Hey Creatorverse readers,
Or good news for Roblox’s 151 million daily active users. Roblox creators will now be able to develop games (and make cash off those games) from more popular movies, shows and brands.
Over the summer, the gaming platform launched its License Manager to Netflix, Lionsgate, Kodansha and Sega, allowing creators to make their own games off of IP from those companies. That experiment was a success. For example, the “Squid Game”-inspired “Ink Game” has been played over 2.6 billion times. So starting on Tuesday, Roblox expanded the option to any eligible IP holder. That means any time a creator makes a Roblox game using approved IP, the IP holder gets a cut of the profits, Roblox gets a cut and the creator gets between 10% to 25%. Win, win, win.
Video games have increasingly become an unexpected gateway between Hollywood’s past and the entertainment industry’s future.
Take Fortnite, for example. The game’s “Simpsons”-themed collaboration brought in more new and returning Fortnite players in 48 hoursthan the game’s holiday season last year. Also, the first “Simpsons” Fortnite short was the most-watched piece of content on Disney+ on the season’s launch day.
Epic Games and its $1.5 billion investment from Disney is just one example of the burgeoning partnerships between gaming and major film and TV studios. Warner Bros. Pictures’ “A Minecraft Movie” leaned heavily on builds and partnerships with Minecraft-focused creatorsin both creating the movie and in its marketing campaign. Netflix, which has invested an estimated $1 billion in buying gaming studios, will be adding more interactive games to TVs. Disney, which just released a Fortnite experience to celebrate Disneyland’s 70th anniversary, announced today on its earnings call that it will be adding more gaming elements to Disney+ through its partnership with Epic Games. And as for Roblox, its popular “Grow a Garden” game (33 billion plays) is getting a movie adaptation.
And since gaming-focused creators encompass about 14% of the total global creator population, anything good happening in gaming is likely good for creators (Never forget: MrBeast started as a Minecraft creator). As these three ecosystems continue to experiment and collaborate with each other, it’s worthwhile to keep watching. We just may be looking at entertainment’s next era.
Now onto the rest.
Kayla Cobb
Senior Reporter
kayla.cobb@thewrap.com
What’s New
Webtoon and Warner Bros. Animation are bringing 10 creator-made comics to TV
Webtoon, a hub for creator-made comics, is expanding into Hollywood thanks to a new partnership with Warner Bros. Animation. Ten webcomics that have earned millions of views across the company’s Korean and English-language platforms are being turned into shows and movies. These upcoming titles include “The Stellar Swordsmaster” (30 million views), “Hardcore Leveling Warrior” (236 million views), “Down to Earth” (581 million views) and “Elf & Warrior” (30 million views).
Cliff notes: Webtoon has been adapting more of its user-generated content at the same time that animation hubs, like Warner Bros., are hungry for tried and true hits. Think of what Amazon has with “Haizbin Hotel.” Seems like a good match.
iHeartMedia and TikTok are creating a station for creators
Both iHeartMedia and TikTok are teaming up on a podcast network and radio station for creators. The TikTok Podcast Network will host up to 25 new podcasts from creators, and iHeartMedia is setting up podcasting studios in Los Angeles, New York and Atlanta for that very purpose. TikTok Radio is a bit less clear and is being described as “scrolling on TikTok, but with [your] ears.” Sounds jarring, but smart. TikTok has long been a hub for new musical artists, and between this and its rumored Netflix deal, iHeartMedia is clearly interested in expansion.
Joey Graceffa, TheOneShu and Rock Squad are coming to Tubi as part of its first slate of digital-first programming
New series from Joey Graceffa (9.4 million YouTube subscribers), TheOneShu (8.2 million YouTube subscribers), Rock Squad (4.5 million YouTube subscribers) and more will be coming to Tubi as part of the platform’s first slate of digital-first programming. Tubi is far from the first company to try exclusive content from creators; Netflix tried it way back in the day, and who could forget the now defunct YouTube Originals? But maybe Tubi’s free-with-ads model will make the difference.
In other FAST news, Samsung TV Plus is adding Mark Rober TV (72 million YouTube subscribers) to its expanding creator-driven lineup.
By the Numbers
TikTok Shop is roughly the size of eBay
TikTok Shop sold $19 billion worth of products across the world from July to September. That number doesn’t come from TikTok, which doesn’t disclose its aggregate sales figures, but from the analytics firm EchoTik. To put it into perspective, eBay’s total sales in the same quarter totaled $20.1 billion. And we’re one of the biggest reasons for that massive figure. The U.S. was the platform’s largest market, accounting for about$4 billion in sales, a 125% increase from the second quarter of this year.
There could be more than 100 creator economy acquisitions this year
The number of creator economy acquisitions could break a record this year, surpassing 100 deals for the first time. This is according to a new report from the M&A advisory firm Quartermast Advisors. The report also found that the COVID-19 pandemic was a major accelerator for market spending on influencers (mild duh) and that more traditional agency groups are acquiring influencer agencies. Influencer marketing is predicted to be a $44 billion global market.
Creators are twice as likely to have suicidal thoughts than the average U.S. adult
Don’t underestimate the pressure of the grind. One in 10 creators reported experiencing suicidal thoughts related to their work, which is twice the average rate for U.S. adults. This is from a study conducted by Creators 4 Mental Health in partnership with Lupiani Insights & Strategies. Of the 500 full and part-time creators surveyed, 62% said they experience burnout, and 43% say they feel isolated. Also? Creators who had been working five years or more were more likely to report negative experiences.
Movers and Shakers
PlaqueBoyMax becomes the first streamer to score a Grammy nomination
History was made last week when PlaqueBoyMax (2.2 million Twitch followers) was nominated for a Best Dance/Electronic Recording Grammy for his song “Victory Lap,” which he made alongside Fred Again.. and Skepta.
He wasn’t the only creator who got a nod. Both Addison Rae (88 million TikTok followers) and Alex Warren (5.3 million Instagram followers) were nominated for Best New Artist. As a reminder, Rae started as a TikTok influencer, and Warren was a member of the TikTok group the Hype House.
MrBeast opened a theme park in Saudi Arabia
MrBeast’s Beast Land will be a temporary theme park that will live in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from Nov. 13 to Dec. 27. Yep, that Riyadh, the same one that shook the comedy community last month with the announcement of the Riyadh Comedy Festival.
The king of YouTube with over 450 million subscribers is also partnering with the Dubai-based 1 Billion Followers Summit to launch a new 1 Billion Acts of Kindness campaign. The trend encourages creators to perform acts of kindness in their communities. Oh, also, MrBeast and Kai Cenat got a shoutout on “SNL” last weekend. Basically, the Beast is everywhere.
Former head of CAA Digital starts an advisory firm for creators
David Freeman, the former head of CAA Digital, left the talent agency to launch Kynetic Media Ventures, an advisory firm for companies led by creators, artists and athletes. And he’s not the only one making moves.
Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz launched its a16z New Media team. Starting in 2026, the firm will offer an eight-week fellowship for creators it deems are shaping the future of media. As a reminder, Andreessen Horowitz is part of the consortium in talks to control the U.S. version of TikTok.
Who to Watch
Drew Allen
I’m not a big NFL fan (save for the Jags), but this year I’ve been following the Cleveland Browns. That’s thanks to Drew Allen (1.7 million TikTok followers). You know the deep, borderline hysterical frustration you feel when your favorite team seems hellbent on making the dumbest moves possible at every turn? Allen has taken that frustration and turned it into a TikTok series, portraying the Browns as a lovable dummy that ends each video with “We’re the Cleveland Browns!”
It’s a good bit, but what makes Allen notable is how he’s able to concisely recap each game in a way that’s both funny and engaging. Between Fox One, ESPN’s app and Versant, all the major media players are desperate to expand their sports offerings. If I was an exec at one of those joints, I would be sliding into Allen’s DMs. Anyone who can make the Browns fun to watch has tremendous talent.
Bonus Content
- ChatGPT Made Me Delusional (via YouTube)
- Meta Is Earning a Fortune on a Deluge of Fraudulent Ads, Documents Show (via Reuters)
- We’re All Working for the Algorithm Now (via Times)
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This report provides a weekly deep dive into the creator economy. It highlights key trends, political and technological developments, data points and industry leaders all with the goal of making you smarter about this constantly evolving space.