## The Rise of Jason “Thor” Hall
Attracting tens of thousands of viewers, Jason “Thor” Hall has gained immense popularity on his Pirate Software YouTube and Twitch channels. In just six months, his YouTube subscriber count skyrocketed from 13,000 to 1.9 million, making him one of the top-most subscribed channels on Twitch as well. Hall’s success as a streamer is a result of his down-to-earth persona and unique path in the gaming industry.
## A Different Path in Game Development
Unlike other streamers, Hall’s journey in game development started at the age of 16 when he landed a dream job as a game tester at Blizzard Entertainment. However, after six months, he realized corporate life wasn’t for him and left to pursue his own path. He spent the next five years honing his skills in 3D modeling, programming, and running his own corporations in online games like EVE Online and Second Life.
After freelancing for several years, Hall re-applied to Blizzard without any help from his father, who had worked at the company for over two decades. He spent the next seven years working on blockbuster games like Overwatch and World of Warcraft before expanding his knowledge at Amazon Games Studio and the United States Department of Energy.
## Pursuing His Own Games
While working for established companies helped build his resume, Hall had a burning desire to create his own games. In 2016, he published his first title as Pirate Software called “Champions of Breakfast” in just 24 days. Although it didn’t gain much attention, it gave him the confidence to develop “Heartbound,” an adventure game about a boy and his dog.
In 2017, Hall launched a Kickstarter campaign for Heartbound, and the game caught the attention of popular YouTuber Seán “JackSepticEye” McLoughlin, who played it for his 30 million subscribers. Influencer support helped Hall raise nearly $20,000 in crowdfunding, four times his initial goal. However, he learned that managing success was just as important as achieving it.
## Ready for Virality
Determined not to miss another opportunity for virality, Hall began streaming himself developing Heartbound on Twitch in 2017, even though his audience was initially small. He took the time to create a Discord server and set up a moderation team to manage his growing community effectively.
## Lightning Strikes Twice
In 2023, YouTube heavily promoted Shorts content, and Hall took advantage of this opportunity to capture important moments from his streams. Clips of him discussing game development, VPNs, and defending V-Tubers started garnering millions of views, propelling him from 30,000 video views per month in August to 200 million views in December.
## A Business-Forward Approach
With his newfound momentum, Hall knew he had to approach his streaming career from a business perspective. He sought advice from business and money managers and prioritized the well-being of his moderators. Unlike most platforms where moderators are volunteers, Hall pays his moderation team full-time wages and splits the donations he receives on stream with them.
This business-forward approach has also led to partnerships and growth in his indie game business. In June, Hall announced a partnership with Offbrand, a live-event production company co-founded by Twitch streamer Ludwig Ahgren, to publish indie titles as Offbrand Games.
## Beyond Streaming: A Ferret Rescue
Despite his packed schedule, Hall has managed to find time for another passion: rescuing ferrets. He runs a ferret rescue in Washington state, taking in injured, abandoned, or neglected ferrets and rehabilitating them. The rescue is entirely funded by ad revenue from the FerretSoftware Twitch channel. Hall’s dedication to this cause is personal, as he adopted two ferrets used as laboratory animals while working in game development.
Hall’s commitment to his passions, his community, and his business has propelled him to success as a streamer and game developer. His unique journey and down-to-earth approach have resonated with viewers, making him one of the most subscribed channels on Twitch and YouTube.