Prime Video
Prime Video has officially updated Beast Games, a high-stakes reality competition series created and hosted by YouTube Sensation Mrbeast (Jimmy Donaldson). The presentation came during Amazon’s annual initial presentation in New York City.
The first season, premiering on December 19, 2024, attracted 50 million viewers within 25 days and became the least viewed non-scripted show on Prime Video. The series features 1,000 contestants competing for the award that ultimately grew to $10 million, making it the biggest prize in real-life competitive history.
“Mrbeast has achieved a significant milestone for global Prime Video customers, bringing its biggest reality competition series to date,” said Vernon Sanders, director of television at Amazon MGM Studios in a statement. “We are pleased to announce that two more seasons of Beast Games are ongoing following the record-breaking first season, and we are enthusiastically anticipating all the new, incredible challenges that Murbeast is planning to pursue for its players.”
Individual investment and economic losses
Despite the show’s huge success, Mrbeast has made it clear that producing the first season of Beast Games is a major financial effort. In an honest interview about the CEO Podcast’s diary, he revealed that his company spent $100 million in its first season, with $50 million coming straight from his pocket.
“We lost a lot of money to make that show,” Jimmy said. “We spent too much money, we lost tens of millions of people on that show.”
He further explained that despite the show’s popularity, it was not a profitable venture at the individual level. “Making a Beast Game was not a good financial decision. I lost money. If I didn’t film, I’d have more money.”
That being said, it is somewhat in line with Mrbeast’s financial philosophy of reinvesting a large portion of the revenue into the creation of companies and content. “Money is the fuel to grow your business,” he said. He said he maintains under $1 million in his bank account.
He also emphasized that Beast Games is not just about viewership and financial benefits, but about something bigger on behalf of the creator. “For me, it was about making the first season as good as possible. I can’t disappoint the YouTube community,” he said. “Creators don’t have a good rep when it comes to streaming,” he added, framing the series both as a passion project and as a mission to raise the bar for creator-driven production in the broader entertainment industry.
Looking ahead
Mrbeast Industries CEO Jeff Housenbold spoke with confidence about the show’s trajectory and how the broader impact update signals are affecting it. “Our goal is to provide the biggest bold competition series ever created, and the response exceeds all expectations,” he said.
Housenbold praised the show’s global resonance with the ambition and originality behind its creation. “The Beast Game resonated with fans all over the world. It’s a testament to the creativity of Jimmy and the entire Beast team,” he continued.
Recognizing the scale of effort and the importance of creative freedom, he added: “We are grateful for their continued partnership and are excited to see them get even higher in the next two seasons.”
This looks back at the complete first episode of the Beast Game.
