David Farnor | On 18, Jun 2015

WWE has launched its own gaming YouTube channel.

Called UpUpDownDown, it’s hosted by Xavier Woods, who also goes by the name of “Austin Creed”. He will present a range of coverage relating to games, from WWE 2K15 and The Witcher to FIFA and Grand Theft Auto, with regular guest spots from YouTube celebrities, WWE stars and video game editors.

Alongside other vloggers, the channel will join in established YouTube formats, such as “Let’s Play” videos, with a new play-through video published every Monday, featuring Woods and other personalities button-bashing their way through titles.

The weekly schedule will also include “For the Lolz” on Wednesdays, when Woods and others explore sandbox games such as GTAV, and Jump Scares on Fridays, featuring horror games, as well as “Superstar Savepoint” on Saturdays, which will place guests into a random game totally cold and require them to help lead Woods to gaming glory in a co-op environment, and a tournament (Gamer Gauntlet) on Sundays.

The channel aims to build WWE’s already powerful presence on YouTube: it has more than 6.4 million subscribers and has served more than 5 billion views in the last 12 months, ranking it ahead of other US sports, such as the NBA, MLB, NFL, NHL, ESPN and NASCAR.

“By leveraging WWE’s massive influence on YouTube and tapping into a content vertical that scores highly among our fans, we’re poised to make an immediate impact with this new channel,” says Lisa Fox, WWE Executive Vice President, Content. “We’re confident that UpUpDownDown will entertain not only WWE fans, but gamers everywhere.”

Indeed, gaming – that “content vertical” Fox speaks of- is a huge part of YouTube’s community and overall commercial strategy. Many of the most popular channels on the site are related to games, with Minecraft a particular favourite among viewers. Just last week, YouTube announced its own dedicated gaming site – YouTube Gaming – to take on Amazon’s recently acquired Twitch. Wrestling is also popular among viewers, both online and off: earlier this year, WWE also launched its own subscription VOD platform.

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