Top 5 Branded Videos of the Week: Wipeout, Wukong, and an internet rabbit hole

Welcome to our rundown of the most-watched branded YouTube videos of the week.

We’re publishing this snippet of a larger Gospel Stats Weekly Brand Report in order to analyze sponsorship trends in the creator economy. Any video launched in tandem with an official brand partner is eligible for the ranking.

And – as the name up above would imply – all the data comes from Gospel Stats. If you’re interested in learning more about Gospel – and which brands are sponsoring what creators on YouTube – click here.

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Since we started tabulating our Gospel Stats Weekly Brand Report, MrBeast has occupied the #1 position more often than any other creator. The man from North Carolina is the most imposing figure on YouTube right now, and his influence is so great that he can even pull his collaborators into the #1 spot. As it turns out, you don’t need to post a MrBeast video on his channel to haul in massive viewership. You just need MrBeast himself to show up, and that’s exactly what pushed AMP to the top of the ranking this week.

#1 AMP EXTREME WIPEOUT WITH MRBEAST
Channel: AMP
Brand: Bang Energy
Views: 10,139,561

The creator supergroup that counts star streamer Kai Cenat among its members just scored another huge hit. AMP invited MrBeast himself to present an obstacle course that resembles the ones from the ABC game show Wipeout. The boys then took to the gauntlet with full commitment. It’s no surprise to see Cenat play a game that leads most players to failure, since he has developed a fondness for the “soulslike” genre and has vowed to launch a creator Hunger Games. Energy drink company Bang, the sponsor of this latest video, surely appreciates Cenat’s neverending effort.

#2 BLACK MYTH WUKONG Walkthrough Gameplay Part 1 – INTRO (FULL GAME)
Channel: theRadBrad
Brand: Nvidia
Views: 5,331,514

Speaking of soulslikes, the genre that spawned hits like Elder Ring has a new addition. Black Myth Wukong is the latest RPG to sport a stout difficulty curve, and longtime YouTube gameplay guru theRadBrad 

took the game for a spin on his channel. Sponsor Nvidia reminded viewers that it does a lot more than just raising ethical questions about the future of AI. It’s still a big brand in the gaming industry, and its ties to Kai Cenat’s favorite genre show that it’s paying attention to the video game titles today’s streaming viewers want to see.

#3 Packgod vs Bella The Wolf
Channel: Packgod
Brand: Opera
Views: 4,552,724

The #3 video in the Weekly Brand Report is a textbook example of internet drama. A creator named Bella the Wolf has thrown out some contentious claims, including a racism accusation against departed YouTuber Technoblade. That particular claim was allegedly backed up by forged tweets, and creator Packgod decided to go straight to the source and confront Bella himself. Packgod’s sponsor for the resulting video is the internet browser Opera. Given how often Opera appears in this column, I’d say it’s become the official browser of internet drama.

#4 smartschoolboy9: An Internet Rabbit Hole
Channel: Nick Crowley
Brand: Athletic Greens
Views: 3,967,581

And if the Packgod video wasn’t enough for you, how about some more internet drama for ya mamma? Nick Crowley put a true crime spin on that category by taking a look at SmartSchoolBoy9, an account whose owner displayed strange and disturbing behaviors. Perhaps Ludwig was right when he said that viewership draws creators toward drama videos whether they want to make them or not. Crowley’s sponsor, Athletic Greens, has reason to be pleased with the YouTube community’s neverending interest in internet gossip.

BONUS #1,107 How I Created the Backrooms In Minecraft
Channel: Gargin
Brand: Brilliant
Views: 68,376

If learning platform Brilliant gave Gargin a good deal for this sponsored video, he should probably pass some of those earnings onto forebearers like Kane Parsons. Gargin scored a hit by recreating the haunting, liminal space known as The Backrooms within the popular video game Minecraft. Creators like Parsons turned The Backrooms into a setting for spooky stories, and Gargin had the bright idea to bring that environment into a world that has hauled in more than one trillion views to date. If you grew up reading Backrooms copypastas while mining diamond, this video is for you.

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…and there’s a lot more data where that came from. If you’re interested in learning more about Gospel – and which brands are sponsoring what creators on YouTube – click here.