TOGETHER WITH

It's Tuesday and Tetris’ 40th birthday party was an affair to remember. Among the soiree’s esteemed guests: 13-year-old streamer Willis “Blue Scuti” Gibson, who became the first person to officially beat Tetris last year.

ABSOLUTE UNIT

Ludwig Ahgren’s production company is launching its own gaming unit

The launch: Offbrand is branching out. The creator-focused production company—which was co-founded by streamer Ludwig Ahgren in 2022—has announced the launch of an Offbrand Games unit.

• Ahgren says he and Offbrand Director of Strategy Jason “Thor” Hall plan to bring the “A24 feeling” to game publishing by building a portfolio of beloved titles. First up: Rivals 2, a platform-based fighting game set for release during the fourth quarter of 2024.

The credentials: Ahgren might have more name recognition in the creatorverse, but there’s a reason he describes Hall as “the guy when it comes to game development YouTube.” The Blizzard vet and Pirate Software CEO has drawn millions of views by sharing his perspectives through gaming-centric streams on platforms like Shorts.

The context: Candy bars and energy drinks might be the most visible creator products on the market, but Ahgren is far from the first digital star to dive into game publishing. Reviewer Dunkey made headlines in 2022 by founding a publisher called Bigmode, while Streamer collective OTK has been a vocal supporter of indie titles. Now, the creators behind Offbrand Games hope to serve developers by putting their needs ahead of the desire to maximize profits.

• That ideology extends to the rest of Offbrand, too. Ahgren has relinquished his ownership stake in order to facilitate Offbrand’s transition to a worker-owned cooperative, under which full-time employee will have “a vote on the direction of the company” (per Offbrand).

🔆 SPONSORED 🔆

Ready to grow your channel? Here’s a 3-step guide to leveraging Spotter’s exclusive creator resources:

As a creator, expanding your brand is a big step. Maybe you’re ready to break into a new niche, accelerate your posting schedule, or launch your next big project. 

Whatever you have planned, Spotter is here to help. In fact, their team has already invested $900 million in creators—and now, they’re joining forces with top YouTubers and industry experts to develop a full suite of creator-focused AI software.

Here’s how to grow your channel with Spotter’s data-driven creator resources:

Step 1: Visit the website to hear from top creators 💬
Check out Spotter’s site to learn about Colin & Samir’s role in  collaborating on Spotter’s suite of AI tools, and find out why Dude Perfect says they’re “so thankful” for those resources.

Step 2: Join the waitlist 🤝
When you join the waitlist for Spotter’s AI creative suite, you’ll receive exclusive access to more features and invitations to events with industry experts.

Step 3: Test out Title Exploder and be the first to try new tools 💸
Creators who join the waitlist will have a chance to access Title Exploder : a new tool that formulates viral titles by combining insights from your top uploads with the qualities of YouTube’s biggest videos.

Ready to grow your channel?

Get started with Spotter →

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• In a recent interview, Instagram head Adam Mosseri told creator experts Colin and Samir that monetization programs like Reels Play Bonuses result in lower-quality content. (Tubefilter)
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• Google’s latest advertising service will allow marketers to place unskippable ads across over 125 live channels on Google TV-driven streaming boxes and smart TVs. (The Verge)

• Meta, Pinterest, Snap, Google, TikTok, and X are joining forces with prominent alcohol brands to establish stricter online advertising standards. (The Drum)
  
  

• Kuaishou—a China-based TikTok competitor—has released a new AI video generation model with the potential to rival OpenAI’s Sora. (TechRadar)

DATA • GOSPEL STATS 📈

May is the month of MrBeast

May 2024 is only 11 days old, but MrBeast has already claimed the month as his own. In the last week and a half, the man known offline as Jimmy Donaldson has claimed the title of most-subscribed YouTube channel and snagged the #1 spot in our Global Top 50.

To the surprise of absolutely no one, Donaldson is also sitting pretty at the top of our latest Weekly Brand Report. Here’s how those rankings shook out:

🥇 MrBeast x Samsung, Zaxbys: $10,000 Every Day You Survive In The Wilderness
While the stars of MrBeast’s latest video wandered the wilderness, the YouTuber himself was making moves with Zaxbys. The Southern chicken chain—which served as one of the sponsors behind Donaldson’s Survivor-style challenge—recently partnered with the creator for a Feastables-themed promotion.

🥈 Mrwhosetheboss x Bitdefender: 14 most AWKWARD Tech Fails of all time
Arun Maini isn’t afraid to reveal the ugly truth—especially when awkward tech fails and controversial AI badges are involved. Luckily for his latest sponsor, the creator had nothing but good things to say about Bitfinder’s nifty strategy for helping users identify scams.

🥉 Zack D. Films x Ridge: 
Zack D. Films’ latest YouTube hit went viral thanks to his examination of a dastardly trick, but the sponsor of that video is more inclined to thwart tricksters than study them. The brand in question: an RFID wallet company that recently brought on Marques Brownlee in a creative role.

FYI: This Weekly Brand Report is only a snapshot of everything Gospel Stats has to offer. Check out the full site here for more data on influencer marketing partnerships, rising creators, and emerging YouTube trends.

WATCH THIS 📺

An Among Us TV show is on the way

The trailer: Among Us might have achieved peak popularity during quarantine, but the game’s IP is far from dead. A new trailer for the next big Among US sensation—an animated TV show with a TBD release date—reminds fans that imposters are still very much in our midst.

Check out the full teaser here (if you dare).

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Today's newsletter is from: James Hale, Emily Burton, Sam Gutelle, and Josh Cohen. Drew Baldwin helped edit, too. It's a team effort.