Rich Dudes│How Markiplier Built His $38M Net Worth Playing Video Games

American content creator Markiplier has made it big on YouTube. Born as Mark Edward Fischbach on June 28, 1989, in Honolulu, Hawaii, and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, he quickly built a following with sketch comedy videos.

However, he found his niche in nail-biting survival horror games in Let’s Play videos such as Amnesia: The Dark Descent and Five Nights at Freddy's. Markiplier has over 34 million subscribers and 19.9 billion total views as of May 2023, making him one of the most successful creators on the platform. As a result, his estimated net worth has reached $38 million.

Mark aspired to be a video game designer after graduating, but ultimately studied civil engineering. He began his YouTube career in 2012 with his channel, Markiplier, featuring gameplay commentary videos, becoming one of the pioneers of game streaming. Aside from YouTube, Markiplier acts in films, tours, and podcasts and holds charity streams.

Born Mark Edward Fischbach, Markiplier is among the world’s highest-paid and most popular YouTube stars. He has amassed a colossal net worth, according to Forbes. He earns income from various sources, including YouTube content creation, merchandise sales, sponsorships, and podcasts.

His YouTube channel, with over 34 million subscribers and nearly 20 billion views, earns him between $10 and $20 million per year. Through Cloak, a fashion brand he co-founded with fellow YouTuber Jacksepticeye, Markiplier has expanded his income streams. He also co-hosts two popular podcasts: 3 Peens in a Podcast and Distractible.

The comedian and podcast host received a Diamond Creator Award at the 2016 YouTube Creator Awards and a Golden Joystick Award for Best Streamer/Broadcaster in 2017.

Markiplier's success is unquestionable, and he has a knack for gaming commentary fun, which has catapulted him to global celebrity status. He's also diversified his revenue streams by breaking into traditional media as an actor, appearing in movies and television series. 

Additionally, he uses his platform to leverage philanthropy pursuits, hosting live charity streams as a fundraising mechanism for multiple non-profit organizations.

Ad revenue is how most content creators make the bulk of their money, and Markiplier is no different. With over 20 billion YouTube views, Markiplier’s YouTube channel is ideal for ads to reach an unfathomably large audience, as Anthony Padilla said in an interview with Markiplier.

On average, with his number of subscribers, Markiplier most likely earns $1.21 per 1,000 views. Because he has over 5,000 videos, most of which go well past the million views mark, you can do the math, but it can get to $9.4 million annually.

For many YouTubers, sponsorships are their bread and butter. As for Markiplier, he has received sponsorships from a variety of sources like Polaris, Robot Entertainment, Dirty Bomb, Guns of Icarus, and, most importantly, Epic Games.

In less than a decade, Markiplier’s popularity and wealth have doubled yearly from his simple beginning playing indie and horror games to being worth $38 million. 

Markiplier is the third highest-paid YouTube star on the platform, according to Forbes, which cited his collaborations on the Unus Annus clothing line, upcoming television series The Edge of Sleep, and his 2019 podcast in addition to his YouTube success.

Markiplier’s net worth may have skyrocketed in a decade due to YouTube, but even gamers realize that money needs to go somewhere. Here are the other endeavors that made a difference to Markiplier's net worth.

Markiplier’s biggest investment asset is clothing, which he knows much about. In 2019, Markiplier started a clothing line called Unnus Annus in collaboration with fellow YouTuber Ethan Nestor-Darling. The collection includes hoodies, t-shirts, and other apparel.

However, Unnus Annus isn’t Markiplier’s only clothing endeavor, as he is also the CEO of Cloak, which he founded in 2018 with fellow superstar gamer YouTuber Jacksepticie. Cloak’s zoominfo profile states that its estimated annual earnings are just under $5 million. 

According to Forbes, Cloak grew by 750% year-on-year, with a 3,900% increase from May 2019 to May 2020.

Although Markiplier’s content isn’t traditional by any means, he ventured into the classic entertainment world in 2016 when he signed with the popular talent agency WME. Markiplier hoped this would enable him to make more comedy sketches and music and book more acting gigs.

Another major entertainment venture of Markiplier is Revelmode, a company founded by fellow YouTuber Pewdiepie, but unfortunately, the company shut down in 2017.

Markiplier has been going deep into Hollywood recently with a 2021 TV adaptation of his 2019 drama podcast The Edge of Sleep—it boosted Markiplier to new heights if successful. Another Hollywood opportunity came to him in the form of a role in the Cartoon Network show Villainous voicing the character 5.05.

Markiplier recently purchased a gorgeous four-bedroom home in La Cañada Flintridge, California. The property boasts an oversized swimming pool, a cabana with a full bathroom, and scenic views of the Angeles National Forest. Fischbach paid $15,000 over the asking price for the property, which he reportedly purchased for $4 million.

The house was built in 1953 by Pasadena architect Keith P. Marston and renovated by top L.A. designer Barbara Bestor under previous owner Donald Glover. 

Markiplier's investment in real estate is a smart financial move since the property's value is likely to increase, considering its prime location and the quality of the house. With his massive success as a YouTuber, investing in real estate is an excellent way for Markiplier to diversify his portfolio.

Markiplier's car collection includes a $500,000 Ford GT, a $284,000 Ferrari 488 GTB, a Tesla Model S, and a Jeep Wrangler. The Ford GT has a 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine that produces over 647 horsepower and 550 pound-feet of torque.

Markiplier's car collection doesn't necessarily indicate that he's a car enthusiast because there's little information about his passion for cars. Markiplier owned a van, as seen in one of his YouTube videos, which he showed off as his new car in 2017. Nonetheless, some automobiles can make for suitable investments due to their unique features and utility as a store of value.

Markiplier's success as a YouTuber offers valuable lessons about taking risks and maximizing favorable trends. Quitting school to pursue YouTube full-time was risky and required careful consideration. 

Markiplier's success with digital merchandising and his use of content creation on digital platforms to produce value are just a couple of experiences that aspiring entrepreneurs can draw from.