xQc is making a $250,000 bet on the hot new esport

Marvel Rivals has been off to a hot start since its release last December, and its success is attracting attention from big names in the esports industry. xQc, the Canadian streamer who made a name for himself by playing other games in Marvel Rivals‘ genre, is putting a $250,000 on the line at a tournament called the Marvel Rivals xQc Invitational.

xQc, whose real name is Felix Lengyel, announced the May 9th event on his stream. He explained that the prize pool includes contributions from both his personal coffers and Marvel. The production, however, is in xQc’s hands. “I’m running the show this time, so I hope I can make a good, fun, balanced, and cool event,” he said. “I might play it and cast it, I might do a dual production type of thing.”

Before he became one of the most-watched streamers in the world, xQc was an esports star himself. He earned trophies playing Overwatch, a hero shooter that’s similar to Marvel Rivals.

When publisher NetEase introduced Marvel Rivals last year, it looked to use recognizable Marvel characters to upend the hero shooter genre. The early results have been strong: Within four months of its launch, Marvel Rivals 

has become the most-played hero shooter, according to SteamDB.

That momentum bodes well for Marvel Rivals‘ future, but the game’s prognosis isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. The game’s “second season” — a raft of updates and new heroes — received a lukewarm response from fans. A jolt of excitement courtesy of xQc could be exactly what NetEase needs to keep its hot title at the front of gamers’ minds.

Then again, creator-led esports events have encountered roadblocks of their own. Ludwig Ahgren, for example, made a splash by working with streamers like xQc to produce events through a venture called Offbrand. Those productions proved difficult to monetize, leading Ludwig to shutter Offbrand’s events arm around the time of Marvel Rivals‘ launch.

There will be a lot riding on the Marvel Rivals xQc Invitational. It’s a chance to validate the popularity of a new game while putting a new spin on streamer-hosted broadcasts. And then there’s the $250,000 prize. For the competitors, that sum is far from chump change.