According to a new report from Apex Legends and then tweet about it after the game launched on February 4. Ninja is no stranger to being paid for hosting or attending events, but still, the amount he received for a day's worth of advertising is exorbitant even by his lofty standards.
Ninja has over 13 million followers on Twitch, and has been one of the driving forces behind Michael "Shroud" Grzesiek also labeled his stream that day with the same tag, and hasn't disclosed much more, although in Shroud's case he has itted to being involved in the game's development as a consultant.
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The report from Reuters seems credible, although it may be difficult to completely how much Ninja really made. According to Top 10 streamed games and flirting with Top 3 positions fairly often.
An EA rep has since stated that the company had a "multi-part marketing program" for Apex Legends that included "paid engagements with some content creators" that were designed to introduce the game to communities faster than it would have been otherwise. The rep also stated that paid streams only lasted for about a day after Apex Legends released, and that all streams after that were "completely organic." EA insisted there was a disclosure agreement with Ninja, but it didn't provide details, and it's unclear exactly what was expected of Ninja during his Apex Legends stream.
While it's clear the marketing move paid off handsomely for EA and developer Respawn Entertainment, it's also the latest ugly reminder that the Twitch platform, and streaming and video content in general, can be easily exploited for gain. The lack of knowledge about this payment and how much it influenced the rise of Apex Legends is uncomfortable and best, and insidious at worst. Millions of adolescents consume content from Twitch, YouTube, and other services daily, and if they aren't being explicitly informed with a reasonable frequency that they're essentially watching paid ments from content creators, then they're being exploited, plain and simple. Unfortunately, the end doesn't seem to be in sight, as EA and Ninja's latest endeavor has clearly proven.
