MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
The team behind PlayStation Access, PlayStation UK’s award-winning YouTube channel, is to leave its current home at The Yogscast to form a new video-focused creative agency called We Are Reach, MCV can reveal.
PlayStation Access will continue to be the team’s main focus at We Are Reach, but the move will also see them broaden its portfolio to include video work for other lifestyle brands.
Helmed by Nathan Ditum, Rob Pearson and David Jackson, We Are Reach will also see the arrival of Future Publishing’s senior video editor Dan Wheeler, who will help the team launch a brand-new feature for PlayStation Access as well as improve the channel’s overall quality.
Yogscast gave us the freedom to make a real success of PlayStation Access,” Ditum told MCV. But while we’ve had brilliant support from Yogscast, PlayStation Access has always been something we’ve managed quite independently, so this is a natural next step.
At some point before the channel crossed the million subscriber mark we realised that not only could we do this on our own, but that we’d also built up an understanding of how YouTube in particular and social platforms in general can work smartly and organically with all kinds of brands and companies.
Our speciality is making videos that appeal naturally to audiences while supporting the aims of the companies we work with,” Ditum continued. Access is proof that with the right editorial approach the two can go hand-in-hand, and can engage audiences more effectively than traditional advertising.”
As for future projects We Are Reach are hoping to tackle, Ditum said the team is looking to work with businesses whose audiences can identify with a particular lifestyle or activity.
The potential is enormous,” he said. What we do with PlayStation Access is really a celebration of gaming, with a focus on PlayStation in particular. The approach would work with film, fitness, cycling, DIY – anything with a shared set of experiences to draw from, and a community to build around.
We are open to working with other companies within games, but only where it fits with PlayStation Access. That’s the foundation and focus of the business and – part of the reason the channel feels as natural as it does – we’re all longtime PlayStation fans.”
During the transition, PlayStation Access should continue as normal, Ditum said: We should thank both Yogscast and PlayStation UK for helping to make the crossover so smooth. There might be some late nights putting IKEA desks together, but our audience shouldn’t be able to tell the difference.”
PlayStation Access has been based at The Yogscast since 2013. Since then, the channel’s grown from 150,000 to 1.4m subscribers.
Jo Bartlett, head of communications at PlayStation UK, added: Nathan, Rob and Dave have been instrumental in the success of PlayStation Access and we’re looking forward to continuing our relationship with them as they launch their own agency. PlayStation Access has continued to go from strength to strength and we’re excited for this next chapter.”
