“They could have spent on ads on Twitch or IGN and it would not have made as big of an impact.”
– Gamesight CEO Adam Lieb discusses the value of marketing through influencers
Streaming has become a massive part of the video game industry in just a few years time, so much so that a report from the Wall Street Journal says that companies like Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts, Take-Two, and Ubisoft are willing to pay a $50,000 hourly rate for streamers to play up their new releases.
A story from Kotaku dives into that figure even more, speaking with those familiar with both sides of the arrangement to explore how streamers now play into the marketing process.
As the story points out, arrangements with streamers present would-be customers with something more authentic feeling than a regular ad while still giving the companies footing the bill a small level of control over the content being produced (so long as they stick to endorsement guidelines presented by the FTC).
The full read over on Kotaku offers a more in-depth look at how that side of game marketing has shifted to include Twitch streamers, along with additional insight from several individuals involved in both the streamers’ and the publishers’ side of the deal.