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Stream Hatchet
The event achieved a peak viewership of 58,000 on its first day.
The recent Final Fantasy XIV event hosted by Japanese streamer k4sen demonstrates the significant impact of influencer-led collaborations on game viewership. By inviting seven streamers with minimal experience to tackle high-difficulty raids, the event successfully generated 859,000 hours watched across three days in early September 2024. The initiative highlighted the diversity of the Japanese streaming landscape, featuring a mix of traditional on-camera creators and VTubers, with the VTuber Kuzuha leading the participating collaborators with 1 million hours watched.
The event’s success underscores the ability of prominent influencers to sustain interest in established titles during periods between major content updates. Data indicates that the event’s viewership reached 5.8 million hours, a figure nearly comparable to the 6 million hours generated by the launch of the game’s latest expansion, Dawntrail. This performance significantly outperformed other official Square Enix promotional efforts, such as the Final Fantasy XVI crossover event, which reached 2 million hours watched.
These findings suggest that influencer marketing serves as a critical tool for game publishers to maintain community engagement and relevance. By leveraging the collaborative power of top-tier streamers, developers can effectively mitigate viewership lulls and compete with other major titles in the MMO genre. The analysis, based on streaming data from September 2024, confirms that k4sen’s ability to mobilize diverse creator groups remains a potent driver for audience growth within the Japanese gaming market.
DeNA Co. · 2026