Karl Jobst, a YouTube speedrunning analyst with over a million subscribers, launched his first official “DOOM” competition through Twin Galaxies, attracting the world’s top DOOM speedrunners, some of whom have already put in over 20 hours, on a one-minute run, to climb the leaderboard with minimal promotion.

“Being able to create competitions myself not only makes my job easier but also allows my community to get involved and be a part of history,” explains Karl, whose investigative content on gaming cheaters has garnered millions of views.

“We’ve always believed that competitions are one of the most powerful ways to build community and generate meaningful content,” says Zachary Rozga of Twin Galaxies. “So when someone like Karl, one of the most respected voices in speedrunning, chose to collaborate with us, it was a huge moment. It showed us we’re building something that truly resonates with creators.”

Witnessing the impact of the Logitech Aim & Run, Karl embarked on launching “Karl Jobst’s Absolute Challenges,” beginning with a “DOOM” speedrunning competition that challenges players to complete Episode 1, Map 1 (E1M1) of “The Ultimate DOOM” on “Ultra-Violence” difficulty, achieving 100% kills, items, and secrets in the fastest time possible. The competition, sponsored by metallic art print company Displate, features a tiered prize structure ranging from $500 plus two Displates for first place to $50 plus Displates for fourth and fifth places.

The partnership addresses a key challenge for creators who face lower returns from traditional monetization tactics. “The actual dollar per view is going down,” Zachary notes. “The two-minute readout of the brand partner inside videos has gotten stale—the audience has become immune to it.” 

Twin Galaxies, which Zachary describes as the gaming world record authority established in 1981, identified this problem as an opportunity to reposition itself while offering creators a new engagement model.

How Twin Galaxies’ Platform Works

Twin Galaxies has developed a practical platform that enables asynchronous competitions—participants compete on their own schedule rather than simultaneously. 

“You get to participate in your time and space. You can also submit as many times as you want as long as it fits within the window-of-submission period that we have,” Zachary explains.

The platform offers four distinct ways to participate: as content creators seeking unique engagement with their audience; as audience members watching submissions and engaging with the content; as competitors submitting their own performances to climb the leaderboard; and as judges evaluating submissions for fairness and accuracy.

What distinguishes Twin Galaxies is its verification process. For Karl’s “DOOM” challenge, participants must submit clear, high-resolution footage with visible HUD elements, a results screen showing 100% completion, and an input demo file (.LMP) that allows judges to verify the run’s legitimacy. The competition allows only “DSDA-Doom” (a source port) with the “Ultimate Doom WAD” (an archive file), prohibits team play, external assistance, crouching, jumping, vertical mouse look, and other potential exploits.

“We have a very strict policy about this being a competition. We have anti-bullying. If you do too much bullying, you’re just out,” Zachary says, adding that this focus on fair play has helped Twin Galaxies maintain a positive community despite gaming’s reputation for toxicity.

Early Results: Exceeding Expectations

Although Karl’s “DOOM” challenge remains active, with submissions open until June 6, Zachary reveals that it has already surpassed participation expectations, including those from Displate, after just one video announcement.

“I have already seen people invent brand new strategies specifically for my competition, which is incredibly exciting,” Karl notes, highlighting how these challenges can drive innovation in gameplay techniques.

The competition has generated additional engagement through its community judging system. Participants can earn “submission points” by peer-reviewing other entries, creating a self-sustaining ecosystem where community members help maintain the integrity of the leaderboard.

For Karl, the competition provides a rich source of content. “Every submission is original video footage that he can potentially feature in future videos—whether highlighting exceptional performances, analyzing new strategies, or even exposing attempted cheating,” Zachary explains. “Who knows, he may decide to run a video next week, pulling out just the cheaters? We’ve also found cheaters in his competition.”

A New Model for Brand Partnerships

For Displate, the competition offers a more integrated sponsorship than traditional ads. Beyond the prize packages of metallic art prints, the company provides a special discount code (“KARL”) for all participants and viewers, creating a direct pathway from engagement to conversion.

This approach addresses the changes in traditional web traffic patterns. “I was on a call last Friday and their web traffic in Q1 and Q2 is down 33% from last year,” Zachary reveals about an unnamed brand partner, attributing the decline to AI search tools like Google’s Gemini that provide answers without requiring users to visit websites.

In this field, creator partnerships offer brands a direct connection to engaged communities. “We’re going to be able to create an amazing bundled package for brands to essentially get integrated into creators’ video,” Zachary explains. “It’s not restricted to Instagram, it’s not restricted to YouTube, TikTok, etc., it’s multi-channel.”

Zachary also notes that the Displate partnership makes particular sense for the “DOOM” challenge, as the company holds licensing rights for DOOM-themed metal posters, creating a natural affinity between the competition’s subject matter and the sponsor’s products.

Digital Competitions Leading to Physical Events

Both Karl and Twin Galaxies see this initial “DOOM” competition as just the beginning of a longer series that is inclusive of many different gaming titles well beyond DOOM itself.

“I certainly hope that these challenges become a bigger part of my brand. Video game competition is the reason why I started my YouTube channel in the first place,” says Karl. “Hopefully, as I do more of these challenges, people will associate them with my brand and will even seek out my channel specifically to see what new challenges might be available.”

The long-term vision transcends digital competitions to potential in-person events. “What we’ve created is this system to elicit who’s the best player at certain games,” Zachary explains. “You can regionalize that, find the best players in South America, the best players in North America, the best players in Europe, the best players in Asia. And then you bring them together to play in person.”

For creators considering this approach, Karl offers a compelling endorsement: “Competitions are a great way to give back to your community and allow your viewers to come together and get involved in something fun. Everyone wins. Your viewers win by either participating in or watching an exciting competition. The brands win by gaining exposure and goodwill from your community.”

Zachary emphasizes that the model tackles key challenges in the creator economy: “We’re solving a problem for the creators, we’re solving a problem for brands. It’s a win-win across the board for everyone.”

With Zachary noting that “streaming seems to be on the decline because one thing is very likely that the streaming peak that hit was during COVID,” Twin Galaxies is betting that structured competitions represent the next step for gaming content creators.

“I personally find hosting a competition much more rewarding and enjoyable than the more traditional endorsements I had been doing,” Karl concludes. “The Twin Galaxies platform is a huge opportunity for content creators, and I can’t wait to see it grow in the future.”