Markiplier

Background

Mark Edward Fischbach, also known as Markiplier, is an American YouTube gamer, vlogger, philanthropist, actor, aspiring singer, and podcast host. He is famous for uploading playthroughs of various video games, especially horror games. His detailed gameplay style, commentary, and charitable acts have contributed to his successful YouTube channel, which has over 35 Million followers. Mark's online alias, Markiplier, is a clever fusion of his first name, Mark, and the term 'Multiplier'. With over 43 million followers across his online platforms and an astounding 11 billion views across his YouTube channel, Mark is no doubt one of the world’s leading online influencers, pioneering the virtual world of gaming.

In 2022, Forbes ranked him as the third highest-paid content creator on YouTube. He has also received recognition for his work, including four Streamy Awards and a Golden Joystick Award for "Best Streamer/Broadcaster."

Early Life

Birth and Family Background

Mark Edward Fischbach was born on June 28, 1989 at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. Mark's father, Cliffton, was a German-American military officer. His mother, Sunok Frank, is Korean. His father met his mother when he was stationed in South Korea.

After Mark Edward Fischbach was born, the family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, but his parents divorced when he was young. He is half German, half Korean but was raised in an English-speaking environment. The 2022 documentary Markiplier From North Korea delves into Fischbach's ancestral roots on his mother's side.

Tragically, at the age of 19, Mark Fischbach experienced the profound loss of his father, who fought a year-long battle with lung cancer. This heartbreaking event left a lasting impact on Mark, causing him to grapple with significant depression.

Education

Mark Fischbach completed his high school education at Milford High School in 2007 before continuing his academic journey at the University of Cincinnati, where he pursued a program in biomedical engineering during his time there. Sadly, his father passed away in 2008, which marked a significant loss in his life.

During his sixth-grade years, Fischbach met Wade Barnes, who would go on to become a close friend. Additionally, in his freshman year at university, he shared a living space with Bob Muyskens, who would also become a long-term friend and collaborator.

YouTube Career

Early Years

Initially, Mark established his first YouTube channel under the name Markiplier, which served as his original gaming platform. As he delved into various horror games series, including Penumbra and Dead Space. An unfortunate event occurred when YouTube banned Fischbach's AdSense account. Despite making an appeal to YouTube, his efforts were in vain, and the appeal was unsuccessful.

In light of this setback, Mark embarked on a new endeavor. On May 26, 2012, he launched a fresh and current channel titled MarkiplierGAME. This YouTube channel became his primary platform for content creation. However, on January 12, 2016, Mark faced a hacking incident that targeted his channel. A Twitter account by the name of OurMine hacked his channel and uploaded a video featuring the OurMine Twitter logo and profile picture. YouTube removed the video during the middle of the day.

In 2012, Markiplier embarked on his YouTube journey, focusing on creating gameplay videos. Developing sketch comedy videos was the original idea for his platform. His content revolved around popular horror games like Amnesia: The Dark Descent and Slender: The Eight Pages. Markiplier's distinctive trademark is his loud screams during gameplay, which contributed to his rising prominence. However, it was his Five Nights at Freddy's series in 2014 that truly sent him to viral fame.

Live streams

Mark hosts a range of live streams on Twitch. Some involve playing games requested by fans, while others focus on joining fans in multiplayer games. However, his most notable live streams are dedicated to charity and fundraising. During these events, Mark plays games, often based on viewer requests, to raise funds for various charitable causes such as Child's Play, Cancer Research, hospitals, and more.

Success on YouTube

Markiplier has garnered an impressive 20+ billion channel views and boasts a subscriber count of 35 million. To express his gratitude to his fans, he creates milestone videos whenever he reaches a million subscribers. He often shares updates about upcoming projects. Mark is admired for his genuine appreciation towards his viewers and his willingness to showcase his emotions on camera. In 2017, Mark achieved the distinction of being named the most influential YouTuber surpassing other fellow YouTuber.

On his YouTube channel, he primarily uploads popular games such as Slender, SCP: Containment Breach, Drunk Minecraft, Cry Of Fear, Amnesia Custom Stories, Five Nights at Freddy's, and Happy Wheels Highlights. As of June 2023, Mark's YouTube channel remains a powerhouse, with his YouTube videos regularly exceeding a million views. 

Collaborations

Mark collaborates with a select group of individuals, including Tyler, his best friend since 4th grade. Tyler usually provides assistance with upcoming projects and events. Ethan, formerly known online as CrankGameplays, contributes to Mark's video editing. He is one of Markiplier's former video editors.

Mark is known for collaborating with a variety of other YouTubers. He collaborates and is friends with PewDiePie, Jacksepticeye, CinnamonToastKen, muyskerm, LordMinion777, and many others. He would appear on their YouTube channel to play games. Markiplier stands out with his exaggerated and thrilling video game commentary, creating a sensation among gamers and fans. His unique gaming style adds humor to his already captivating and enjoyable content. His content encompasses a diverse range of gameplays and reviews, with his Let's Play series, where he often tackles survival horror games, being particularly popular.

Collaboration timeline

• In 2015, Fischbach chose to share a living space with fellow YouTubers Daniel Kyre and Ryan Magee, who operated the YouTube channel Cyndago. Together, they built a substantial following through regular collaborations with Fischbach. In September, a tragic event unfolded when Kyre was discovered in critical condition after a suicide attempt in his room. Despite being hospitalized, he was removed from life support just two days later. As a result, Cyandago disbanded, and Fischbach took a break from YouTube for a month. He made a comeback on October 5, and soon after, he celebrated reaching 10 million subscribers on the 15th.

• In November 2016, Markiplier signed a contract with talent agency William Morris Endeavor (WME). His initial collaboration with WME was the "You're Welcome Tour" in Spring 2017, where Fischbach headlined his own worldwide improv tour, along with fellow YouTubers Muyskens, Barnes, Tyler Schied, and Ethan Nestor, embarked on a series of thirty-one shows throughout the United States and Europe.

• In November 2018, Mark showed support for PewDiePie during a live stream titled "I Won't Literally Shut Up Until You Subscribe to PewDiePie," which helped reduce the subscriber gap between PewDiePie and T-Series by 70k, alongside Jacksepticeye.

• In November 2019, Mark teamed up with Ethan Nestor to create a YouTube channel called Unus Annus, meaning "One Year" in English. The channel had the unique premise of being deleted after 365 days (one year), with no reuploads of its videos on either Mark or Ethan's YouTube channels.

• In April 2021, Markiplier took the lead role and served as an executive producer for a television series adaptation of the podcast "Chozen”. It is a drama in podcast format, originally created by Jake Emanuel and Willie Block.

"Most Caring YouTuber"

Markiplier is often hailed as the "Most Caring YouTuber" by his fans due to his genuine compassion and lovable personality. This reputation has greatly contributed to the rapid growth of his YouTube channel to millions of subscribers. Markiplier frequently connects with his fan base through special vlogs, but on October 10, 2013, he acknowledged that he had lost some of that connection while striving to be a good entertainer. He admitted to prioritizing subscriber numbers over personal interactions, realizing his mistake.

Mark's heartfelt speech in that video revealed his care for his fans, evident from the hints of tears and his remorse for making fun of certain aspects of a game. He expressed gratitude to his loyal fans and pledged to change by increasing special vlogs and being more responsive. Additionally, Mark regularly organizes monthly livestreams to raise funds for various charities.

Markiplier video game series

Markiplier's video game series encompasses a wide variety of genres and styles, ranging from horror games to animations and comedy sketches to reactions, reviews or challenges. He often focuses on indie games, as he enjoys supporting and promoting smaller developers. Markiplier's playthroughs of horror games, in particular, have garnered significant attention, as he skillfully combines genuine fear with his trademark humor, resulting in highly entertaining content.

He mainly uploads playthroughs of the most notable horror games such as Neverending Nightmares, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, SCP – Containment Breach, and Five Nights at Freddy's. His full-toned voice, in-depth style of gameplay, commentary, and multiple charitable acts have spanned a highly successful YouTube career.

Five Nights at Freddy's

Mark became popular thanks to his playthroughs of Five Nights at Freddy's, which played a significant role in the game's impressive success. His first video of the game was uploaded shortly after it was released. The game piques his interest which he characterized as the "most terrifying game in years". He completed a thorough playthrough. Each of his FNaT garnered million likes and views from his million subscribers. Mark was also one of the pioneers in recording footage of successfully beating the demanding 4/20 mode. As a result of his experiences with FNaF, Mark proclaimed himself as the ultimate authority on Five Nights at Freddy's, a title that continues to be recognized to this day.

Contributions to the Community

Markiplier has made exceptional contributions to the community and helped millions of people worldwide. He has used his platform to promote various noble causes, including awareness about mental health, suicide prevention, and helping children's hospitals. He actively engages with his fans by hosting charity streams and even started a campaign called "Hope from Home" that raised $1.3 million during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Markiplier utilizes his platform to promote diversity, inclusion, and acceptance of different cultures and backgrounds. He also supports LGBTQ+ charities such as The Trevor Project and raises funds for children who have suffered from abuse through Child's Play Charity.

In addition, Markiplier is also passionate about environmental issues and frequently talks about sustainability on his social media platforms. Through small steps like switching to reusable products or reducing plastic waste in everyday life, he emphasizes the importance of taking care of the environment.

Net Worth

Markiplier's worth is estimated to be $35 million. He has accumulated revenue from YouTube, Twitch, merchandise sales, sponsored content, and brand collaborations. Markiplier's smart business strategies combined with his passion for content creation have contributed to his net worth.

Apart from his social media platform earnings, Markiplier has explored other avenues of generating wealth. He co-created a charity fundraiser called "CrankGameplays" where his fans raised $1 million for Save the Children in 2018. In 2020 he released an interactive film A Heist with Markiplier which reportedly reached tremendous success within its' initial days of release.

Business Ventures

One of Markiplier's most successful business ventures is his clothing line, Cloak. In October 2018, Mark Fischbach and fellow YouTuber Seán McLoughlin launched the clothing line. The brand is aimed at the gaming community. Streamer Imane Anys joined Cloak as a partner and creative director in 2020.

From T-shirts to posters, he offers a wide range of items for fans to purchase and show their support for his content. In addition to this, Markiplier also cashes on sponsored collaborations with brands that aim at reproducing brand-driven content on his network of channels.

Relationships

Mark Edward Fischbach is dating Amy Nelson. Amy Nelson is a graphic designer and animator. They have been together since 2015. Amy Nelson makes occasional appearances on Fischbach's channel, participating in gaming sessions or joining livestreams. She is also often the one behind the camera when Markiplier films vlogs.

OnlyFans Account

In December of 2022, he created an OnlyFans account. After Markiplier launched his OnlyFans account, the platform experienced a surge in traffic that overwhelmed its servers, causing a temporary crash.

Fans are often attracted to Markiplier's physique and expressed their desire for an OnlyFans account. In his unique style, Markiplier decided to turn this attention into something positive. In a video titled "I Will Start an Only Fans...," he discusses his previous charitable success with a "Tasteful Nudes" calendar that raised funds for charity and sold over 38,000 copies. His OnlyFans proceeds will be evenly distributed between the Cincinnati Children's Hospital and the World Food Program.

He presents a new challenge to his subscribers: If they fulfill certain conditions, he will create an OnlyFans account. The condition is to get two of his podcasts to the top of the charts. In exchange, fans can bask in those sweet, sweet tasteful nudes.

Fischbach announced the "first of three drops of tasteful nudes" on December 8. It was so popular, the OnlyFans became overloaded and crashed. 

Trivia

• Mark's mother is a nurse. This has been noted by Mark after his usual outbursts of "Shut up, Nurse!"

• His mom is from North Korea, and her family fled to South Korea during the Korean War in the 1950s.

• His father met his mother in South Korea when he served in the US military.

• He worked as a bartender and a carpenter some time during his life.

• In high school, his nickname became Markle Sparkles, after an event in which someone threw glitter in his hair (which grew to be much longer at the time).

• Markiplier uploaded his first video on his first channel in April 4th, 2012 at 10:36 P.M.

• Mark was nominated for "Trending Gamer" at The Game Awards 2015.

• Mark's favorite game is Earthbound.

• One of Fischbach's most popular videos on YouTube is his first video of the now cult classic horror game Five Nights at Freddy's.

• Markiplier was voted "Gamer of the Year" at the 2022 Streamy Awards and won four Streamy Awards to date.

• Markiplier is dating Amy Nelson and they have a solid romantic relationship. They get along well at work and have collaborated on different projects together.

• He has a dog names Chica

FAQs About Markiplier

What is Markiplier’s expertise?

• Markiplier is known for creating sketch comedy and playthrough videos. He is also a podcast host and filmmaker, and owns a clothing company.

Which playthrough video by Markiplier holds the record for the highest number of views?

• Markiplier’s most viewed playthrough video has over 100 million views and it's for the game “Five Nights at Freddy’s.” He has over 35 million subscribers as of June 2023.

What happened to Markiplier’s AdSense account?

• Markiplier’s AdSense was banned in May 2012, and he was forced to create another channel under the name “MarkiplierGAME.”

Where did Markiplier move to enhance his career?

• Markiplier moved to Los Angeles, California to be closer to other YouTube personalities and keep growing his career.

Cyndago: What is it?

• Cyndago is a sketch comedy and music channel that Markiplier created along with YouTubers Daniel Kyre and Ryan Magee.

What charities has Markiplier participated in?

• Markiplier participates in several charities and fundraisers, mostly charity livestreams. His charity works and donations go to several causes, such as Cancer Research, depression and bipolar support, children’s hospital, Alzheimer's Research, and many more.