High-profile Rainbow Six Siege content creator and fitness entrepreneur YoBoyRoy has inked a deal with decentralized cloud platform Theta Labs to launch a customized AI chatbot using the company’s AI Agent Theta EdgeCloud technology. The new partnership was negotiated and brokered by PIVOT Agency.
Financial terms of this new deal were not disclosed.
YoBoyRoy represents the first content creator to sign a deal for a customized AI chatbot—Theta Labs currently has partnerships in place with several esports organizations including NRG Esports, Evil Geniuses, and FlyQuest, among others.
The AI chatbot will be integrated into YoBoyRoy’s Twitch chat during streams, in his official Discord server, and more. The 24/7 bot will help fans answer questions about new content uploads, travel dates, community news, merchandise drops, stream schedules, and more, according to the announcement.
YoBoyRoy on New Partnership With Theta Labs
In case you are not familiar with his work, YoBoyRoy describes himself as a Christian gamer that aims to “make a difference in the gaming community” by creating wholesome content and inspiring fans to get active. That focus has helped him grow a core audience on multiple social media and content platforms, including Instagram (112,000 followers), Twitter/X (56,000 followers), Twitch (220,000 followers), YouTube (880,000 followers), and TikTok (238,000 followers). In addition to creating Rainbow Six Siege content, YoBoyRoy also develops and deploys exercise and fitness content on his streams, through a customized app, and on his official website, yoboyroy.com.
Speaking to The Esports Advocate this week, YoBoyRoy said that adding this technology will help him better manage some of his numerous channels, going forward.
“I’m kinda hoping the chatbot can be my moderation team for Discord and Twitch. If it could function like an assistant, I think that would be sick.”
He said that a fair amount of his business is focused on the fitness side of things and that this new technology will help take some time-consuming management activities off his plate:
“I’d say fitness is about 15-20% of my brand at this point. I receive most DMs about my faith and fitness advice. I’m excited for this chatbot to help more people inquiring about the fitness side and for the bot to send people over to my fitness sponsor for supplements or my personal app for gym routines.”
Finally, when asked generally about the state of partnerships for content creators like himself, YoBoyRoy said that things are still moving along at a decent pace, despite a challenging environment.
“Deals are still flowing in, and overall generosity [of the community] is great. This kind of deal doesn’t really benefit me much financially in comparison with my other streams of income, but it is giving me something I could never achieve on my own, so I’m pumped.”
Theta Labs on its Technology: This Milestone Moment
As already mentioned, Theta Labs has deals in place with several esports organizations, and also has a number of high-profile partnerships with the likes of NHL teams such as the Las Vegas Knights and New Jersey Devils, and four of the top universities in South Korea, among others. The company is backed by Samsung, Sony, Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments, and Creative Artists Agency, among others.
When asked to explain just exactly what its technology is in terms a Baby Boomer could understand (your parents or grandparents), Theta Labs CEO and Co-Founder Mitch Liu told us:
“In the past, all the computing power needed for apps and websites had to be concentrated in a few big data centers. Now, with smartphones, laptops, and PCs being so powerful, they can work together over the internet to handle those tasks via Theta EdgeCloud – almost like a huge, shared computer made up of everyday devices.”
On why the company decided to work with YoBoyRoy as its very first content creator partner, Lui told us that he is professional, has a good community, and focuses on a space that it hasn’t really been on the company’s radar:
“We chose YoBoyRoy because he’s the full package: super professional, consistent stream & YouTube views, and high-quality community. After a great intro call with Roy via Pivot Agency, he expressed a strong desire to improve his Discord community moderation which made it an easy decision. Plus, Rainbow Six Siege is a space we haven’t tapped into yet, and we love how Roy naturally blends gaming, fitness, and faith. He’s authentic, and that’s exactly the kind of creator we want to build with.”
Looking ahead, Theta Labs has more technology plans for the gaming, esports, and content creation ecosystem in the pipeline, but integrating its AI chatbot technology with existing and future clients in these spaces is top priority:
“We’re focused on two big fan-facing upgrades: first, embedding media like photos and videos directly into the chatbot so fans can relive game highlights and key moments on demand. Second, we’re helping major esports organizations (including some still unannounced) use our AI agents behind the scenes to assist moderators in writing tweets and crafting Discord announcements. Looking ahead, we see AI agents becoming a core part of esports and content creation, not just answering questions, but enhancing how fans experience matches, engage with teams, and stay connected to their favorite creators in real-time.”
Finally, the company says that feedback on the AI agents it has already implemented with its partners is getting positive feedback and announcements on more teams signing up to use it will be forthcoming:
“Absolutely you’ll be seeing more Esports teams and gaming partnerships throughout the year. Feedback has been super positive from NRG, Evil Geniuses, and FlyQuest—all the teams have appreciated our white-glove service to help them customize their Conversational AI Agents and bring them to life. We think there’s still a lot of room for improvement… think of these versions as just the v1!”
PIVOT Agency on Putting it All Together
While a majority of PIVOT Agency’s work focuses on sports, the company does work in the esports/gaming ecosystem from time to time. PIVOT Agency played an important role in bringing this partnership together.
Founded in 2013, PIVOT Agency describes itself as a full-service sports marketing agency, operating through three core divisions—Property Consulting (sports teams & leagues, collegiate sports, and emerging sports), Travel & Hospitality (travel and accommodations deals for road game travel of professional teams), and Brand Consulting (deal with brands)—but over the last few years the company has dabbled in esports and gaming, according to PIVOT Agency Director of Esports And Gaming Matthew Potthoff.
On this particular deal, Potthoff says that his company has been talking to Theta Labs for quite some time about the gaming-focused content creators and YoBoyRoy stood out as the first choice to enter this space:
“At PIVOT Agency, we’ve been in chats with Theta for some time on integrating their AI Chatbot with numerous properties we represent, from esport organizations to top-tier influencers. When Theta mentioned they were looking for their first creator partnership, YoBoyRoy immediately stood out. As part of PIVOT’s creator roster, his established Discord server and always being open to innovative ideas that bring true value to his community made him the perfect fit.”
We also learned that, while PIVOT has a keen focus on sports business, the company has done quite a few deals in esports and gaming that have gone under the radar. While the pace of deals likely increased when Potthoff joined the company in early 2023 (as chronicled by TEA in this story), PIVOT Agency has always been interested in the gaming and esports.
“Funny enough, PIVOT Agency has quietly been at the forefront of esports & gaming deals since 2017, something not many people know unless you were directly involved. As we continue to expand our impact across the space, I’m working with PIVOT to be more vocal on the partnership deals we’ve done across the esports & gaming landscape and truly celebrate the wins and impact they’ve made on our ecosystem. We’ve had the privilege of working with some of the most storied esports organizations and guiding established brands across our dynamic and complex industry. Since joining PIVOT Agency in early 2023, I’ve leaned on my strengths and networks to launch an influencer division underneath our gaming & esports division.
“We are approaching our 100th partnership deal, a significant milestone for PIVOT Agency’s influencer division and a testament to the trust we’ve built with both creators and brands. I negotiate all inbound and outbound discussions between brands & my roster of creators. I then vet the opportunity to ensure it’s mutually beneficial from several elements, including the financial ask, community benefit, and if I truly believe the brand will receive the ROI they seek. PIVOT’s legal team then helps with all contract edits & approvals, and I’ll continue to stay communicative between both the brand and our influencer to ensure flawless execution. I remain opportunistic to future opportunities where a brand can be plugged in on a renewal or with another creator for meaningful impact.”
PIVOT currently represents a number of notable content creators including Lyr1c, LEGIQN, Slacked, Apathy, EvanBraddock, and Crimsix, Potthoff tells us. Some of these clients are on an exclusive basis and others non-exclusively.
“I enjoy working with creators exclusively, but it’s all about looking out for each creator and their needs to ensure they are comfortable and can find deals wherever they may come from.”
As for what the future holds, Potthoff is leading the charge in helping its content creator clients streamline sponsorship and partnership deals that are equitable for all parties:
“Looking ahead, I’m focused on expanding PIVOT’s creator roster, with a special emphasis on bringing more female representation and finding other prominent creators looking for an honest, hard-working, and diligent manager to help streamline their deals. PIVOT’s gaming division isn’t slowing down, and I’m hopeful we can continue to positively impact the gaming, esports, and content creator economy.”