Can a Youtuber Affect Game Sales?

[zanderlex]

I hadn't actually played PC games at all before I started watching gamers like Markiplier, I bought many games like Minecraft and Garrys Mod just because of him. Let's not forget about Five Nights at Freddys either, he is the reason it became so popular.

 

[JoshSucksAtGames]

Any attention positive or negative a product gets has the potential to affect sales. This isn't exclusive to games.

Yup.

I hadn't actually played PC games at all before I started watching gamers like Markiplier, I bought many games like Minecraft and Garrys Mod just because of him. Let's not forget about Five Nights at Freddys either, he is the reason it became so popular.

Five Nights would have definitely failed if it weren't for Youtubers playing it and overreacting to it. Game is terrible in my opinion xD

 

[Nemesysbr]

Yes, most definitely yes. This is specially true for games that are without a large budget for marketing. If Pewdiepie or any major youtuber praises your game, you can be sure he will be greenlit. This is one of the http://www.appfreak.net/deconstructing-incredible-success-flappy-bird/reasons so many game developers keep scurrying YouTube posting comments on channels recommending "this fun game I found". They know that if they ever manage to impress a YouTube celebrity, they will have instant rewards.

However, I don't think flappy bird is a good example of a game that got famous through youtube.

If you look at this graph, you will see Flappy Bird had a very inconsistent growing phase before and after Pewdiepie got his hands on it, so he propably wasn't the main reason the game got so successful.

Source: http://www.appfreak.net/deconstructing-incredible-success-flappy-bird/

 

[SharaElyse]

I think YouTubers are a great way for games to get known. I found out about a cool game called Life Is Strange from a lesser known up and coming Youtuber and then watched the game play by a more popular channel, I knew I wanted it! So yeah, if someone popular is willing to waste his/her time to play it and post it to YouTube I think that greatly influences sales.

 

[Honeymoon]

Absolutely. You'd have to be delusional to say that they have no impact on game sales. I mean, take a look at this tweet about the 'Pewdiepie effect' for example: https://twitter.com/braceyourselfok/status/643574577482731520

"Here's how the "@pewdiepie effect" affected NecroDancer. No real bump on @Steam_Spy, but actual sales? Up over $60k."

Keyword: Up over $60k.
Youtubers, especially the prominent ones like Pewdiepie, Markiplier and the guys from The Creatures, have a very significant impact on games. Hate them or love them, you gotta believe it. The proof is all there.

I for one use Youtubers to discover new games. And yes, when I bump into one that looks fun, I'll buy it.
They're responsible for roughly half of my Steam library.

 

[paigeswan]

If a celebrity musician were to say that he enjoys a certain brand of guitar pick, every dedicated fan would rush out and buy that pick. This is just like what happens with YouTubers. They prove their skills in their videos and develop a dedicated fan base. When the YouTuber plays a game and appears to be having fun, other people want to buy this game to have the same experiences. They also figure that this person is cool and therefore knows what games would be cool to have. They want to be in on the popular games that others enjoy so they can connect with people and feel validated.

 

[bored_1]

Youtubers and Twitch streamers can definitely create buzz for a game, much like a late night talk show host can give people their own 'bump'.

If it's a good game, that surge in popularity can even spawn a consistent following. Lirik probably made ARMA 3 way more popular than it should have been. Youtubers pushed Five Nights at Freddy's way beyond what it normally would have been.

Even I've sometimes bought a game after watching a steamer or youtuber play it.

 

[Anju]

Yes. To give an example is that recently Pewdiepie had created a video on Osu. Because of his large audience, it'd be easy for the Osu community to be overrun with newbies, however when browsing the comment section there was a negative reaction to the fact that Pewdiepie created the video, as the community was relatively small and preferred it to be that way.

 

[Kaitara]

They DEFINITELY can affect game sales. While I've never been convinced personally to buy a game by a youtuber, I have bought games at the behest of Penny Arcade. People do heed recommendations occasionally, especially from someone they feel has the same taste in games or sense of what is good/bad in a game. I'm sure there are many respected gamers on youtube who hold sway over masses of peoples' purchases.

 

[Dabstin]

After just reading the title I thought, "I doubt one youtuber can do something like that by themselves" but then you mentioned Pewdiepie and I completely forgot that insanely popular dude exists. His popularity is freaking insane, it's no surprise that he has that much effect on game sales. At this rate developers should be paying him a commission haha (although he probably doesn't even need that considering his reputation as the richest youtuber out there).

So, yes, it definitely happens. That's why Nintendo's idea of destroying that youtuber's channel who played hacked games was such a bad idea. Not only do these promote the consoles, but they bring in new audiences who had no interest in it before, like me. If not for certain youtubers I would never have gotten interested in Pokemon since it wasn't a significant part of my childhood like it was for most of the other current fans out there. Not only did I buy the 3DS and play the latest games, I also bought the older games which I played on emulators just to re-experience them again on the 3DS. Youtube is a huge place and very efficient at promoting games, whether through ads or sponsorship or reviews or whatever. It has an impact that can't be ignored.

 

[Kitty Reeves]

Absolutely! I know that a lot of games I found via YouTubers. Do you think YearWalk would have had so many people play it if PewDiePie hadn't played it? Game Grumps and The Sw1tcher (Best Friends Play) just played and showed off the demo for "Indivisible" (which DOES look amazing!) which is currently running a IndieGoGo campaign and you bet your buns they met the campaign goals because of it! I would have never discovered SOMA if GeekRemix and Markiplier hadn't played it either. (Again, another amazing game that makes you really question things and presents some great philosophical questions about humanity) So yes, YouTubers can totally influence a games sales!

 

[lexinonomous]

Majority of my video game discoveries have been made through youtube, so I think they can absolutely affect game sales. Youtubers are producing content and by featuring certain games, they are essentially giving that game free advertising. They are bringing more people into the world of that video game and making them interested. It does not surprise me that people are leaning towards buying after watching a youtube video.

 

[MyOCDisMild]

Oh, most definitely. My 14 year old has a major crush on a youtuber named Markiplier that she masquerades as him being a role model. She even wanted a frakking birthday cake with a mustache on it because he has a pink one as an emblem or something. There's a couple of apps that she has absolutely HAD to have because she saw him playing it and he made it look awesome...her words, not mine. She also can sit and watch this guy play different games, complete games, that he uploads in installments...which I think is the most moronic thing ever. Who the hell wants to watch another person play a game as opposed to playing the damn game themselves?

 

[Liquor]

Anyone with a bit of fame can influence anything. Look at Kim Kardashian.

I'm sure these game companies are also seeking out the people who have the most influence on purpose in order to drive sales. If a company has a game laying dormant that barley made any sales, they can send it to a YouTuber, or anyone with a following or fan base, and have them "review" it. Once that person of influence says something about the game, their fans will start to check it out just to see what it is and some will buy it just to be like the person who told them about it. Not to mention, YouTube is one of the hottest platforms right now. Just having your product on that platform will drive sales and popularity because there are so many active users there.

 

[Joel7050]

Yes, big youtubers definitely affect game sales. Their viewers hear of new games they've never heard of before, see the gameplay as very entertaining, then go off to buy it. This way, many people hear of great games they've never heard of before. Downloads or Purchases can easily skyrocket with one big youtuber, with his video easily getting hundreds of thousands of views.

 

[NotCasual]

I don't know about YouTubers simply playing a game, but when it comes to reviews, yes, of course. Many times I've based my decision to buy or not to buy a game based on a popular review I saw. If he justifies his complaints and people agree with him, then I'll go with it as well. And it always pays off. I never end up with a bad game. The games I end up skipping on always turn out to be terrible.

I'd say there's nothing wrong with following a YouTuber's advice.

 

[Steamroller]

A youtuber can become a marketing beacon to influence his/her audience to buy videogames. They already make people purchase their crappy books and other gimmicky stuff.

 

[SirJoe]

Yes, the games that sell the most are the ones that are played by YouTubers. There are channels with hundreds of thousands of subscribers. If they give a game a bad review, they can drop the games sales.

 

[fcuco]

Not the actual Youtuber, but lately I only buy games if I am able to catch some let's play or gameplay demos on Youtube to see if the game looks good, I am not talking about reviews, I don't watch reviews as those are a waste of time and I don't trust any gaming journalist, but I always hit Youtube to see actual gameplay footage before making a purchase decision. The actual comments of the Youtuber are not that important to me, I just want the game to speak for itself.

 

[Andrei Birla Marian]

They are making free exposure to the game, and it can go both ways.

It can garner more fans or it can change a potential buyers mind - I usually watch the first 30 minutes of a game before I purchase it. In the first 30 minutes you don't see spoilers that will destroy your gaming experience, and you have a good look on how the game handles.

The are a couple of YouTubers out there that do a great job with Let's Play videos, but there are some that make millions and they are completely horrible - like PewDiePie. If you're a South Park fan, you probably saw the episode that is basically a satire about how the new generation prefers to just sit around and watch somebody else play a game, instead of actually playing said game.

Fun fact - The top five Let’s Players collectively have more YouTube subscribers than Peru has people. And that is just mind boggling.