It's a mix of a lot of things. -People wanting to see reactions to horror/rage games -Peer pressure, AKA subbing so you know what your friends are talking about -Him speaking English but also having lived in multiple countries gives him more coverage in those areas. -Long videos released frequently -Constantly recommended by YouTube -Actually being genuinely funny, just not the funniest. -Plenty of colabs under his belt -Supporting indie community -Donates to charity, garnering more attention from those who would normally never watch his videos -Word of mouth -Arguments about him like in the comments of op garner even more attention from people who would normally never watch his videos Overall, his rise to fame is very similar to that of indie games such as Minecraft and FNaF. Even though they're not the best things ever, they manage to garner more attention due to being a way to get into its genre/medium. There's a Game Theory video further elaborating on this, you should check it out. JK ITS OBVIOUSLY FAKE SUBS