Spirittea publisher apologizes for complaining about paying YouTubers

Fariha Bhatti Published 23/11/2023

Spirittea is the latest indie game that the gaming community is raving about, but a problematic comment from a publisher has left many fans and YouTubers disheartened.

Indie games usually have tight budgets, so they rarely make it to top YouTube channels for reviews. However, Spirittea was enjoyed and appreciated by a few YouTubers, who truly enjoyed it for the gameplay and aesthetic. However, Mike Rose, founder of the company known for publishing Spirittea, revealed why they got less support on YouTube, and his explanation has ruffled many feathers.

Taking to Twitter, Rose revealed that YouTubers wanted money in exchange for playing the game, which felt “eugh” to him. The man behind No More Robots elaborated that paying YouTubers to cover a game feels “weird and icky and disingenuous,” a comment that the community didn’t receive well.

“Of course, the fact that we still managed a $1m launch without any influencer support makes me think, “what could we have achieved if I did pay some people?” So maybe I’ll be forced to do it in the future. But God, I just really don’t want to. It’s so fucking eugh,” he said.

Mike Rose apologizes amid backlash for not wanting to pay YouTubers

The YouTube community heavily criticized his comment and even threatened to cancel Spirittea. However, a large chunk of the community believes that the hard-working developers shouldn’t suffer because of a comment made by a “higher-up.” Smaller YouTubers who covered the game for no money and because they liked it expressed disappointment.

However, Mike Rose has now acknowledged the criticism and apologized for the statement.

“I absolutely value the work that YouTubers and content creators do, and my words didn’t reflect that at all. I’m going to be reading loads more on all this and get better educated so I can be less of a dickhead in the future,” He said.

Rose said he had clearly missed the mark, but comments have helped him see things differently. The response to his apology has mostly been positive, with some saying that he’s trying to save the business.

Fariha Bhatti

About Fariha Bhatti

Fariha Bhatti is a long-time gaming writer who loves competitive FPS games and slots with particularly fun themes. She got her start playing classic games developed by SNK, from legendary fighting game series The King of Fighters to challenging platform franchise Metal Slug. She now spends most of her time playing Valorant and Counter-Strike 2 while working her way through new slot releases to find her next favorite. Fariha has been published at PCGamesN, TalkEsport and ONE Esports.

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