Being a YouTuber is a difficult and competitive profession, especially in the highly competitive industry of video games. Video games have been one of the most popular genres of YouTube videos for over a decade, with millions of channels cranking out high-quality gaming-related videos daily. Two of the more popular channels are Markiplier and Crankgameplays, with the content creators of these channels known as Mark and Ethan, respectively.
Both creators upload gaming content to their channels on a frequent and regular basis, from daily uploads to an upload every other day. To constantly have this much creativity is no short feat, and a lot of their fanbases were really skeptical yet excited when they announced a joint project together. This project was known as Unus Annus, a YouTube channel that the creators planned to religiously upload videos daily starting November 15th, 2019, and announcing that all content would be deleted on the one year anniversary.
They did this alongside their already established channels, effectively catering to their loyal audience while also giving them something new to be entertained by. In the one year that Unus Annus had existed on YouTube, it was a smash hit success. Unus Annus, up until its last day before its deletion, would have around 4.5 million subscribers. Every video uploaded would earn somewhere within the million view range, adding up close to 365 million views for the channel in total. This type of success goes far beyond the already established success for both the creators' main channels.
It makes sense that Unus Annus would do so well. Markiplier alone has a reputation for producing quality, cinematic videos and series, but more importantly, the theme of having a YouTube Channel with a predetermined lifespan helped to attract a lot of viewers. It kept viewers wondering what was going to be uploaded the next day.
The channel was thematically linked to the inevitability of death. It sounds depressing, but each video a sentimental meaning. The videos filled with outrageous content but pushed the idea of cherishing what was happening right now in front of the viewers' eyes. It is a complete flip on one of the main benefits of the internet, the ability to archive something and preserve it for decades on a virtual format. This also is the inspiration between the name "Unus Annus" (one year) and their motto "Memento Mori" (remember, you will die).
So, what sort of content did Unus Annus upload to draw in a new audience, cater to an old audience and cause this new mixed audience grief when it was all finally gone? The uploads were primarily vlog-like videos that were funny, philosophical, kind of disgusting and yet utterly wholesome. Some videos even had hidden codes or messages within them, like hidden sheet music on a black screen.
Other videos ranged anywhere from the two of them seeing how many slaps it would take to cook a chicken to having a "Pee Sauna." Other videos were dangerous, either thematically or literally, like when they tried to start an indoor fire to make smores or when Mark broke his nose. Unus Annus content was not a reflection of Markiplier or Crankgameplays content, nor was it even distantly related to these gaming channels aside from links in video descriptions.
Both creators played characters that were not themselves, with Ethan being Unus and Mark being Annus. They wore black and white clothing, respectively, which helped to establish a balance between the two characters' unique personalities, as well as emulate the theme of hypnosis and dreaming. These characters would often frequently question life's meaning (or lack thereof)in the videos. They also occasionally die or have their deaths implied, allowing them to have characters who can die while the creators' main channels remain unaffected.
Over the course of Unus Annus' year of uploads, viewers began to really care about these characters. Mark and Ethan were already charismatic on-screen, but both Unus and Annus were able to captivate an audience not just by being funny or entertaining but by establishing the wholesome yet archaic relationship that the two had. It didn't matter how ridiculous or gross or dangerous an idea may be so long as someone was there to share it with.
Unus and Annus were essentially soulmates that completed each other. Deep down, viewers wanted to find an "Annus" to their "Unus" with the limited time they have. Beneath all the chicken slapping and urine evaporating, there was actually a deep philosophy on life and how living in the moment can be the most terrifying yet pleasurable use of time. This connection that viewers developed with the channel, the characters, and the videos made hundreds of millions of viewers mourn its end. It was content that was made to be so important to millions that they were reluctant to let go.