YouTube star PewDiePie was paid thousands to promote video game

A Brighton-based YouTube star was paid thousands of dollars to promote a video game without properly disclosing the deal, the American consumer watchdog said.

Felix Kjellberg, 26, better known online as PewDiePie, was one of several YouTube personalities paid to make promotional videos for Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor and promote the game to their fans, the Federal Trade Commission said.

The video blogger plays games while giving offbeat commentary. His PewDiePie channel on YouTube has more than 46 million subscribers and he has more than eight million Twitter followers.

The FTC accused Warner Bros, the company behind the game, of “deceptive practice” in failing to ensure that consumers knew the videos were part of an advertising campaign.

Sweden-born Kjellberg maintains he disclosed his relationship with WB Games in the “About” text section of the YouTube video, even though he was not legally obligated to do so at the time.