If anything is going to roll up 2014, the internet and video games together in one single fact, this has got to be it.
Felix “PewDiePie” Kjellberg, one of the most well-known “Let’s Play” gamers on the planet, now has over 25 million subscribers (he’s doubled his tally in just a year). Compare that to Justin Bieber, with 8 million, or Rihanna, with 12.
OK, so while a tally of YouTube subscribers has always been as vaporous a metric for success/popularity as Twitter followers (most YouTubers begging for you to click subscribe even if it means you never watch another of their videos ever again), there’s little doubting the commercial reality of PewDiePie’s status: a media analysis company estimates, based on his video views, that he makes between $US130,000 and over $US1 million a month from ad revenue.
I’ll give you a moment to let that sink in.
In case you need to see the big picture, he’s currently ranked sixth on YouTube’s subscriber charts, behind only the general cumulative pages for music, sports, gaming, news and “popular”.
This is all part of a great feature on The Atlantic on the rise of “Let’s Players”, which is as fascinating as it is equally…well, maybe not gross, but it’s tough to read stuff like “He’s otherwise unemployed, and hopes eventually to support himself by playing video games” and feel anything other than a mild sense of despair.
This Guy Makes Millions Playing Video Games on YouTube [The Atlantic]
Comments
35 responses to “One Gamer Has More YouTube Subscribers Than Rihanna, Bieber”
ugh… i can’t even fucking escape pewdiepie here… cmon.
i saw this guy way before he hit the multi million views
i could not understand how retards like this plus smosh are so famous
all they do is act childish and scream.
Its like an evolution of emos crossed with hipsters
I dont even….
Inb4 the haters..
EDIT: Looks like I was too late.. Also, this is a gaming website, he’s a gamer.. derp? >_>
It’s a stretch of the imagination to call what PDP does ‘gaming’. He is, however, an accomplished screamer.
It’s possible to be interested in a thing and not automatically like everything about that thing.
My opinion on PewDiePie is kind of mixed. His gameplay commentary is just urgh, but his videos unrelated to playing video games are rather entertaining.
I actually like Pewdiepie. He’s usually honest and funny and hardly ever takes himself seriously – plus he uses his success to assist charities. I know the whole “screaming and swearing at scary games” schtick is a bit old but his videos are generally fun and he’s having a good time. He knows his audience. He rolls with the hate he gets and asks his fans not to let it bother them because it doesn’t bother him. His fanbase can be kind of annoying but I think that’s because they represent a cross-section of the internet which is mostly loudmouths with no filter. That’s not really his fault.
I can’t *STAND* the guy. I don’t let my son watch him either (he’s 10) due to the language, the content etc.
So we don’t watch him, it’s that simple. We have a choice and we exercise that choice. I think a lot of people seem to forget that?
BUT, I respect him for what he does, what he’s achieved, the charity work he’s done, the money he’s given away, the hard work he’s put in. He deserves his success. I may not like his shows much on youtube, but that’s my personal dislike, I know many who love him. That’s fair enough, it’s just my personal taste.
If he’s gonna keep going strong, doing what he does, then by all means do so, he’s helping others, I don’t see a thing wrong with that.
Definitely not for kids. He plays mature games and swears a LOT. One for older teens and older, for sure.
As for the hate, people take personal offence that he’s at the top of youtube instead of their preferred content provider. Once he started closing in on tobuscus (who I personally don’t like – so I don’t watch!) there was this all out back and forth trolling in the comments. I don’t think toby has a grudge against pewds, or vice versa.
As far as gaming channels go I much prefer Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter for their content, but I don’t really give a shit that Pewdiepie has like ten times their numbers.
As far as Im aware Tobuscus and Pewdiepie like each other, there’s been no slanging on youtube or anything. I let my kid watch Tobuscus, he’s more aimed towards kids, as he appears on kids shows like Annoying Orange etc. Like I said, I respect him, I respect Tobs too, for what they do, it takes hard work doing that shit!!! I remember running my own interview website, that took up at least 20+ hours a week of my own time plus and I was still working full time!
WHAT? You don’t like Pewds? HOW COME YOU DO-…. oh what the hell, I’m just kidding.
I wish I could see more people like you! How you said you don’t like him for good reasons, and acknowledge what he’s done right for good reasons! Can I clone you so we can have a better internet?
He’s retarded. His viewers are similarly impaired.
Considering this wasn’t about PewDiePie but another guy who “makes between $600 and $1,000 a month in ad revenue from his videos” that is a legitimate comment.
That is his only source of income and he is trying to grow it to a stage that it will support him. What is wrong with saying that
Luke Plunkett questions the worth of playing and talking about video games for a living… while he talks about video games for a living… y’know the usual… god forbid someone make a living doing something they love. Can’t stand Pewdiewhatever, but I’m happy the guy is doing what he loves, so many people out there spend most of their time doing something they hate.
“Hate” is not a term that should be used in relation to trivial pop-culture ephemera, that really devalues the term.
I hope he’s clever about any money he makes from this fame. It’s most likely very temporary so I really hope he saves as much of it as he can and doesn’t waste it on expensive wasteful crap or get himself into financial commitments that assume his current level of success will continue indefinitely.
The dude is rich from recording himself playing videogames. Any haters would probably have to seriously consider if they are just jealous, coz i damn well know that I am.
Considering how many failed Let’s Play style channels there are out there, I’m inclined to agree. A bunch of the hate comes from competitors who started making videos first but didn’t take off.
I don’t mean to sound rude, but have you actually watched the guy?
I don’t know if what I have is “hate” for him, it’s probably closer to despair that this seems to be what the majority of people on the internet think passes for humour.
I also base my opinions of things on a cherry-picked sample of particularly bad moments edited together for the sole purpose of making things look as bad as possible when forming an opinion on things. It doesn’t even matter that most of those clips are from his first few videos and he had little to no viewer feedback or experience at that time.
We should start a club.
And I also assume people who post a single link in a comment have based their entire opinion on a subject from that one link.
We can call our club “people who make bad assumptions”.
Seriously, YouTube keeps recommending his videos, and like a glutton for punishment, I keep clicking, wondering what the appeal is and that maybe one day I;ll see it. He screams. He makes stupid noises. And he is never, ever witty or clever, not even close.
Yet you chose a video posted by cynics deliberately bashing him for whatever reason, the least possibly relevant thing, as an example of Pewdiepie’s humour.
My point is, I’m yet to see an example of actual humour in anything of his I have watched, so I posted something related I did find funny. I admit, I have not watched all his videos. In fact, I haven’t been able to manage to sit through a single video all the way through.
So if you could provide me with a link of something he’s said that’s witty and/or clever, I’d honestly appreciate that. Preferably give me a timestamp if I have to skip any screaming and silly noises.
I’ve watched his Amnesia playthrough’s and enjoyed them, but haven’t paid very much attention to him past that. That’s just me though, but if he’s managed to be one of the most subscribed channels on youtube, then even if it doesn’t scratch your itch directly you can’t say that he’s not doing at least something right.
RoosterTeeth is the way to go
pewdiepie conquered youtube because he switched location a few times. so he rose locally to youtube fame, which got him front page coverage there, then he changed country, and so he built onto his existing fame and got more coverage to more countries until he got to the point where he was internationally promoted. I don’t think he moved for this reason at all, just saying it’s hard to compete against someone making google all this cash when they get so much free promotion.
ladder goat was and is his only decent video. he’s otherwise insufferable.
Dopefish made laddergoat. Pewdiepie did a portal 2 co-op with him.
I don’t think that’s an accurate assessment. He was riding rapidly on YouTube well before he left Sweden, and I’m pretty sure he was the highest subscribed prior to moving to Italy to be with his girlfriend. Since then I think he moved to the UK. I haven’t been keeping up with his current videos so I don’t know where he lives now. Is he in the US?
A lot of hate… hmm..
I, personally, think Pewds is HILARIOUS.
But obviously i’m in the minority here 😛
Never watched him, but more power to him.
Also, he has done things like support the Humble Bundle.
I used to think these type of videos were rubbish, but pew die pie has charmed me. I find his style amusing, and harmless, he’s just funny to watch being himself. I think most haters are just jealous. It’s a strange way to become a millionaire, but that’s the world we now live in.
Do you wanna know what I think? OK, here; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bc982lZxaTI
eh, not for me. I’d watch him over Francis any day though.
His style of videos are not for me, but his charity works have earned a fair deal of respect from me. I’m more of a roosterteeth/jesse cox/AngryJoe kind of guy.
Note: his girlfriend is seriously hot
Mhmm!
Hadn’t heard of him until…. the spike video game awards? E3? when I think he played dying light or something? I dunno, but I ended up skipping through the stream past that segment, it was horrible to watch. Good on him for making a living off it I guess.