The Hawaiian YouTuber Mark “Markiplier” Fischback won the award for the top gaming influencer in the world by Forbes. His rise to fame was paved with hundreds of silly videos, mostly of him playing a video game and commentating it.
It’s a simple concept, but his hard work has accumulated over 7 billion views on his videos and over 17 million subscribers. He’s also held several fundraisers accumulating over $1.5 million in donations.
So, how much is the YouTube legend worth? According to a leaked OurMine screenshot of his Maker Studios’ network page, he earned a shocking $665,820.16 in November of 2015 before taxes. Aside from that, speculative claims vary across the Internet from anywhere between $3 to $10 million.
“Markiplier’s Net Worth as of 2017: 7 Million
2012-2013
The Hawaiian star joined YouTube on March 6th, 2012 and began posting playthroughs of games like Serious Sam 3 and Amnesia.
His channel quickly picked up lots of attention, but on its way up Markiplier hit a roadbump when YouTube banned his AdSense account.
When his unban appeal to YouTube failed, he started a new YouTube channel on May 26th, named MarkiplierGAME, and continued his work on there.
2014
By this year, Markiplier had become an international sensation. After making over 1,200 videos, he had been named one of New Media Rockstars’ Top 100 Channels, placing 61st on the list. He then moved to Los Angeles for networking opportunities and the YouTube Space program. By this time, he had reached an astounding 1.4 million subscribers in his short two-year span on the platform.
He also appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in September after Host Jimmy Kimmel received a lot of hate from his jokes against “Let’s Play” videos.
2015
Markiplier raised over $350,000 over two charity events for the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance in 2015. He also hosted a donation drive for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital on April 26th and raised $70,882 in one day.
He lived with Daniel Kyre and Ryan Magee, who also created YouTube videos like sketch comedy and music for a channel called Cyndago. The collaboration resulted in around 50 original works until the group disbanded following the suicide of Kyre.
Markiplier then announced he would discontinue his Drunk Minecraft series after learning he had a deficient enzyme that helped break down alcohol. He suffered from a minor heart attack, and his doctor recommended that he not drink.
He was also featured several times in the YouTube Rewind.
2016-Now
Markiplier’s 17 million subscriber base holds him up as the 29th most popular YouTuber on the site as of today’s SocialBlade rankings, making him one of the biggest icons in the gaming scene. His consistency and lovable personality draws in massive amounts of popularity.
He started another philanthropic venture in cooperation with the Human Rights Campaign, raising $130,000 in support of LGBTQ+ rights as well.
“Today we stand by our LGBTQ+ friends to ensure equality for EVERYONE!” he wrote on the page. “Please help us raise $100,000 for the Human Rights Campaign to ensure the future stays bright and open for all!”
With the help of Revelmode, a subnetwork of Maker Sudios, he worked with Pewdiepie and other major YouTubers to raise over $1.3 million to the Gates Foundation on December 10th of last year.
He also created a choose your own adventure style of YouTube sketch that generated a lot of popularity.
Markiplier inspires millions of people with his cheerful, uplifting personality in all of his videos. He’s an iconic figure who’s positively influenced gaming culture and puts a great foot forward in every one of his playthroughs. The superstar is a well-deserved candidate for this award and for his massive income.