Getting The Game To Stand Out
Today’s generation has made playing video games a potential career. When I say a career, I mean more than even a well-paying job. Some video game streamers record monthly salaries of $500,000 -$1,000,000! Monthly.
It is hard to imagine that someone who plays video games for a living could make millions of dollars per year, yet - they do. No doubt their parents are regretting all those years of naysaying! How is this even possible? In this blog, Hollywood Branded explains how video game partnerships with influencers work, and why video game streamers are so popular and successful.
Social Platforms
YouTube and Twitch are the main social platforms where streamers become noticed. For those who might not know what Twitch is, it is a website where video game streamers post live content. Twitch viewers have the option to donate streamers money as well.
So what makes a gamer for a brand a GOOD gamer? Obviously, you cannot be an average game player to make a profit, you must be the cream of the crop. Posting bad content results in poor viewership. Brands and sponsors want to associate themselves with the gamer's who generate the most view’s. The brand will then be exposed to millions of subscribers.
How the Money Comes in
Fortnite is one of the hottest games on the market, and when you hear the word Fortnite you automatically think of “Ninja”. Known for his flawless game play, Ninja has secured a huge following. Posting his content to Twitch and YouTube has made him rich! On YouTube he has a mere 15 million subscribers and only 250,000 subscribers on Twitch. But that doesn't mean that Twitch might be a more easily monetized social platform.
Ninja confirmed that each Twitch subscriber helps him generates about $3.50 of income per month. Which means his monthly twitch income is close to $1 million. YouTube pays content creators $1,000 per one million of views. Ninja has totaled 975 million views over time. So, as you can imagine he is swimming in cash.
Video Game Partnerships
As I stated previously, brands have placed themselves on the pages of these top gamers. On Ninja’s Twitch page you will notice five different ads promoting a product. The most notable of the 5 is Uber Eats. Additionally, Ninja recently announced his partnership with Redbull. They partnered up to host a Fortnite tournament that gifts the winner $5,000. In his most recent videos you will notice his new custom Redbull headband and shirt that he wears. No contract details have been announced, but you can assume it is worth a lot of money.
Other Gamers Popular With Brands
Ninja is not the only competitive gamer on the market. Call of Duty has been a house hold name for at least a decade. One of the top players, Lia Wolf, who goes by the name of SSSniperWolf, has also paved a great career for herself.
Just like Ninja she creates content of her Call of Duty game play. Currently Lia has been a big Fortnite advocate, and jumped on the streaming bandwagon. Lia’s 10 million YouTube subscribers allowed her to land sponsorship's from EA, Activision, Disney, and Ubisoft. Along with these top brands, smaller companies pay Lia and Ninja for promotional social media posts.
Promotional Instagram Posts
Promotional Instagram posts provided these gamer's with another source of revenue. The brand receives hands-on, and verbal exposure to millions of followers. For every promotional post the representative receives a certain amount of money. All though playing video games for a living might sound appetizing, most competitive gamer's recommend not quitting your job to focus on video games.
Hey, you gotta eat, and gaming means sitting still for long periods of time. So why not have Uber Eats make a delivery of your favorite snacks.
Sugar Bear Hair has massively covered the social influencer market - with the likes of the entire Kardashian clan participating in posts. Female gamers with giant footprints and pretty hair? Makes a lot of sense to us!
And everyone wants free undies, right? Gotta have comfort during game play time.
Future of Video Game Partnerships
Video game streaming has opened the door for all sorts of partnership opportunities. With the millennial generation starting to take over, online gaming is becoming more and more popular. Top brands are noticing, and starting to get involved. Even colleges are starting to offer scholarships to top video game players. And e-sports, well that is another whole topic to itself, which our team chats about in this blog:
- eSports Offers High Engagement Marketing
- NBA Video Game Product Placement In eSports League
- The Marketing Opportunites Of eSports And How 3 Brands Got Involved
Who knows what the future holds with video games and their sponsors.
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Interested in product placement? Then check out these blogs, and make sure you download our e-book guide to Product Placement and Promotions!
