Creator Clash 2, the influencer-boxing event, failed to raise a dollar for charity according to one of its co-founders Ian Jomha, also known as iDubbbz. In a combative video, iDubbbz blamed piracy for the event falling $250,000 short of breaking even. However commentators dispute his claims.
What is Creator Clash?
Creator Clash started in 2022 and saw online influencers enter a ring for a boxing match. During the build up, contenders showed training updates and a hype was established for many first time fighters. The first Creator Clash raised money $1.3 million for Alzheimer’s Association, the American Heart Association, and the Healing Horse Therapy Center and others.
Over 100,000 people paid to watch into the pay-per-view event.
Creator Clash changed their strategy for the second one by expanding from 18 to 24 fighters hoping to increase pay-per-view buys. It didn’t pay off as expected.
iDubbbz Blames Piracy & Taylor Swift for Loss
According to Jomha, the Creator Clash 2 received half of the pay-per-view buys totaling 50,000. Three minutes into his video, he blames piracy for the difference. Jomha said a staggering 1.3 million to 3 million people accessed the event’s broadcast on pirated websites. Experts we spoke to adamantly that piracy caused the lost.
Creator Clash 2 was held at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, was double the size of last year’s venue, with additional fights, commentators, and charity partners. These additions, while enriching the event, also inflated the costs.
Taylor Swift visited Tampa the same week for her Eras tour. This caused logistical nightmares including hotels in the area being sold out overnight. This caused a barrier of entry for Creator Clash fans to attend the event in person.
The participant list featured renowned creators like Alex Wassabi, John Randall Hennigan, Harley Morenstein, and others. However, a controversy arose when the event announced the removal of YouTube rapper Tyler Cassidy, known as Froggy Fresh, from the lineup due to a code of conduct violation. This triggered backlash and rumors about the event’s integrity, which Jomha directly addressed in his video.
Despite the event’s financial stumble and uncertain future, Jomha expressed his intent to continue supporting charities. He plans to upload the full Creator Clash 2 broadcast on YouTube for free, hoping viewers will choose to donate.
Creator Clash 2’s Failure was Marketing
iDubbbz video now sits at half a million views. Most of the comments are about the lack of awareness of this years event. YouTubers point out the drama between Froggy Fresh and iDubbbz as the key visibility this year’s event had.
User ChrisJFilms sums everything up by saying, “I think one of the biggest problems is that nobody knew it was happening. The first one had a lot of build up, but this one just flew under the radar.”
Aside from that, 2023 is a different year with COVID-19 being in the rear view mirror. Online and in person events are changing rapidly with 2023 breaking record numbers in attendance. Creator Clash is the exception to the rule here. This is likely due to a failure of the marketing team and
Will there be a Creator Clash 3?
Yes. It’s likely. iDubbbz said he’s going to consider it at a later date. On July 4th, he hosted a 24 hour stream and was able to raise $162k for charity. He plans to put up the fight on livestreaming platforms this month to close the rest of the $250k deficit.
Like any business, we wait to see what lessons are taken from this for next years.
Who is trying to take over creator clash?
At the end of the video, iDubbbz unveils, “Someone is trying to take over Creator Clash…” He claims he’s fending off a hostile takeover. At this moment, we don’t know who is trying to take over Creator Clash, but iDubbbz promises to reveal details and identity should it escalate further.