Thousands of video game fans have been looking excitedly into a manageable living room in Graz over the past few days – around the clock. The Austrian streamer Jessirocks was continuously online on the live streaming platform Twitch for nine days. The reason: Diablo 4.
The continuation of the video game series has been awaited by numerous video game fans around the world for years. Diablo 4 is an “action role-playing game” set in the fictional world of Sanctuary. You fight against evil creatures and learn new skills – alone or with friends. “And I’m basically the contact point for Diablo in German-speaking countries,” says Jessirocks, whose real name is Thomas. He also calls himself “Explainer Bear” because he can explain almost everything in the Diablo games to his fans. With over 200,000 followers on Twitch, he is one of the biggest streamers in Austria and can even make a living from it.
Between streaming PC and exercise bike
The release of Diablo 4 is therefore something very special for him and his team. “You don’t see that very often,” he says. Five computers, two laptops and ten monitors – everything finds its place on the endless desks in the dark living room in Graz. The latest technology is only good enough and it’s running at full speed. In the corner of the streaming center, however, there is an older piece of technology: a filigree exercise bike. “Somehow we have to keep fit when we stream for so long,” laughs Jessirocks.
Fit sees the group around the Carinthian streamer who lives in Graz, still off after 18 hours in the live stream. They launched on June 1st and have been entertaining thousands of gaming fans with their expertise ever since. The anticipation was huge, but so was the excitement.
Routine process for thousands of fans
Little of the excitement can be felt in the Graz living room. The team’s work meshes together like a cogwheel. “Do you say in the stream that we have guests,” says Thomas when the Kleine Zeitung arrives. Meanwhile, Florian, the team’s technician, changes something in the stream settings and suddenly the live image switches to another computer – like a television broadcast. Not only the process, but also the number of viewers are almost in the direction of television. Up to 35,000 people can watch Diablo 4 being played at the same time.
Jessirocks, why live for so long?
“Even before the stream started, there were 7,000 people in front of the screens,” says Jessirocks. It doesn’t matter whether it’s Friday afternoon or Tuesday morning, people are there and watching Jessirocks and Co. “Many fans took extra vacation time for the release,” says Jessirocks. What will only become clear later: over the course of nine days, the stream will have around five million views.
Long preparation
According to the Carinthian, such a large project only works with good organization, little sleep and with help. “We prepared for this for three months. My colleagues came all the way from Germany to help,” says Thomas. So that they can stream nine days in a row, they alternate regularly. Jessirocks plays at peak times and his colleagues at off-peak times. There are several reasons why they stream for so long. “On the one hand, the colleagues come from Germany. So it pays off if we stream longer right away,” says Thomas. On the other hand, a long stream also has a positive effect on growth. The longer you keep a high average viewership, the longer Twitch will suggest you as a streamer in the respective game categories and more people will become aware of you.
How are you after streaming for over a week?
A visit on the eighth day shows that this approach has borne fruit. During the streaming period, Jessirocks has gained over 37,000 new followers. For comparison: All new fans would not even fit into the Wörthersee Stadium in Klagenfurt or fill the Merkur Arena in Graz more than twice. Add to that over 400,000 chat messages from his followers, an average viewership of 12,300, and a few short nights. “After eight days it’s really tough,” says Jessirocks with a sleepy look. The filigree fitness wheel is still behind him. “The bike has served its purpose,” he laughs. The team shed a few hundred calories over the course of the day. In other words: a short distance in the long streaming marathon.