At Bless, there was controversy regarding the selected streamers during the press event. A rumor cast the influencers in a negative light.
What is the Emissary Program? The new MMORPG Bless uses an “Ambassador” program. Streamers have been chosen to be ambassadors for the game. They are invited to events and are intended to collaborate with them to promote Bless. These ambassadors were also the ones who reported live from the Bless event – Neowiz itself did not produce an official stream. 24 streamers were invited to the event.
In addition to the streamers as ambassadors, there are also other community leaders, who are less prominent. In total, there are 96 of these ambassadors.
Bless wants to partner with second-tier content creators
PUBG as a role model: The collaboration between streamers and developers can have a positive impact on a game. The PR expert of the shooter “PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds” explained in a lecture how to collaborate with influencers without paying them. By giving them access to the developers and involving them in the development, PUBG was able to achieve a lot without spending money.
For that, streamers from the second-tier have been approached, as the big ones are unaffordable. This also seems to be the idea with Bless. All it takes is 200 followers on Twitch or 1000 YouTube subscribers to apply.
Ambassadors are scrutinized: However, in every game, such “chosen” players are critically observed by the community. After all, these ambassadors are in the special favor of the developers. The normal players closely watch how these streamers behave and how they appear. Especially advantages granted to the influencers can easily lead to frustration:
- In PUBG, players complained that the developers would protect their streamers by keeping them safe from stream-sniping.
- In Bless, the influencers may not receive free games, but they do get direct access to the developers, as well as special banners and in-game costumes.
If you guys want to promote the package … give it to me
Streamer wants $200 package: A recording from the Bless event is circulating featuring the Emissary Arctix, who argues why he deserves a $200 founder package: “If you are a content creator with 1000 people in the channel and a small viewer has all the cool stuff and you don’t… If you guys want to promote your $200 package, the best way is to distribute it to your ambassadors.” The clip sparked critical comments on reddit – it was called a free beer mentality.
Emissary Cloak supposedly makes streamers unattackable in PvP
Ugly rumor: The community’s anger against the influencers boiled over due to a false rumor. Allegedly, emissaries were to receive a special cloak that makes them immune to damage. The rumor came from someone in the Bless Discord. Some of the streamers seemed to have played along with this joke and were amused by it. The rumor then spread within the community and was met with significant backlash.
Originator of the rumor clarifies: The originator of the rumor has now responded on reddit. He saw how much trouble his joke is causing for the game and has attempted to resolve it. It was an insider joke among the streamers that some took the wrong way. There was nothing to the rumor; it didn’t even originate from the streamers.
Sensitivity required: Not everything is taken as seriously as it is cooked. Some criticism of the Bless streamers is unjustified and exaggerated. However, influencers will continue to be a hotly discussed topic in the communities. Such a collaboration also requires a certain sensitivity and consideration of how things are perceived “out there”.
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