Days after receiving backlash for calling the move to pay YouTube creators for reviewing a video game “icky,” Mike Rose, the founder of No More Robots known for publishing Spirittea, has finally apologized.
Rose posted on Nov. 23 that he went through the comments under his tweet and that he had “completely missed the mark” with his statements. “I’ve really fucked up here, and I’m massively sorry,” he wrote.
In a second tweet, Rose said he values the work of YouTubers and content creators, and it didn’t reflect on what he said when he was announcing Spirittea’s success on various platforms. “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, concluding the message.
To controversy began on Nov. 20 when Rose shared that Spirittea got “zero coverage” on YouTube and that nearly every YouTube creator who was interested in reviewing the game “wanted money to make a video.”
Talking about paying money for reviews, he continued, “ It feels weird and icky and disingenuous, and I just can’t do it. So I guess our games won’t get covered on YouTube anymore!”
Naturally, Rose’s comments created quite a stir across the community, with people calling him out for shaming a general expectation. YouTube creators invest time and money to create content, and they deserve payment as much as anyone else would for professional work.
That said, the publisher has now apologized for his comments, so that’s water under the bridge. In fact, the community has been quite supportive about it, applauding Rose for Swiftly acknowledging the mistake made.
For those wondering, Spirittea, currently available on PC and Nintendo Switch, is a fun role-playing indie game that was officially released on Nov. 13.
According to Mike Rose, the game has been a considerable success on Switch, and while it hasn’t been the best performer on Steam, it has managed to make $1,000,000 in sales within one week and has been profitable since day one. It’s definitely an incredible feat for both the developer and the publisher.
Published: Nov 23, 2023 06:21 am