Once you’ve managed to completely dominate YouTube, what’s the next step? That’s a rather unique question that Felix Kjellberg, more commonly known by his username, PewDiePie, has had to ask himself, because he’s managed to acquire more than 41.5 million subscribers over the years, which makes him by far the most-popular content creator on YouTube at the moment. The obvious answer would be to use your popularity to launch your own business or service, such as what Michelle Phan did when she co-founded Ipsy, and that’s exactly what Kjellberg is doing, but he’s not doing it alone. Along with eight other popular YouTubers, including JackSepticEye and Markiplier, Kjellberg has launched a new network of premium gaming content called Revelmode.
YouTube star Felix “PewDiePie” Kjellberg is turning online-talent mogul, by launching his own network of gamers called Revelmode. Described as an “Avengers-like talent squad”, it will sit within Maker Studios, the multi-channel network (MCN) to which PewDiePie has been signed since 2012. Kjellberg has signed up eight of his fellow YouTubers for the launch, including popular stars Sean McLoughlin (creator of the JackSepticEye channel), Mark Fischbach (Markiplier), Emma Blackery and Ken Morrison (CinnamonToastKen). Revelmode will focus on developing “premium” content: online-video shows that may sit within subscription services like YouTube Red, for which Kjellberg is already making a horror-themed series called Scare PewDiePie. The first Revelmode series will be an animated show featuring all the squad members. However, those stars – who also include the creators of YouTube channels CutiePieMarzia, Dodger, Jelly and Kwebbelkop – will also appear in their own games, sell merchandise, and raise money for charities including Save the Children and Charity:Water. While the names of these creators may not be familiar outside the games world, they are hugely popular online: PewDiePie alone has 41.5 million subscribers and 10.9bn lifetime views on YouTube, while the other eight Revelmode members have 35.3 million subscribers and 9.7bn views between them. “I have seen many challenges and successes in growing a brand and authentically communicating with an audience, and wanted to take what I’ve learned and create something unique,” said Kjellberg.
