Jeff Tarzia
Editor's Note: A video based off this article can be found HERE.
Cinemassacre.com, the website owned by creator James Rolfe, had originally gained pop culture popularity from his skits back when it was known as The Angry Nintendo Nerd on Screwattack.com. As time has gone on, the channel has expanded his role from covering strictly Nintendo-branded games to broadening his series title to the now world famous "Angry Video Game Nerd" (AVGN).
We're left to speculate the exact reason as to why the change of moving AVGN videos one week early on Amazon.com occurred, but many assume that Amazon themselves had personally reached out directly with an attractive offer, in hopes to lure viewers away from YouTube and over to Amazon.com's Amazon Prime. This move is significant, it indicates that Amazon is now taking their competitive strategy extremely serious when going up against Google, owner of YouTube. Many other creators may have already been contacted as well, some have already begun to make similar moves.
With all that's been going on recently between YouTube, their faults of running a platform properly, unending frustrations, and nowhere else for creators to turn, it was a zero-sum game. No matter what YouTube decided, creators would have to deal with it, have no say, no argument, and no way to fight. A competitor is exactly what this space needed so badly.
These heavy weight titans of the tech/retail industry will create an intense battle going forward, sending ripples throughout the entire community. Every creator will be affected in some way.
YouTube should be very afraid; this type of action isn't done by accident. With so many creators up in arms with how YouTube handles demonetization, fair use, copyright strikes, and a slew of other broken aspects of the platform, it was only a matter of time before another competitor to stepped into the ring, throwing a lifeline to frustrated creators.
Like most aspects of big business, this has always been the long-term game for Amazon. Amazon bought Twitch for $970 Million in 2014. They set their sights on Google's YouTube long ago. YouTube's had countless opportunities to be in the corner of creators, and each time, failed to prove that they care anything more than making money. Companies exist for the sole purpose of making money, but becoming fixated on that agenda is exactly what ultimately destroys them.
Amazon sees that wounded, limping deer across the field. It's time to pounce.
~Smash
