On January 19, the online entertainment network Machinima shut down its YouTube channel, reportedly setting all content to private with users no longer able to watch the channel’s videos. Following in the wake of this decision, parent company Otter Media has released a statement on the upcoming Machinima channel update, with new content expected in the “coming months”.
“We are focused on creating new content with the Machinima team,” Otter Media reported in a statement sent to Kotaku, “which will be distributed on new channels to be announced in the coming months.”
The statement also continued to comment that Otter Media has ceased distributing content on “a handful of legacy operated channels”, suggesting that Machinima’s YouTube channel was wiped clean to allow new teams to start afresh. This decision was met with frustration from former Machinima employees, with video presenter Ricky Hayburg tweeting “7+ Years of work… lost to the sands of time. #RIPMachinima”.
While Machinima’s YouTube channel remains clear of all content, former video producer Bruce Greene has since tweeted, “There may be a way to revive it ;)” in regards to Machinima’s Inside Gaming. With fans backing up content from some of Machinima’s channels, this content could possibly survive on a different platform.
The YouTube gaming audience is by no means reliable; while Machinima was formerly one of the most popular platforms for video games content, its popularity has declined in recent years. Indeed, YouTube Gaming is even being shut down in March this year, in response to the gaming audience’s apparent disinterest in YouTube’s purpose-built streaming platform.
However, it isn’t all doom and gloom for gaming on YouTube – Jack Black’s YouTube channel gained over 2 million subscribers before its official debut recently. With a handful of videos focused on retro gaming and vlogging with his sons, his channel has since risen to more than 3.3 million subscribers in the month since he first announced his new venture.
