YouTuber who came forward behind ‘insider’ posts admits chasing ‘influencer’ in new apology video

YouTuber John Allen, who accidentally revealed himself behind a video game industry “insider” Twitter account, has posted an apology video in which he admits to being driven by “influence” and “buzz”.

Allen gained brief internet fame for leaking details of Ubisoft’s various Assassin’s Creed announcements – details given to him by Ubisoft itself to prepare embargoed content.

But his identity as “TheRealInsider” was revealed over the weekend, when Allen responded to a tweet from a fan on his main account instead. Allen then quickly deleted the tweet, the insider account, and then posted a brief statement on Twitter saying sorry.

Today’s longer apology, via a video on Allen’s main YouTube channel, goes into more detail. Here, he notes that other rumors he posted were simply fabricated – including hints of upcoming Silent Hill and Metal Gear Solid remakes that had fans wrongly excited.

“I mentioned Silent Hill and [a] Metal Gear Solid Remake, and I can say there was no NDA [Non-Disclosure Agreements] involved there because it’s bullshit.

“It’s just lies, bullshit indirect comments,” he continued. “Half the posts were educated guesses.”

On his reasoning for why he leaked details – even after signing deals with companies such as Ubisoft to hear information in advance – Allen admitted he did everything for “the buzz” of the game. ‘Warning.

“I’m ashamed of it,” Allen continued. “That was pathetic and just plain dishonest. A lot of you rage and say, ‘Damn, why did you do that?’ and to be honest – it’s weight, it’s buzz, it’s addicted to the thrill of thousands of expectations of what you’re going to say.

“I took for granted my access, my nearly 200,000 subscribers, content flexibility, all taken for granted for this fucking facade, and I’m ashamed, disgusted. I’ve been hungry ever since. And I’m not looking for excuses, because it’s my fault and no one else’s fault and because of that I’ve lost friends in the industry, I’ve lost relationships – personal , careers, opportunities – all in those five seconds of fame. And, you know, I take full responsibility.

So what’s next for Allen? The YouTuber concludes by saying that he will step away from the limelight for now – before focusing on being a “force for good” again.

“All I can do from here is try to be a better human, try to learn from this catastrophic mistake, this incomprehensible stupidity… I’m going to take some time now, I am just going to walk away from it and just try to learn from his mistake and hopefully come back as a positive force and not a negative one.

“Again, I probably won’t be back on Twitter because I’m not welcome, nor should I be after what I’ve done. Maybe I will be back but at the end of the day, I I’m just sorry. And I can’t turn back the clock, but what I can do is try to be a better man moving forward. And I promise you it will never happen again. And I will learn from these mistakes.