Kick CEO Eddie Craven has accused ex-FaZe Clan streamers StableRonaldo and Lacy of massively inflating their live viewer counts using viewbots. Both creators have now turned to their Twitch earnings to show what’s true.
In Craven’s Kick Talk Episode 76 with Andrew Santamaria (Head of Kick Studios), the CEO said several former FaZe members who streamed on Kick were “huge viewbotters,” naming Rani “StableRonaldo” Netz and Nick “Lacy” Fosco directly.
He alleged that “up to 90 percent of their viewership was botted,” pointing to Lacy supposedly having around 100 real viewers when he broadcast on Kick compared to the thousands he pulls on Twitch.
Craven framed the accusations inside a wider conversation about viewbotting across the industry, arguing that botting is so common that blanket bans would “empty” the platform, and instead emphasizing that Kick tries not to pay out on views it flags as fake.
StableRonaldo and Lacy took steps to show their real numbers
Not long after the clip circulated, StableRonaldo went live on Twitch to address the accusations head-on. In the stream, he pulled up his Twitch revenue dashboard on screen, walking viewers through how his income and growth have developed over the years.
If I were to viewbot, wouldn’t I viewbot my revenue too? That’s my question. I dare you. Ask streamers who you think they’re viewbot, and show their revenue.
Ronaldo also reminded viewers that this isn’t the first time viewbotting has been attached to his name, referencing past drama where he claimed a former management team wanted him to use viewbots to help secure a Kick deal.
If I’m a big botter, Eddie, why did you (and your team at Kick) offer me millions and millions and millions of dollars? I have the contracts written up, and I have the conversations between my management before. If I’m a big botter, why would you want to waste money? Are you upset that I denied your Stake deal?
Now, after finding himself on the other side of the discussion, he is being transparent by showing revenue figures to prove that his audience is real and valuable.
Lacy chose a similar approach. After Craven’s claim that he only had around 100 genuine viewers on Kick, Lacy responded by sharing his own earnings and performance metrics to push back on the narrative that his audience is mostly fake.
How did I make 50x what someone with a hundred viewers on Kick made in the same day? They wanted me to do two hours of non-gambling content on Kick. If I’m 90% bots, why do you want me on your site doing two hours of non-gambling content? That doesn’t make any sense to me.
In a clip shared on X, he compared his Twitch revenue to what you’d expect from a streamer averaging roughly 100 viewers, arguing that the numbers simply don’t line up with Craven’s comments.
His response also comes with extra baggage from past discussions: xQc has previously said that Kick’s anti-bot systems reduced Lacy’s payout by stripping out traffic the platform believed to be artificial or inflated, only paying him for viewers it considered real.
Split community reaction
Some viewers have praised Craven for speaking so bluntly about viewbotting and explaining that Kick does not want to reward fake traffic with real money. One user commented, “The only way for Twitch streamers to prove that they aren’t botting are showing there ad rev and earning pretty much. But Its TOS, so you can be banned.”
Others feel that publicly labeling specific creators as “huge viewbotters” without sharing hard evidence crosses a line, especially after those same creators been previously courted with lip-smacking deals to stream on Kick.
For Ronaldo and Lacy, the stakes are more than just public perception. Viewbotting allegations are enough to scare off sponsors, damage trust with fans, and cast doubt on every peak spike they hit on Twitch or any other platform.
By putting their Twitch revenue on display, they’re showing that their business results as top-tier streamers. In an ecosystem where audience credibility matters to advertisers, teams, and even esports bookmakers, proving that viewers are real becomes even more important.
