With worldwide push, MrBeast tests the power (and limits) of his famous name

If MrBeast is going to grow his company into a $5 billion business, he needs to show that his namesake operation has legs outside of the United States. To that end, the Greenville, North Carolina native has recently embarked on multiple international forays, some of which have gone better than others.

One big opportunity for Beast Industries is popping up in Saudi Arabia, where the world’s top YouTuber is establishing a significant presence. Since 2019, the Saudi capital has hosted a cultural showcase called Riyadh Season, which stretches across categories like sports, music, and fine dining.

The 2025 edition of Riyadh Season will include a hearty helping of MrBeast. The creator’s confectionary brand, Feastables, will launch in Saudi Arabia, and MrBeast will participate in the Season’s opening ceremony. The crown jewel of the partnership will be MrBeast Park, a themed experience filled with games, stunt shows, and more.

In the world of MrBeast-branded experiences, there is a lot of room for improvement. The man born Jimmy Donaldson built a lot of hype when he announced a MrBeast activation that would open on the Las Vegas Strip. For many attendees, however, the experience didn’t live up to its billing, so much so that MrBeast later issued an apology.

As the MrBeast brand has grown, those “hype roller coasters” have become more common. The initial production of the Amazon Prime Video original series Beast Games, for example, led to numerous complaints from participants, who criticized the on-set conditions. But Beast Games ultimately rebounded to become a viewership success, and two more seasons are now on the way. MrBeast Burger’s brick-and-mortar push went in the opposite direction; it began with great fanfare

Given the unprecedented nature of what MrBeast is attempting — no one else has built a multi-billion dollar business that is truly creator-led — some speed bumps are to be expected. Taking a business model that works on YouTube and translating it into industries like retail, consumables, and theme parks requires an experimental attitude.

But global expansion adds new wrinkles that make MrBeast-style experimentation riskier than it already is. Take the creator’s recent trip to Mexico, where he explored Mayan ruins as part of a video that plugged Feastables.

MrBeast claimed to have permission from the local government to visit the ancient sites, but his video nevertheless received criticism from all strata of Mexican society. Civilians complained that the creator got access to sites they cannot visit, while Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum launched an inquiry into the YouTuber’s permit. Mexico is “demanding compensation for damages and a public retraction, due to noncompliance with the terms,” because the permit reportedly didn’t authorize commercial advertisements.

Many of MrBeast’s recent agreements, including a collab with Jack Link’s and a book deal with HarperCollins, are described as “global” arrangements. By opening his doors to the world outside of Greenville, MrBeast is building the massive brand of his dreams. As he does, cultural sensitivity will be important, or else he will risk spoiling the partnerships that have facilitated his global push.