While Twitch is an undeniable force in the gaming world with over 100 million viewers a month, Google’s YouTube channel has plenty of stature as well, including a variety of Let’s Play videos along with official game trailers, special videocasts and other content.

Ryan “Fwiz” Wyatt knows all about the gaming scene on YouTube, as he’s the global head of gaming for the channel, after stints that included both Machinima and Major League Gaming. The personality and eSports commentator recently spoke with Re/Code about the state of YouTube’s gaming scene.

He noted that 40 percent of the video site’s top 200 channels focus on gaming, with “hundreds of millions” of viewers in toll. Part of that, “Fwiz” believes, is due to the convenience some developers have provided with video tools. “Grand Theft Auto just put out that tool that lets editors create content and put it out on YouTube easier,” he said. “I think they realize there’s a great marketing vehicle behind all this content that’s being created around the games, and they want to figure out how to be a part of it. Even mobile games, especially in Australia and Japan, are looking at video content as ways to market and grow their game.”

eSports is also growing on the channel, despite the competition from Twitch. “In a lot of ways, it’s still nascent, but in a lot of ways it’s starting to mature and grow into something much bigger,” said “Fwiz”. “I think we can do better and do more to empower eSports creators on our platform. There’s no doubt that we need to do more with eSports, and we’re going to.”

Continuing on the topic, he added, “I think we can do more and will do more with the live product, and that doesn’t just impact gaming. That impacts all verticals that utilize it – news, sports and so forth.”

Interaction has a degree of value with live streams, “Fwiz” added, even with just comments. “The big thing you have to work on is: How do you make sure creators and fans can constantly engage in the most intimate possible way When we look at live chat in particular, it can’t just be the comment system that you know today. The way you interact in VOD (video-on-demand) is very different from how you interact when a broadcast is live. That’s really critical, to be able to engage.”

Let’s Plays have a huge presence on the channel. “People like going down the rabbit-hole, viewing games through another person’s lens,” he said. “But we’re seeing higher-quality, produced video content now, as well. At the surface level, PewDiePie might just be playing a game and having fun, but you’re seeing production – funniest moment montages and so forth.”

However, there are restrictions put in place by publishers that can get in the way, such as Nintendo with its Let’s Play stance. “Ultimately, (it is each) publisher’s decision if they want to tap into monetization from a creator and so forth,” said “Fwiz.” “I believe a lot of publishers understand the incredible marketing value that they get from creators making compelling, amazing content around their games. At the same time, Nintendo is creating avenues that they can still claim monetization and work with the Nintendo Creators’ Program.

“We do try to make sure that conversation is beneficial to both parties, but at the end of the day, if that’s what Nintendo or a publisher wants to do, that’s their decision. And I think we’ve seen a lot of interesting feedback from the creators about that decision. We have to support both the publisher and the creator on things like this.”

Regarding what a publisher can do in regards to keeping control of their games, “Fwiz” advised, “There’s a direct correlation between watch time on YouTube and sales of games, especially pre-sales. To be honest with you, not a lot are pushing on this because they understand the fallout if they decided to take creators’ money and the importance of working collaboratively with content creators. I don’t have to spend a lot of time painting the picture. What I do want to help them with is getting the right data that helps them make informed decisions.”

More details on the interview, including the introduction of high-definition video and virtual reality-based content, can be found here.