Here's a story to make us feel old and (relatively) useless: EA reportedly paid one of the world's most popular streamers $1 million to help promote Apex Legends. Ninja, who's become a Twitch phenomenon over the last year or so, is known for playing games like Fortnite incredibly well. He's amassed a gigantic following on the streaming site, and, naturally has become a big target for those wanting to advertise their products.
With free-to-play team-based shooter Apex Legends dropping out of nowhere last month, EA needed the game to catch on quickly, and so it turned to a number of Twitch streamers. In particular, EA supposedly approached Ninja with a massive deal, offering $1 million in exchange for coverage.
This whole thing's a pretty clear indicator of how publisher tactics have changed. Partnering with streamers and content creators is nothing new at this point, but companies are obviously willing to bet very big on internet personalities.
Of course, this raises all kinds of questions about paid or promoted content. Transparency is always going to be key, but sometimes, the lines do get a little blurry.
[source reuters.com]
Comments 41
$1 million to promote a game! I'd settle for much less. EA, send me a pack of chocolate biscuits and I'll bump ANTHEM to a 6/10. Maybe even a 7 if they arrive in good condition.
This is so shocking! And by "shocking" I mean "not really, it was kind of expected the way this game launched and everything"
Crikey, maybe they'll pay me £100 to play it fairly well? No, probably not.. sob
They should've paid him to play Anthem.
@ShogunRok They'd probably pay a site like Push Square quite a sum if it meant they could influence your review in any way. They did so in the past with other sites. Only difference is, they can get away by paying off streamers, but they wouldn't be able to get away with paying off reviewers nowadays.
Streaming personalities have this strange position of:
a) Being a very important source where gamers get their news on the latest games
b) Without having the responsibility a gaming journalist has (in the eyes of the public).
From my point of view it's impossible to combine selling the content of your ouput and maintaining some form of integrity. But that's not what the wider audience seems to think.
I'm no millionaire, but I support this site with my clicks, because I believe in your honest takes on games.
@Kidfried You can't pay a dice, that's why I trust PushSquare reviews.
Far better investment than pointless posters on the sides of buses.
Wow, good for him! Game is really blowing up interested to see where they take it next
@Octane Haha, that's a brilliant throwback.
Wow, that’s crazy. I don’t understand why there’s such a market for Twitch though. I get guides or concentrated tip videos, but why watch someone stream a game when I could play a game?
Why so much money though?
I'm sure they could have the same thing for much cheaper, from him or another?
@Jaz007 Why do people watch sports when they could be doing it themselves?
Insane money.
Isn't Ninja the guy that accuses people of stream sniping him?
@Kidfried There's a difference between a pick-up games with friends and a professional NFL. The amount of organization and spectacle are completely different things. A better comparison for that would be E-sports. Watching the best of the best play against each in an organized event makes sense. It's something on different level. A twitch streamer though, even one who's good at the game, doesn't carry any of that.
@Bad-MuthaAdebisi Rather have them put that money in the game to make it better but thats just me. 😁
The article reads 'popular steamers'
I made an account just to point this out
I watch game news channels and trailers but i'm baffled by stuff like twitch. I'd rather play the game myself than watch someone else do it!
@Kidfried That's a question I've been asking myself my entire life
He's not a reviewer and so I'm ok with this. He just plays games.
I like the streams which show fit women playing them in the corner.
@Jaz007 It's more to do with their personality than any sort of skill at the game in question. Saying that, Ninja's a tw*t and Pewdiepie's stupid enough to use the N word during a stream so maybe that says something about the viewers?
That’s a bit mad. I wonder if they started with like..£2k? Coz I’d have totally done it for £2k.
@kyleforrester87 I’d do it for nectar points.
@Jaz007 I don't think with watching sports it's nessecarily about watching "the best of the best". I keep up with the soccer team from my hometown, I've even been to their games. They're no Barca or Madrid. Not even close. They're not even in the top 20 division of my small country. But I root for them regardless, and care more about any of their games than whatever the best of the best do.
@Jaz007 because other people do it. Same with everything, really. That's why internet "challenges" are so popular. Herd mentality.
@Rudy_Manchego i’d do it for a million v-bucks
@naruball or because they... DUH-DUH-DUH! Like it!
@Jaz007 It's the same as how most football fans are actually fans of watching football rather than playing it. People enjoy watching others do things they like at a high standard, like listening to people sing when they could just sing themselves, watching people cook when they could just cook themselves, watching other people act when they could just act themselves, etc.
B/c I'm an old blue collar guy all I can think is - how much do the actual guys who make the game - the low level coder guys, not the EA execs bribing their kids into college - get paid to make this game, and how do THEY feel about somebody getting paid a cool mil to promote it when they are probably making like $150k a year to make it?
Are they all sitting around the office listening to this?
That ain't working, that's the way you do it,
you play my hard work on your Twitch game stream
Most streamers would play it for a free copy of the game. Promote it is the key word here. I think 50-100 free copies to give away would have worked. But he could have trashed the game with out the contract and payment. Don't want to take that chance now do we.
@kyleforrester87 and how exactly do they come to like it?
dun dun duuuuuuun!
@naruball theyyy try it out wheyyy!
Here's a story to make us feel old and (relatively) useless: EA reportedly paid one of the world's most popular steamers $1 million to help promote Apex Legends.
What did he steam for 1 million..fish..potatoes let me know I make a mean meat pudding could do with the cash
@kyleforrester87 strong argument right here.
That's why Americans love football, while Europeans prefer soccer and Chinese can't get enough of ping pong. Simply cuz they try it out. Makes sense. Wheyyy!
@Kcall07 I very much appreciate it
@naruball wheyyyyyy!!!
It doesn’t raise any questions really. If a guys I being paid decent money on twitch period, you can’t trust them
I’ve never heard of this Ninja lad till 2 weeks ago but now I’ve noticed he’s popin’ up everywhere. Last week he was at the PSG and United game, thought it was a bit random that the camera zoomed in on him and a commentator making a comment 🤨
That 1 million he’s got, he’s sorted for a new house, car and still have some change for holidays or whatever, all because he videos himself playing games. Crazy times we live in right now.
Never heard of him. I've got a Twitch account, but have barely used it. And I have never, ever, watched anyone livestream a game.
I watch people play games, sure. I love Colonel Failure on YouTube, and enjoy watching his pre-recorded gameplay... but I never watch his streams.
Good for him!!! Personally, I'm not really into of watching someone else play when I could be playing the game myself.lol That being said, I have watched some pretty funny YouTube videos in the past, most memorable ones are PewDiePie's "Zero Deaths" Dark Souls videos.
@Paranoimia Same here. Never heard of him until he appeared in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon a few months ago.
Single player campaign
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