YouTube Removed a Creator’s Highest Performing Video and There’s Nothing He Can Do

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Here at TopMob, we’ve learned that following YouTube’s rules and community guidelines is essential for creating videos. We’ve had videos flagged over the years for things like music licensing or using too much copyrighted content. Sometimes these issues are easy to fix, but occasionally they’re actually mistakes made by YouTube. Most people know you can appeal a decision if YouTube removes or stops paying you for a video. However, many don’t realize that if your appeal is denied – even if you believe you’re completely correct – your options are very limited.

Vote4Holt, a YouTube channel known for its mystery and horror gameplay videos and detailed, engaging essays, recently hit a milestone of 100,000 subscribers. Earlier this year, they published a popular two-hour video essay on the challenging horror game *Welcome to the Game II* – a game so difficult even Markiplier gave up after many attempts. The video also covered the real-life issues surrounding the game and was titled “The Most Immersive Horror Game Ever Made,” quickly gaining over two million views. However, just this week, the entire channel was unexpectedly removed by YouTube.

I’ll let Vote4Holt explain the situation below.

YouTube is a massive platform with an incredibly large user base, so it’s understandable they need to automate content management and flag inappropriate videos. However, it’s unacceptable that creators have no way to appeal decisions, even when YouTube clearly makes a mistake or doesn’t follow its own guidelines. In this case, the creator had already edited the video to be safe and had even successfully appealed a similar issue before, yet the problem persists.

This YouTube video is about a video game, and it’s honestly one of the best I’ve ever seen – a real culmination of four months of effort. Yes, *Welcome to the Game II* is disturbing and frightening, and that’s exactly what it’s supposed to be. However, the video doesn’t break any rules or guidelines. It’s unfair to have someone’s hard work removed like this.

If you’re enjoying this and use social media, please share the Vote4Holt video mentioned earlier and tag YouTube. While you’re at it, check out the channel’s other great videos about horror games-you won’t be disappointed! I especially recommend “How a 2006 Horror Game Scared the Hell out of me,” which features the classic, but little-known game *Scratches*.

Kyle Anderson is a Senior Editor at TopMob and the host of the “Laser Focus” podcast, where he dives deep into pop culture. He also writes film and TV reviews, and you can find him on Letterboxd.

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2025-09-25 23:03