Twitch has found itself at the center of an online controversy after announcing an Overcooked 2 tournament to celebrate International Women's Day on March 8, with many users on X calling the choice of a cooking game deeply misguided for an event meant to honor women's rights and gender equality.
The announcement came on March 2 via the official Twitch Rivals account on X, paired with a trailer showcasing Overcooked 2 gameplay and the message, "Let's celebrate International Women's Day together." The response was swift and pointed, with the most widely shared quote tweet simply reading: “Y'all picked a cooking game?”
The Backlash Takes Shape
Criticism came from across the gaming community, ranging from pointed jokes to genuine frustration. Among the more notable voices was Heather "sapphiRe" Garozzo, an Esports Hall of Fame inductee and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive World Champion, who pushed back directly at Twitch.
"Women also play popular competitive games! @RaidiantGG operates women's esports events for Fortnite, Rocket League, VALORANT, Rainbow Six Siege and Overwatch," Garozzo wrote. "Let us know if you'd like to collab on other titles that maybe better represent women's empowerment."
Her response highlighted what many saw as a missed opportunity: a platform with the reach and resources of Twitch choosing a casual co-op cooking title over any number of high-profile competitive games where women are already making an impact.
important
The backlash was not solely about the game itself. Many critics specifically pointed to the optics of associating women with cooking in a gaming context, even if unintentionally.
The Women's Guild's Role
Here's the thing: the story gets more complicated once you look at who actually made the call. Twitch streamer LucyPancakes, a member of the Women's Guild (part of Twitch's Unity Guilds Program), confirmed that the game selection came from within the guild itself.
"I'm part of the Women's Guild, btw. They know how this looks and chose to move forward with it anyways because...our entire community...overwhelmingly voted for it," she wrote. "I don't think the higher ups realized it was going to look this bad."
LucyPancakes also made clear she personally disagreed with the direction. In a follow-up post, she expressed what she felt the event could have been:
- An all-female Marvel Rivals team tournament
- A competitive Battlefield 6 showcase
- A Warzone event featuring women in a traditionally male-dominated space
"We could have really done something epic. Dominated a male-occupying game. Proved that we are more than just casual gamers," she wrote.
Twitch Responds
Following the initial wave of criticism, Twitch Rivals issued a statement on March 3 addressing the decision-making process behind the Women's Guild event. The statement was shared via the official Twitch Rivals X account, though the platform did not walk back the tournament itself.
The key here is that Twitch's statement acknowledged the controversy without canceling or replacing the event, suggesting the tournament is still set to proceed as planned ahead of March 8.
What This Means for Women in Esports
The episode has reignited a broader conversation about how gaming platforms and organizations choose to spotlight women in competitive spaces. What most players miss in debates like this is that the issue is rarely about any single game. Overcooked 2 is a well-regarded co-op title. The problem, as critics framed it, is the signal sent when a cooking game is the chosen vehicle for a day centered on equality and empowerment.
Organizations like Raidiant, which runs women's esports events across multiple major titles, represent an alternative model: one that places women in the same competitive arenas as everyone else, rather than carving out a separate, softer space.
Whether Twitch revisits its approach for future events remains to be seen, but the response to this year's Women's Day tournament has made one thing clear: the gaming community is paying close attention.
Source: Kotaku
Make sure to check out our articles about top games to play in 2026:
Best Nintendo Switch Games for 2026
Best First-Person Shooters for 2026
Best PlayStation Indie Games for 2026
Best Multiplayer Games for 2026
