PewDiePie Strikes Back! He’s Pissed, and it Looks Like He Should Be
One of the biggest scandals ever in gaming (this week) has been the uncovering of Warner Bros Interactive paying various YouTubers and streamers for positive coverage of Shadow of Mordor. At issue was the fact that many, if not most of these accused YouTubers never disclosed the fact that they received any remuneration for their ringing endorsements. Of course, at the top of the list is the top dog of gaming YouTubers, Mr. PewDiePie himself. Not willing to take the digital shitstorm that has been thrown his way, the Swedish Sultan of Screaming About Video Games has released a video addressing the scandal. PewDiePie strikes back in a way only he can.
As news of the FTC ruling and settlement hit the web many outlets were quick to report on it (us included) and with PewDiePie being the most influential name on the list he was put front and center in the controversy. As you can see from the video above he actually DID disclose the paid sponsorship on the video and while he did admit he could have put the info above the fold on YouTube he also, very clearly, did nothing wrong.
Now people can argue on the scruples of paid endorsements all they like but that is something that has been happening for years. It’s no different than Lebron hawking off a pair of Nikes as long as it is disclosed. In the case of PewDiePie, not only was that info disclosed but he also didn’t actually review the game, he simply played it. If he had given a score and a final review then perhaps we’d be able to look at this a little differently.
Between this Warner Bros fiasco and the CSGO betting issue you can be sure that people are going to be keeping a keen eye out for more shady dealings over the next while. What’s your take on the whole situation, readers? Is PewDiePie in the clear?