'The internet's a less whimsical place' - YouTuber Jacksepticeye branches out

The world's changed a lot since Seán McLoughlin, better known to 31 million subscribers as Jacksepticeye, began making YouTube videos.

He started uploading in 2012, in what many people consider to be the platform's "golden age" when vlogging, video game playthroughs and comedy escapism were all the rage.

Like many in the content creation space, he's been branching out in recent years, taking more acting jobs and getting involved in film production.

BBC Newsbeat caught up with McLoughlin to talk about his new role, his work on bringing one of his favourite video games to the big screen and why he misses the "whimsical" days of the internet.

McLoughlin got famous playing video games, and these days there's a good chance you'll see - or hear - him in one.

After a role in the 2025 superhero adventure Dispatch, McLoughlin's got a new role in Hitman, the successful "assassination simulator" from Danish studio IO Interactive.

He plays controversial content creator Finn Colton, known as Finnvictus.

Although the fictional character shares McLoughlin's likeness and voice, he says the "manosphere-adjacent influencer" is not based on him.

As the name of the game suggests, players aren't there to collab with him.

He's one of the celebrity "elusive targets" Hitman's developers occasionally place in the game to encourage returning fans.

"If you love me it'll be funny to play and you'll get to kill me in different ways," says McLoughlin.

"If you hate me maybe that's even more fun to play."

It's not the first time McLoughlin's worked with IO - he appeared, briefly, in their James Bond game 007: First Light earlier this year.

He'd hoped to watch other streamers react to the blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo, but says many of his friends missed it.

"This time you're forced to interact with me," he says, even if that does involve thinking of imaginative ways to kill him off.

Earlier this year, McLoughlin was also unveiled as a producer on an animated movie version of Bloodborne, one of the highest-rated video games of all time.

Some parts of its passionate fan base reacted negatively to the announcement, questioning the YouTuber's credentials.

McLoughlin reassured them he's a huge fan of the games and has a tattoo of a Hunter's Mark - one of the game's key items - to prove it.

He's described himself as a "vibe-checker" and sees it as his responsibility to make sure the adaptation is done properly.

"If it feels off, especially with something like Bloodborne, people can feel it immediately, even if they don't know what they're pointing towards," he says.

"They know the game so well that if the atmosphere, or the world, or the vibe feels off, they'll pick up on it pretty fast."

McLoughlin says he's been trying to pick people for the project who have ideally played Bloodborne and "have a feeling" for what it's all about.

"I feel like I have good instincts on what works and what doesn't and what I like and what I don't like," he says.

"So the producing side of it fits a lot more naturally for me right now."

Screen adaptations are a big trend in video games at the moment, but they're not the only thing seizing the industry.

Hitman's new mission lands just weeks before the launch of the hugely-anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6.

It won't be released on disc at launch, a move that's arguably accelerated the game industry's move towards digital-only games.

McLoughlin, who fondly remembers PlayStation cases on a bedroom shelf and getting new games for Christmas, says "it would suck to see physical games disappear completely".

"Just in terms of the humanity behind it all, I think it would be a shame to see that stuff disappear because it's a magical experience," he says.

The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in video game development is another hot topic at the moment.

Earlier this month, Epic Games, makers of Fortnite, announced a "pivot" towards using AI as a primary development tool.

Like many players, McLoughlin's opposed to its use.

So no chance of seeing a Jacksepticeye Fortnite skin any time soon?

"I think the chances of that happening were already zero before anything related to that even happened," he says.

"But now it's definitely, definitely unlikely."

Physical games, GenAI and content creators' career moves are sure to generate discourse, and conversations online are another thing McLoughlin thinks have changed since he started out.

He says there's been a "rise of anti-communities", where people will "rush to condemn a film or game before it's even been released".

"I'm just sad that the internet is such an angry place these days," he says.

"It's just zero to a thousand immediately. I think we're just not there in terms of having nuanced discussions about anything.

"But I think that's just endemic of the internet in general."

McLoughlin thinks that could be linked to people's real life worries.

"Right now, it's just people are angry in general, just at the world," he says.

"So it's harder to interact with stuff online these days.

"It's a less whimsical space. But hopefully that's something that can change."

McLoughlin's doing his bit to bring people together in December with his annual Thankmas event.

The fundraiser took a break last year but its returning to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

"I think it's a nice little pinprick of light in the middle of everything else going on," he says.

And while he's not afraid to speak his mind, he says he is mindful of letting others do the talking sometimes.

"I'm trying to get better about not giving an opinion about absolutely everything any more," he says.

"Because I think there's too much of that in the world."

Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.