Everyone knows StarLadder isn’t exactly the crème de la crème of TOs, but this time they’ve outdone themselves with their community broadcast rules for the Budapest Major.

Basically, StarLadder will only allow co-streaming on KICK. If you’re a Twitch or YouTube streamer, that’s too bad. The official broadcasts will still run on those platforms, but you won’t be able to get the full Major experience alongside your favourite streamer.

Why, you ask? Well, we don’t really know for sure. Maybe it’s because the main sponsor of the Major, Rollbit, is banned on Twitch and YouTube. Or maybe KICK signed a deal with StarLadder to make their platform the exclusive home for co-streams.

What we do know is this: despite the Rollbit ban, Twitch has already announced that it’ll make an exception only for the official StarLadder channels. They can stream the Major as long as Rollbit appears strictly through physical ads - jersey logos, signs, etc - with zero links, casino gameplay, or even a spoken mention.

Don’t worry Rollbit, we’re not afraid to mention you. Call us.

Naturally, the community is furious. Most streamers aren’t going to migrate to KICK - a platform where pretty much none of them have an audience, if they even have an account at all - just for the Major.

But why is this a problem? Because a significant chunk of Major viewership comes from people who want to watch the event with their favourite streamer, not through the official broadcast. With these rules, StarLadder is basically killing one of the aspects that builds hype and brings the community together for the biggest event of the year.

The Major is supposed to be that one moment when everyone gathers to watch the best teams fight for the game’s top honor - wherever they want to watch it.