If you haven't heard @ArtesianBuilds do not care about their small streamer ambassadors. They have monthly PC giveaways for their ambassadors, great, right? Expect they don't care for small streamers. I got chosen and they changed their rules last minute (cont.) pic.twitter.com/CzDiq7VTZP
— kia (@kiapiaa_) March 1, 2022
Unless you've been living under a rock - or have been laser-focused on hitting a rank you'll never achieve - you probably know about the Artesian Builds fiasco from the past week.
For those who don't know, Artesian Builds hosted a giveaway for their streaming partners.
They drew a name to win a free PC, but then re-rolled, telling viewers that, essentially, the streamer who won was too small. Artesian Builds wouldn't benefit enough from giving her a free PC, so they rolled the dice for someone else to win.
If Artesian Builds ran a gas station. pic.twitter.com/7ctkPR21PO
— AmericanDad (@AmericanDadLive) March 2, 2022
What happened next was something that you rarely see in online entertainment.
We're all too familiar with a creator messing up and losing sponsors. Here, we saw a company make a mistake and creators dropping that sponsor.
Mizkif, OTK, NickMercs - huge names sporting Artesian Builds came out of the woodwork to support Kiapiaa. After all, these streamers all know what it's like to be a smaller creator.
The most recent development in the story is that Artesian Builds has crumbled. They announced, on Twitter, that they are "freezing/suspending all activities" and are "open to assistance/investment."
Actually sad for 99% of the employees.
We are sad to announce that, effective now, we are freezing/suspending all activities. Ongoing is analysis by outside counsel for reorg. to ensure fair treatment of clients, creditors, and employees. We expect more info by month's end.
— Artesian Builds (@ArtesianBuilds) March 9, 2022
We are open to assistance/investment.
Meanwhile, Kiapiaa is better than ever. Her channel exploded after the controversy - gaining over 25,000 followers on Twitch and posting similar numbers on Twitter.
This is one of the only examples of reverse cancel culture on the internet. Artesian Builds is ruined - all because they got greedy with a giveaway.
That being said, I'm in for the redemption arc. There's been talk of an employee buyout, and we may even see a wealthy streamer like Trainwrecks get involved.
He could have been joking, but how awesome would this be?
check DMs I’ll buy the company and run it right
— Trainwreck (@Trainwreckstv) March 5, 2022