• by Colin Kirkland , September 12, 2022

Gaming may be the new frontier for advertisers and brands. 

In 2020, the video game industry in the United States surpassed the movies and music industries combined. The gaming industry in the U.S. alone is projected to hit $48 billion in revenue by 2027. 

The continuing growth and popularity of gaming is directly linked to the creator economy. With fans live-streaming hundreds of millions of hours of gaming content each week, users trust brands that are associated with entertaining and influential personalities. 

But how do brands connect with the growing gaming community? Companies like Wehype –– a Swedish influencer marketing platform and agency that has worked with creators across 50 countries on over 10,000 sponsored Twitch streams and YouTube videos -- are working on this front.

According to Twitch Statistics, fans live-streamed 1.3 trillion minutes of gaming in 2021, with the site receiving 31 million daily visitors throughout the year. 

In a recent statement, Wehype says brand success in gaming is achieved through influencer marketing and various methods such as product placement, sponsored posts, watch-parties, live gameplay, and in-stream mentions. 

“Influencer marketing circumvents consumer cynicism towards advertising by associating brands with trusted and entertaining personalities,” the company says. “Creator-based marketing in gaming can drive sales for brands better than any other channel, especially as gamers are typically a difficult demographic for brands to reach.”

Wehype’s network of creators promote brands across PCs, console, and mobile games, and predominantly on interactive live streaming service Twitch, and YouTube. 

The company provides an interface for creators and their talent managers to find work, communicate with brands, track campaign progress, and transact payments. 

The platform also allows brands like EA, Microsoft, and Ubisoft to clearly see the impact of campaigns and to find tailored groups of creators who are well-suited to promoting a specific game or product. 

“Everyone knows the immense power and growth of gaming, but brands can often find unlocking the industry’s potential really challenging,” says Wehype CEO and co-founder Robin Åström. “We founded Wehype to make gaming influencer marketing accessible, so companies can find and engage with relevant audiences effortlessly, and creators can harness the communities they’ve built.”

Wehype opened its first international office in New York this past March, after its annual revenue grew 300% in 2021.