Over the past few months, Darren “IShowSpeed” Watkins Jr. has kept fans entertained with a wide range of content, from charity football matches to his now-legendary trip through China and Mongolia. But this past weekend, the American creator returned to his gaming roots with a full playthrough of the iconic The Last of Us series. What started with a grin quickly turned emotional, as he wrapped up the marathon in tears. And when it comes to viewership, tens of thousands tuned in, contributing to a total of over one million hours watched.
Just like his streaming counterpart Kai Cenat, IShowSpeed is no stranger to marathon gaming sessions. In the past, he’s taken on titles like Monster Hunter Wilds and Red Dead Redemption, and has even joined Cenat for chaotic co-op runs in games like Chained Together.
His playthrough of The Last of Us series spanned three streams, two of which ran nearly 12 hours long. All in all, it took him close to 31 hours to complete the iconic duology.
When it comes to viewership, it’s clear Speed’s audience has grown used to his high-energy IRL content, which usually pulls the biggest numbers on his channel. His return to gaming showed a noticeable drop in traction: the stream peaked at just over 55,000 concurrent viewers, and that peak came right at the very beginning. That’s roughly half of what his average IRL streams bring in, and about a quarter of the audience he drew during his unforgettable adventures in China.
Read also: IShowSpeed picked up nearly 10 million new followers over the course of his global tours
Despite the clear drop in overall viewership, those who stuck around were genuinely engaged. The marathon maintained an average of over 33,000 concurrent viewers, not that far off from the peak numbers seen across all three days of streaming.
While the marathon wasn’t a runaway success in terms of viewership, it did prove one important thing: IShowSpeed has built a deeply loyal community. These aren’t just fans who tune in for the chaos of his IRL antics, they also show up for his gaming roots. And in a world where attention spans are short and trends move fast, that kind of lasting connection is a win in itself.
