XQc

Félix Lengyel (born November 12, 1995), better known as xQc (formerly xQcOW), is a Canadian online streamer and former professional Overwatch player.

While he is widely recognized for his streaming career, Lengyel initially gained recognition as a professional Overwatch player.

His esports career began in 2016, during which he also started streaming regularly.

In October 2016, he was recruited by Denial Esports, a prominent multi-game esports organization.

However, after a brief period, Denial disbanded, leading Lengyel and his former teammates to form an independent roster called Yikes, which later underwent a name change to Arc 6.

During their tenure, the team participated in Season Zero of Overwatch Contenders, where Lengyel's competitive drive appeared to reach unhealthy levels.

He acknowledged prioritizing gaming over fundamental aspects of life, such as sleep, nutrition, and personal relationships, and he would dedicate all of his time to playing ranked matches to regain confidence following subpar performances.

He joined the Dallas Fuel, a team competing in the inaugural season of the Overwatch League, in late 2017.

However, his time with the Dallas Fuel was marred by controversy, resulting in repeated suspensions and ultimately his release from the team midway through the season.

Additionally, Lengyel represented Team Canada in the Overwatch World Cup from 2017 to 2019.

Following his departure from competitive Overwatch, Lengyel shifted his focus to a full-time streaming career on Twitch.

During this period, he also signed with several esports organizations, such as Sentinels and Luminosity Gaming, as a content creator.

Throughout his streaming career, Lengyel has faced several bans and suspensions on Twitch for violating platform guidelines.

These incidents involved showing explicit content, making offensive remarks, and engaging in stream sniping.

Despite these controversies, Lengyel maintained a large and dedicated fanbase, consistently attracting high viewership numbers.

Lengyel also had the opportunity to represent Team Canada in the 2017 Overwatch World Cup.

The team reached the tournament finals before ultimately being defeated by the reigning champions, South Korea.

Despite the loss, Lengyel was named the event's most valuable player.

In October 2017, Lengyel joined the Dallas Fuel, one of the teams competing in the inaugural season of the Overwatch League (OWL).

However, before the start of the season, he faced two suspensions on his personal Overwatch account from Blizzard.

The first suspension was a 72-hour penalty in November for misusing the game's reporting system.

The second suspension, a seven-day penalty in December, was a result of him throwing games on stream.

Lengyel's debut in the Overwatch League occurred during the Fuel's first match of the season on January 10, 2018.

The team suffered a 1–2 loss to the Seoul Dynasty.

Following the Fuel's third match, a 0–4 defeat against the Houston Outlaws on January 18, Lengyel made homophobic remarks directed at Austin "Muma" Wilmot, a player from the Outlaws who is openly gay, during his personal Twitch stream.

Lengyel later issued an apology to Muma on Twitter, expressing that his comments were not intended to be malicious and that he had spoken hastily.

In response to the incident, the Fuel decided to bench Lengyel for the subsequent match on January 19.

Additionally, the Overwatch League fined him $2,000 and suspended him for four matches.

The Fuel then extended the suspension through February 10.

Lengyel made his return to the Overwatch League on February 23 in a 3–1 victory over the Los Angeles Gladiators.

However, his comeback was short-lived.

On March 10, he received a fine of $4,000 and another four-match suspension from the league.

He was the most-watched streamer on Twitch for three consecutive years, from 2020 to 2022.

In June 2023, Lengyel signed a two-year, non-exclusive $100million deal to stream on Kick.

After finishing high school, Lengyel enrolled in a CEGEP, studying business administration until dropping out in second year after feeling "directionless".

At the age of 19, Lengyel subsequently began streaming on the platform Twitch, where he initially played League of Legends (LoL) under the pseudonym xQcLoL.

The name "xQc" was derived from the last letter of his first name, "x," combined with the abbreviation for his home province of Quebec, "QC".

As his streaming career progressed, Lengyel gained recognition and prominence primarily through his involvement with Overwatch, a video game developed by Blizzard Entertainment.

Consequently, he adjusted his alias to xQcOW to reflect his association with Overwatch.

Lengyel embarked on his professional esports career in Overwatch by initially competing in smaller online tournaments as a tank player for teams such as DatZit Gaming.