FORTNITE IS NOT THE MOST POPULAR GAME ON YOUTUBE

In the years since the launch of Fornite, the game has become a massive moneymaker for YouTube creators and Twitch streamers alike. 

The popularity has given rise to stars like 'Ninja', who has become one of the first pro gamers to appear on the cover of ESPN The Magazine. On YouTube's brand new 'Gaming' hub, the platform frontloaded, Fortnite, offers links to current livestreams 24/7. 

However, according to a conversation with Ryan Wyatt, who is YouTube's director of gaming content and partnership, he mentioned that Fortnite is actually not YouTube's No.1 game. That spot still belongs to Minecraft, the open-world, multiplayer sandbox game that single-handedly kick-started the YouTube gaming craze about seven years ago. 

Just like Fornite, Minecraft turned into a lucrative career, for some creators, the majority of which posted 'Let's Play' videos, recording their process of building their intricate architectural creations, or journeying through Minecrafts landscape with friends. 

"Fortnite has certainly been a massive contributor to the growth in gaming, [but] Minecraft is still our biggest game globally," Wyatt said. He added that, despite its seemingly ubiquitous presence on YouTube and Twitch, "Fortnite has not taken off in every single market."

While the video views and aggregated time YouTube sees from Minecrft video still make it tops on the site, Fornite's player acquisition may have outpaced those of Microsoft's multi-billion dollar game in recent months. Wyatt also says that Fortnite's popularity with streamers and viewers in the West does not carry over to regions like the Middle East and Asia, where mobile games like Arena of Valor and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang outstrip it. 

"When you start to look at these other countries and regions, we're actually seeing explosive growth from the mobile gaming category that’s pretty underrepresented in the West," Wyatt said. "I think there are a lot of things that are happening outside of the U.S., outside of Western Europe, that are causing a lot of growth for gaming on YouTube that are kinda understated."

In terms of live viewers, Fortnite is tops. Minecraft is currently listed as the fifth most popular title on YouTube's new Gaming hub, behind Fortnite, PlayerUnkown's Battlegrounds, Fifa 19 and World of Tanks.