Letsplays and video bloggers are hurting game sales

A new study published in the journal Marketing Science has uncovered an unexpected effect of influencer marketing in the gaming industry. Content created by YouTubers can significantly increase player engagement, but in some cases, developers can lose millions of dollars in lost sales.

Analyzing Steam data, scientists found that YouTube content has a dual impact. On the one hand, videos increase game time, but on the other hand, they reduce sales, especially for story-driven projects. Many players prefer to “play the game on YouTube” rather than buy it.

The study draws on the events of the Adpocalypse period, when drastic changes to YouTube’s advertising policy caused massive delays in content publishing. This allowed scientists to study the impact of influencers without accompanying factors, and the results were unexpected.

According to Professor Nan Li of Tongji University, YouTube videos can both make a game go viral and cause losses. Games with long-term engagement, such as Minecraft and Fortnite, benefit from popularity among bloggers. At the same time, story-driven RPGs and one-time purchase projects can lose revenue due to full disclosure of game content in videos.

The study’s findings confirm that a one-size-fits-all approach to marketing in the games industry no longer works. Developers need to consider the specifics of their games when working with influencers, as popularity on YouTube does not always translate into commercial success.