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Gamer and content creator Bryan “Brycent” Johnson has signed with major esports organization XSET as its first Web3 gaming content creator. Brycent will also remain signed to Gary Vaynerchuk’s VaynerSports as his talent management firm.
Brycent was a software engineer before he gave it all up to become a full-time Web3 gaming content creator, and now has 295,000 followers across social media platforms.
“I went on Twitch, went on YouTube, and realized no one was making content about Web3 gaming,” Brycent told Decrypt in an interview.
“It got to the point where I was making more money playing video games and creating content on this new era of gaming—Web3—than I was being a software engineer,” he said of his early days streaming and playing the once-hot Axie Infinity.
Brycent shared that after going full-time in Web3 gaming, he received a direct message on Twitter from Gary Vee that said, “Keep crushing it.”
The comeback was insane! The final moments were heartbreaking...@OthersideMeta 😪 pic.twitter.com/n7uBAOFrgB
— Brycent 🚀 (@brycent_) March 25, 2023
“This guy is the most ultra-productive and positive person I’ve ever met,” Brycent said of the VeeFriends and VeeCon creator.
With XSET, Brycent plans to double down on Web3 gaming and also host weekly tournaments for Deadrop, a Web3 first-person shooter from notable gaming personality Dr. Disrespect. He said that he takes a game-first approach to Web3, prioritizing gameplay over discussions around token prices or NFT speculation.
“The games that excite me the most are games that have social connectivity,” Brycent said. “I see game devs all the time tweeting, ‘This is the collectible. This is a digital asset that is going to be valuable to the ecosystem.’ It’s like, valuable to whose ecosystem?”
“The NBA didn’t launch basketball cards the first year they launched the NBA, because no one knew what the value of the NBA was [yet],” he added.
XSET was founded by former FaZe Clan President Greg Selkoe and has a number of popular creators under its wings—like rapper Swae Lee, NASCAR driver Anthony Alfredo, and gaming creator (and "The Mole" contestant) Avori, to name a few. XSET also has a professional Apex Legends team for the battle royale shooter, as well as gaming talent that plays titles like Call of Duty: Warzone and iRacing.
Like fellow esports organizations 100 Thieves and TSM, XSET is dipping its toes into the expanding world of Web3 gaming.
“XSET was created to reimagine the gaming industry and truly champion voices and gamers that are driving change and innovation in the industry,” Selkoe said in a statement.
“Brycent is rigorous in his advocacy for the intersection of gaming and Web3,” Selkoe added. “His passion to educate and inspire the gaming community, combined with his authenticity and work ethic, make him the perfect addition to XSET.”