Popular vlogger and the one-time King of YouTube Felix Kjellberg, known as PewDiePie, is focused on producing Minecraft videos, but it appears that not only have his efforts netted him over 570 million views, but they have also resulted in Minecraft becoming the most searched-for game on YouTube, creating something called the "PewDiePie Effect", according to The Verge.
The "PewDiePie Effect" is a term coined by YouTuber, Matthew Patrick, and refers to how a popular YouTube personality attracts the attention of smaller YouTube content creators and can have a positive effect on sales.
And while Minecraft, with its 91 million-strong player base, may no longer need Pewds to promote it, the game’s success seems to stem from its popularity on YouTube.
The media outlet also notes that PewDiePie’s actions have piqued the interest of other notable YouTube content creators, like Sean "Jacksepticeye" McLoughlin, who has also now turned his attention to Minecraft, further boosting the game’s popularity.
PewDiePie started uploading Minecraft videos in late June, with his only vid dedicated to the game before that time being a short clip posted in 2010.
The YouTube star explained that previously he avoided the game because he thought that people were playing it due to its popularity rather than because they genuinely enjoyed it, adding that despite his newly discovered fondness for it, he did not want to become exclusively a "Minecraft YouTuber".