YouTube Rewind was an annual video produced by YouTube that celebrated the year gone. The high-budget videos featured a wealth of creators from the platform and encapsulated the memes, moments, and music from YouTube culture.

Now, YouTube has revealed that it won't create YouTube Rewind videos anymore. Why is that? And what will replace YouTube Rewind? Let's explore.

Why Has YouTube Canceled YouTube Rewind?

YouTube Rewind began in 2010 as a simple summary of the most popular videos on the service from that year. The Rewind videos grew in scope and popularity each year, becoming more editorialized and encompassing more international YouTubers.

While YouTube Rewind was generally an anticipated event, negative reaction was growing from 2016 onwards. This cumulated in 2018, when YouTube Rewind 2018 became the most-disliked video of all time.

There are a handful of reasons for this. Many felt that the video unfairly excluded famous and slightly controversial YouTubers—for example, PewDiePie's subscriber battle against T-Series, and Logan Paul and KSI's boxing match—in favor of safer celebrities like Will Smith. Others pointed to the ham-fisted sociopolitical messaging in the video that seemed out of place with the usual jovial tone of the Rewind videos.

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki later acknowledged the misstep on the YouTube Blog, noting that "it didn’t accurately show the year’s key moments, nor did it reflect the YouTube you know." Apparently, even her kids told her the video was "cringy."

For Rewind 2019, YouTube instead produced a statistics-based montage that celebrated the most liked and viewed videos from across the globe, which hearkened to what the project was like at its inception.

There was no Rewind in 2020, primarily due to the ongoing complications of the coronavirus pandemic. At the time, YouTube simply said it was "taking a break from Rewind."

Now, as reported exclusively by Tubefilter, YouTube will no longer create Rewind videos because it believes it's impossible to represent the diversity of its community to everyone's satisfaction.

While the company denies Rewind is coming to an end due to the mass criticism it has received in recent years, you have to assume it must have factored into the decision.

What Will Replace YouTube Rewind?

While there won't be official Rewind videos, YouTube is leaving the task up to its community. In recent years, many creators have taken to producing their own Rewind videos, highlighting creators they believe were missed out from the main video.

Speaking to Tubefilter, a YouTube spokesperson said:

Since Rewind started in 2011, we have seen creators from MrBeast, elrubiusOMG, and Slayy Point, to so many more, create their own end-of-year videos, uniquely capturing the year from each of their perspectives. It’ll continue to be inspiring to see [...] our YouTube creators encapsulate the end of year in their video recaps, as YouTube retires its own Rewind video.

YouTube won't fund these videos or be otherwise involved, but it will promote them on social media.

Rather than a Rewind video, YouTube will continue to publish end-of-year lists to summarize popular videos and trends from the year. The YouTube Streamy Awards, a ceremony which celebrates the best videos and creators, will also continue.

YouTube also teased to Tubefilter that it's planning an "interactive experience" to close out this year, but gave no further information.

Farewell, YouTube Rewind

While YouTube Rewind has been poorly received in recent years, it's unfortunate that the video series wasn't able to celebrate its tenth anniversary.

That said, it seems wise for YouTube to avoid the heat that comes with the videos. Now it can invest its time and resources elsewhere, perhaps helping build smaller creators.