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On June 20th 2021, fans from everywhere gathered for the reveal of Minecraft Streamer Ranboo's NYC Times Square Billboard.
This billboard was the result of a competition Global AR Platform "ARKH" held on June 13th 2021. The competition was simple: the most liked response to their tweet in twenty-four hours would be put on a billboard in Times Square, NYC.
Ranboo replied to the tweet with a communally iconic gif of the slogan "Ranboo My Beloved," enclosed in an animated red heart.
Several content creators including Toby "Tubbo" Smith, Jack "JackManifoldTV" Manifold, Arran "JustVurb" Willis, Phil "Ph1LzA" Watson, Anthony Padilla, and Corpse Husband all replied to the tweet, vouching support for Ranboo's billboard.
On June 14th 2021 ARKH officially confirmed that Ranboo won the competition. It was later revealed that his billboard would be broadcast in the square for all to see on June 20th 2021.
This date became a mad scramble for fans everywhere. The announcement confirming the reveal date for the billboard was made only a few days before it was set to be revealed, leaving little time for thorough planning.
The Ranboo NYC Times Square Billboard Meet-up
Despite the short notice, the turn-out at the billboard was incredible. There were fans everywhere, eagerly waiting to see their streamer's recognizable gif appear on-screen.
Dave "Krtzyy" tweeted out prior to the reveal that if he met a certain like goal, he would fly out to see the billboard.
He truly was a man of his word, as, on the reveal day, he was hanging around the billboard just streaming, chatting with fans, and hanging out.
It was an incredible experience to witness and be a part of a crowd of people simply being here to support Ranboo. Who would've thought that this young streamer, who only started streaming a year ago, would end up center stage on a billboard amidst the lights of Times Square.
We were able to speak with a few fans after the initial reveal of the billboard, although at the request of a couple interviewees we'll be keeping their names private:
Q: "How far did you travel to see the Ranboo billboard?"
A: "I'm from Boston, so it was only a three or four hour car ride. But, like, I've met people today who were from across the country, like Florida. I can't even imagine getting that big of a flight in three days."
Q: "If another Minecraft Streamer/YouTuber were to get a Times Square Billboard, who would you like to see?"
A: "TommyInnit!"
Q: "How far did you travel to see the Ranboo billboard?"
A: "Oh, I'm from around here [New York]. It was just a quick subway ride to get here."
Q: "If another Minecraft Streamer/YouTuber were to get a Times Square Billboard, who would you like to see?"
A: "Mm, this question is evil. I can't decide! I feel like Dream needs to have one at some point. But, I could also see Tommy having one and then flying down with Phil, Wilbur, Tubbo, and everyoneto vlog it."
Q: "How far did you travel to see the Ranboo billboard?"
A: "I took a couple days to drive down here since I'm from bum-fuck nowhere in Vermont. The train rides from the nearest station to me were listed as like... sixteen hours. I wanted to come support Ranboo, but you couldn't put me on a sixteen hour train ride if you tried. So, I road-tripped."
Q: "If another Minecraft Streamer/YouTuber were to get a Times Square Billboard, who would you like to see?"
A: "Oh, hm. Dream, probably."
Q: "How far did you travel to see the Ranboo billboard?"
A: "Two hours! I'm from Connecticut."
Q: "If another Minecraft Streamer/YouTuber were to get a Times Square Billboard, who would you like to see?"
A: "I would love to see Tubbo, Tommy, or Technoblade on one, but I don't want to get my hopes up. Honestly, it doesn't entirely matter who's on the billboard. We're all here because we love the same streamers. It's been really fun just chatting with everyone here, I knew how loving this community was but now I feel like I've experienced it for real. I— we would love to see more events like this happen in the future."
To reach a broader audience when it came to the last question, a tweet was put out:
The results yielded the same variety of answers that interviewees gave. Clay "Dream," Tommy "TommyInnit" Simons and Technoblade came out as a tie for first out of the four options.
Needless to say, this billboard was an overwhelming success. Hundreds of fans gathered in the square, took pictures, chatted with other fans and left with smiles on their faces.
Ranboo's NYC Billboard marked what might be the first streamer-oriented community gathering since the pandemic. Hopefully, it will be the first of many interactive events for fans to attend in the future.
