Responses to PewDiePie's content are mixed.
Forbes called him "a controversial figure in both the gaming and the general internet communities with the usual, dismissive reaction to his work being 'he yells while playing video games' and somehow manages to draw millions of subscribers which yields millions of dollars."
[70] Forbes also states that PewDiePie "wouldn’t be where he is without being very good at what he does".
[70]
PewDiePie often refers to his fans as the "Bro Army" and addresses his audience as "bros".
[71] At the Social Star Awards, PewDiePie greeted his fans personally despite security warning him against doing so.
[28][72]
Early in his YouTube career, Kjellberg used
rape jokes in his videos. Criticism of these jokes stirred controversy, and in October 2012, Kjellberg posted a
Tumblr message, stating "I just wanted to make clear that I'm no longer making rape jokes, as I mentioned before I'm not looking to hurt anyone and I apologise if it ever did."
[8][73] The Globe and Mailstated "
unlike many young gamers, he listened when fans and critics alike pointed out their harmful nature, and resolved to stop making rape jokes."
[22]
In September 2014, Rob Walker of
Yahoo! called PewDiePie's popularity "insane," writing, that it "strikes me as considerably more curious — I mean, you know who
Rihanna is, but would you recognise this kid if he were standing in line behind you at the bank?"
[24] Walker, among other reporters and some casual gamers, have questioned the reasons for his popularity, while other reporters have criticised his rise in notability.
[23][24][25] Walker noted PewDiePie's interaction with his audience, writing, "While he can be raucous and crude, it always comes across as genuine. He constantly addresses his audience as a bunch of peer-like friends, as opposed to distant, genuflecting fans. He's certainly more than willing to make fun of himself in the process."
[24] In 2015
The Verge wrote, "Love it or hate it, his success — like so many other YouTube personalities — isn't just in playing games but actually connecting and talking directly to an audience. No agent, press release, or any other intermediary. He just hit record."
[74] Relating to his responsibility as a celebrity, PewDiePie has stated "many people see me as a friend they can chill with for 15 minutes a day," and adding, "The loneliness in front of the computer screens brings us together. But I never set out to be a role model; I just want to invite them to come over to my place."
[9] Correlating with this note, his audience has been reported to provide positive remarks about him; some of his viewers created and contributed to a thread expressing that he has made them happier and feel better about themselves.
[21] Conversely, during an informal
Twitter poll conducted by one
Kotaku reporter, respondents described him as "annoying" and an "obnoxious waste of time."
[21] PewDiePie has also been received negatively by the media on some occasions, often being reported as an "inexplicable phenomenon."
[21] Andrew Wallenstein of
Variety heavily criticised PewDiePie, following his channel becoming the most subscribed channel on YouTube, describing his videos as "aggressive stupidity" and "psycho babble."
[23]
According to a 2014 survey commissioned by
Variety, PewDiePie along with a few other YouTube personalities have been reported to be more influential and popular than mainstream celebrities, such as
Jennifer Lawrence, among
U.S. teenagers aged 13 through 18.
[75] His channel also appeals strongly to younger viewers, a group
Google refers to as
Generation C for their habits of "creation, curation, connection and community".
[15] Paul Tassi of
Forbes wrote, "PewDiePie combines charisma, energy and all-around randomness to create a goofball character with videos that make little sense to outsiders, but are catnip to his younger fanbase."
[70] Chris Reed of
The Wall St. Cheat Sheetcommented on the divisive opinions on PewDiePie: "The great divide in opinion on PewDiePie seems to be largely generational. Older people are less likely to subscribe to YouTube channels, or to pay much credence to YouTube personalities in general. Many younger viewers, on the other hand, see him as endlessly entertaining and relatable."
[25]
PewDiePie has himself claimed that he dislikes being called "famous", and has been reported to live a "shy and retiring life."
[8] His rise to fame has been used as "a great example of how the
emerging society gives extensive opportunities to individuals with great ideas, courage, and, of course, a significant portion of luck as opposed to the old society."Studies of the gaming community on YouTube have shown that 95% of gamers engage in watching online videos related to gaming and has been noted as an important reason for PewDiePie's popularity.
[78] In 2015, PewDiePie was included on
Time's list of the 30 most influential people on the
Internet, cementing his influence as an internet personality.
[26] Later in 2015, PewDiePie was featured on the cover of
Variety's "Famechangers" issue, with the magazine ranking him as the "#1 Famechanger", or "those whose influence stands head and shoulders above the rest."
[79]
Influence on video games
PewDiePie's commentaries have had a positive effect on sales of indie games.
[78][80] For instance the developers of
McPixel stated, "The largest force driving attention to
McPixelat that time were 'Let's Play' videos. Mostly by Jesse Cox and PewDiePie."
[81] PewDiePie has also been confirmed to positively influence the sales of
Slender: The Eight Pagesand
Goat Simulator.
[9][21] Although games being featured on PewDiePie's channel have reportedly contributed to their commercial success, he has stated, "I just want to play the games, not influence sales."
[82]
PewDiePie, along with characters from
Amnesia: The Dark Descent, which PewDiePie renamed and made characters within his own commentaries were referenced to by a
McPixel level designed in his honor.
[83] Additionally, in the video game
Surgeon Simulator 2013, the Alien Surgery stage features an organ called "Pewdsball" in honor of PewDiePie.
[84][85] PewDiePie agreed to allow the developers of
Surgeon Simulator 2013 to use his likeness in
GOTY IDST, a showering simulation video game.
[86][87] PewDiePie was also included as a
NPC in the indie game,
Party Hard.
[88]
Income
In June 2014,
The Wall Street Journal reported that PewDiePie earned $4 million in 2013;
[89][90] PewDiePie confirmed on
Reddit that the figures were roughly around what he actually earned.
[9] In July of 2014, the Swedish newspaper
Expressen reported that PewDiePie's production company, PewDie Productions AB, reported earnings of 63.7 million
kr ($7.5 million) in 2014.
[91][92] The Guardian commented that the reason the media was so captivated by PewDiePie's earnings is that the topic "offers a rare insight into the money being made at the top end of YouTube stardom," adding "it’s very rare for any YouTube creator to talk about their earnings publicly, not least because YouTube itself does not encourage it".
[30] Although outlets agreed that PewDiePie's income was sizable, and even "remarkable",
[93] PewDiePie appeared at the top of
Forbes' October 2015 list of the richest YouTube stars with a reported $12 million earned in 2015.
[94] Relating to the earnings,
Forbes commented that "$7 million may well seem like an astronomical figure to a 25 year-old who just wants to make friends and play videogames, but it’s a wildly insubstantial figure for the size of his audience and influence."
[95]
On the topic of his earnings, PewDiePie stated that he is "extremely tired of talking about how much I make. In the very few interviews I've made, it doesn't matter how long we've talked to each other, the headline is still just about my paycheck."
[96] After extensive media coverage of his earnings, Kjellberg posted a video, expressing his frustration at the extensive media coverage over his income. In the video he claimed, "We did raise a million dollars for charity, and very few articles picked up on that, but here it is everywhere how much money I make," adding, "It seems like the whole world cares more about how much money I make than I do myself."
[97] Relating to his source of his income, PewDiePie stated: "I think that's what's cool about YouTube: That anyone could technically do it, right? Surely if I didn't exist, there would be someone to fill my place."
[98]
Marketing campaigns
Beginning in April 2014 and spanning into August, Kjellberg, along with his girlfriend
Marzia Bisognin, began a marketing campaign for the
Legendary Pictures film
As Above, So Below.
[99][100] Kjellberg's videos for the marketing campaign included a miniseries featuring him participating in the "Catacombs Challenge". The challenge involved Kjellberg searching for three keys in the
catacombs to open a container holding "the
Philosopher's stone."
[101] Kjellberg and Bisognin's videos were able to earn nearly 20 million views.
[102]Maker Studios, which Kjellberg and Bisognin are represented by, brokered the ad deal between the two and Legendary Pictures.
[101] In January 2015,
Mountain Dew partnered with PewDiePie to launch a
fan fiction contest, in which winning fan fictions will be animated into video formats and then uploaded onto his channel.
[103] In the same month, a quote from him was used by
Techland on
Dying Light posters.
[104] The quote, which read, "I love this game. It's sooo awesome!", spread controversy as it came from a seemingly advertorial video, featuring him playing
Dying Light.
[105] In response to the issue, PewDiePie tweeted, "I love this game. It's soooo awesome! -
IGN."
[106] When another Twitter user mentioned the issue, tagging PewDiePie in their tweet, he responded, "I dont even remember saying this."
[106]
Despite these partnerships, PewDiePie maintains that he conducts very few promotions and works with few brands.
[9][107] Additionally, PewDiePie posted on
Reddit, "I make more than I need from YouTube," adding, "with that freedom, but also to respect my fans for making that possible, I don't end up doing many endorsements."
[108] On this topic, PewDiePie has claimed that it is disappointing when a large chunk of people misinterpret a component of his character; he states, "if I mention on Twitter that I find this or that
Kickstarter project cool, people immediately start to ask what economical interests I might have in it. Things like that can bring me down. But it's not personal; some people just prefer to believe the worst about others at any given time."
[9]
Relationship with YouTube networks and programs
PewDiePie's channel is under Polaris, a gaming network, part of
Maker Studios, a multi-channel network that drives the growth of the channels under it.
[15][109][110][111] Despite being signed under a network, PewDiePie refuses to hire an editor to help him with his video output, stating "I want YouTube to be YouTube."
[51]
PewDiePie has expressed disdain with
Machinima, a rival YouTube network that he had been signed with prior to Maker Studios.
[112] Feeling frustrated with how Machinima treated him, PewDiePie hired a lawyer to free him from his contract with the network.
[113]
In October 2014, PewDiePie began hinting at the possibility that he might not renew his contract with
Maker Studios upon its expiration in December 2014.
[114] Reports that covered this information also added that PewDiePie expressed his frustrations with the studio's parent company, Disney; PewDiePie was quoted saying, "The fact that Disney bought Maker Studios doesn't really change anything for me. If I ask for help, they reply, but that's all the contact we have. We'll see what happens."
[113] Rather than re-sign with Maker, PewDiePie has mulled the option of launching his own network, although he has declined to provide in-depth details on the subject.
[9][115] However, in light of news outlets reporting his disinterest with Maker, PewDiePie
tweeted, "I feel like I was misquoted in
the WSJ and I'm really happy with the work that Maker has been doing for me."
[116]
In early 2015,
Nintendo launched its Creator Program, in order to share revenue with YouTube video creators who feature gameplay of their products in videos.
[117] PewDiePie joined various gamers in criticising the programme.
[118][119] PewDiePie called the program a, "slap in the face to the YouTube channels that does focus on Nintendo game exclusively, adding, "The people who have helped and showed passion for Nintendo's community are the ones left in the dirt the most."
[119] Despite criticisms from PewDiePie and other gamers alike, Nintendo experienced more requests from YouTube creators than expected, causing an extension on the 72-hour wait time for video approval through the program.
[118] Additionally, PewDiePie, stated, "I'll still play Nintendo games that I want to play on my channel as usual. I'm lucky to be in a situation where losing ad revenue on a few videos wont matter. However, many people on YouTube are not in that situation."
[120] Ultimately, the focal point of criticism is toward the approval of a video which Nintendo has to administer, and may be motivated by biased intentions.
[120]
Revelmode
In January 2016, PewDiePie announced a partnership with Maker Studios to produce Revelmode, a sub-network of Maker, that would showcase PewDiePie and his friends on YouTube in original series.
[121] The head of Maker Studios, Courtney Holt, stated "We're thrilled to be doubling down with Felix," after the deal.
[121] Along with PewDiePie, other YouTubers initially signed to the network included CutiePieMarzia, CinnamonToastKen, Dodger,
Emma Blackery,
Jacksepticeye, Jelly, Kwebbelkop, and
Markiplier.
[121]
Charities
PewDiePie also began a "Water Campaign" charity, where his fans could donate money to
Charity: Water, in celebration of reaching ten million subscribers.
[126] PewDiePie also contributed one dollar to the charity for every 500 views the video announcing the campaign accumulates, up to a maximum of $10,000.
[127] PewDiePie had the stated goal of raising
US$250,000, at the end of the drive, the amount raised was $446,462.
[124][128][129] In June 2014, PewDiePie, announced that a fourth charity drive for "Save the Children" raised over $630,000, surpassing a $250,000 goal.
[130] In an interview with the Swedish magazine
Icon, he has expressed desire to continue these drives as time goes on, and also credited
John and
Hank Green as two individuals who gave him the idea of making unique videos for charity.
[9] These videos are purchased by game manufacturers and advertisers, for prices ranging up to $50,000.
[9]
Appearances in other media
In June 2014
Sveriges Radio let Kjellberg host an episode of the radio show
Sommar i P1.
[135] The episode was recorded in both Swedish and English; the Swedish version was broadcast 9 August 2014 in
Sveriges Radio P1, and the English version was published online,
[136] on a dedicated server with extra capacity to avoid crashing the Sveriges Radio server.
[137] The link to the Swedish version of the broadcast was shared over 3,500 times, and the link to the English version was shared about 49,000 times.
[138]
In December 2014, PewDiePie guest starred in two episodes of the
18th season of
South Park, one of his favourite series. The two episodes served as a two-part season finale. The first part, titled "
#REHASH" aired on 3 December, while the second part, titled "
#HappyHolograms", aired on 10 December.
[139][140] In the episodes, he parodied himself and other Let's Play commentators, who added commentary over
Call of Duty gameplay in an overly expressive way. In "#REHASH", the character
Kyle wonders why
his brother and his brother's friends favour watching others comment on events over experiencing events themselves.
[139]
