The other night, I was listening to a YouTuber go through a list of ideas to improve Lord of the Rings Online. I agreed with several of them — better server architecture, improved graphics, the usual — but the one that really caught my attention was a proposal that EG7 or Daybreak fork over a chunk of cash to pay influential streamers to cover the game for a month or so.
The prominence of game streaming and the massive crowds that follow certain personalities make appealing to these figures an important marketing strategy. I guess? It doesn’t sit super well with me to see studios essentially bribe and “sponsor” streamers to streamers certain titles, but if the end result is an uptick in player engagement with good games, does it really matter whether I’m uncomfortable or not?
I’ll dump this question in your lap: How do you feel about studios paying streamers to cover MMOs? Is it something that should be done more, less, or not at all? How have you seen streamer blitzes, such as the one for New World last year, affect the player population of your game?
Every morning, the Massively Overpowered writers team up with mascot Mo to ask MMORPG players pointed questions about the massively multiplayer online roleplaying genre. Grab a mug of your preferred beverage and take a stab at answering the question posed in today’s Daily Grind!
