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In this analysis, we will unlock 3 market opportunities:

• Help game creators make money, i.e. people who build and sell games
• Help game players (the player-creator) make money
• Monetize gaming tech and game businesses by solving real problems

Video games and the creator economy

From big game studios to independent game developers making money by releasing “indie games”, the creator economy has arrived in the gaming space. Unlike video games released by major publishers with AAA titles (e.g. Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty, Halo, Final Fantasy), indie games are created by solo game developers or smaller game studios without large marketing budgets or funding.

In 2020, there were 9,722 indie games released (up 25.6% from 2019). Hades, Among Us, Fall Guys, Spiritfarer, and Paradise Killer have gained mainstream popularity among casual gamers during the pandemic lockdown. Work-from-home has created opportunities for indie developers to work on side projects and release games.

Empower game makers to monetize

New digital distribution channels have enabled game developers to sell their new games and reach wider audiences:

• Steam has over 47% of game publishers selling their games on the platform.
• Roblox offers a game creation (Roblox Studio) plus publishing platform. Users can program games and play games created by other users.
• Epic Games helps developers self-publish their games, set up their game page, and collaborate with game influencers.
• GOG is a publisher focusing on the best classic games niche.
• (📥 Full version) 7 more company examples and unique value propositions

The rise of UGC and player-creators

Now there are two types of game creators. (1) People who code and sell video games which we’ve already mentioned. (2) People who play games and sell virtual goods such as avatars, skins, gifts, collectibles, virtual worlds—or monetize storytelling through audience-building and streaming. They are known as the in-game creators, game modders, or game content creators.

User-generated content (UGC) platforms allow game players to participate in the gaming creators’ economy and monetize virtual worlds. Key players include:

• Overwolf is for creating, sharing, and monetizing in-game apps and mods.