Horror multiplayer game Dead Realm's publisher may have breached FTC regulations in its relationship with some prominent YouTubers.

The Steam hit was developed to be "fun to watch," using input from Evan "VanossGaming" Fong, Tom "TheSyndicateProject" Cassell, and Adam "SeaNanners" Montoya, who are in fact partners and co-founders of the game's "influencer-driven" publisher, 3BlackDot.

All three YouTubers have published multiple Let's Plays of Dead Realm without acknowledging their financial or creative ties to its publisher.

Only Evan Fong has made any mention of his involvement with the game, and then only implicitly, in the text description of one of his videos.

The US Federal Trade Commission's endorsement guide is clear on the subject: "If an ad features an endorser who’s a relative or employee of the marketer, the ad is misleading unless the connection is made clear."

This is not the first time that the relatively new field of YouTube Let's Plays - which can operate as marketing without being classed as such - has come under scrutiny.

Last year, many YouTubers were offered early copies of Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor as long as they didn't say anything negative about the game.

Two of 3BlackDot's cofounders, even, released sponsored videos of Disney Infinity without any mention of payment, despite telling GamaSutra their brand integration was clearly disclosed.

With YouTube trying to establish itself as a primary media source, these mistakes could create major hurdles, and possibly even lawsuits.