live coverage on Kick will begin with the LoL Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) 2026. The agreement is non-exclusive and does not apply in China or Korea, where separate regional arrangements remain in place.

Kick will carry live broadcasts for both global and regional Riot events across the three titles. Riot’s official streams will continue to be available on Twitch, YouTube and other platforms. In-game rewards, drops and other viewer incentives will be available on Kick at the same levels as other official channels, Riot confirmed.

The partnership extends benefits to creators on Kick. Streamers on the platform will be eligible for Riot’s partner programs for League of Legends, VALORANT, Teamfight Tactics and Wild Rift. Riot noted that the same moderation standards applied to creators on other platforms will be enforced on Kick channels.

The announcement drew criticism on social media because Kick’s co-founders include stakeholders in Stake.com, a cryptocurrency casino and gambling operator. Critics referenced Riot’s previous restrictions on gambling-related sponsorships within its esports ecosystem.

Riot opened limited pathways for betting sponsorships in 2025 but continues to require approvals and to block deals that do not comply. The company recently blocked a BetBoom sponsorship for a Riot-partnered League content platform after finding the arrangement did not follow required approval steps. Riot has not issued a public response addressing criticism of the Kick partnership.

Riot is not the first esports organizer to add Kick. Earlier this year the ESL FACEIT Group signed a non-exclusive agreement giving Kick English-language broadcast rights for top-tier Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2 events. Brazil’s Copa Nobru has also used Kick for Free Fire broadcasts. Those agreements, like Riot’s, were structured as non-exclusive broadcasts rather than platform exclusives.

Riot emphasized that official content will continue to be distributed across multiple platforms to maintain accessibility for fans and creators.