By Jon Scarr
The creator economy in gaming gets talked about like it is one big success story. Big streamers, big payouts, big moments. You have probably seen the headlines and the clip reels. But the reality is messier than that.
Boston Consulting Group’s latest gaming report points to creator payouts that will reach $1.5 billion in 2025 from just two games alone. That number is wild. At the same time, BCG says more than 40 percent of gamers are watching more user-generated content than last year, yet only 10 to 15 percent have created any content themselves.
So the audience is growing. The money is real. But the “creator” part is not evenly shared. Not even close.
If you have been following this BCG series on 4ScarrsGaming, this connects directly to how gamers spend and discover games today. Gamers Are Buying Less And It Is Not Just About Price. Gaming Is Growing Again and Adults Are the Ones Leading It. Creators Decide What Gamers Play More Than Ads or Publishers.
A Huge Audience With a Small Group Getting Paid
Here is the imbalance in plain terms. Lots of people watch. Far fewer people create. And an even smaller group earns meaningful money from it.
That gap exists for a simple reason. Making content takes time, gear, and consistency. It is not just hitting record and hoping for the best. You need a setup that works, a schedule you can stick to, and the patience to keep going when a stream gets five viewers. Been there, even in smaller ways.
Meanwhile, the audience side is easy. You can watch a stream while making dinner. You can put clips on in the background. You can follow a creator’s highlights without ever opening the game. Quick, low effort, and honestly kind of relaxing.
That is why the creator economy can look bigger than it really is. The viewing is massive. The earning is concentrated.
Why UGC Money Clusters Around a Few Games
BCG’s note about $1.5 billion in payouts coming from two games says a lot without naming names. The biggest UGC platforms have built-in economies, built-in tools, and built-in audiences. They reward creators because creators keep people around. Simple.
But that also means the money follows the platforms that already have scale. If you are creating inside one of the biggest UGC ecosystems, you have a shot at being discovered. If you are creating for a smaller game, or outside those ecosystems, it is tougher. The ceiling is lower and the path is slower.
This is where a lot of creator talk gets fuzzy. People say “creators are winning,” but it often means “a few creators are winning inside a few massive games.” That is a very different claim.
And for most creators, the grind is not paid out in platform rewards. It is paid out in slow community growth, sponsorship chances, affiliate links, or just the hope that one clip finally lands.
 |
| Many independent creators rely on a small number of games to build community and visibility, which reinforces why UGC income tends to cluster so unevenly. |
Creators Drive Discovery, But Not Everyone Gets Lifted
One of BCG’s most telling stats is that more than half of gamers say they would try a new game if their favourite creator switched to it. That is real power. It can move charts. It can create overnight demand. You have seen it happen.
But it also creates a bottleneck. Discovery starts to depend on who the biggest creators choose to play. If you are a smaller creator, you might be reacting to that wave instead of starting it. If you are a smaller game, you might never get that first push.
It is a weird loop. Gamers want real opinions, so they follow creators. Creators chase what audiences watch, so they stick to proven games. Studios then chase creator attention, so marketing starts to revolve around a small list of names.
Not evil. Just how it works.
What This Means for Studios and Platforms
If you are a publisher, the creator economy looks like an opportunity and a risk. The opportunity is reach. Creators can put your game in front of people in a way ads struggle to do now.
The risk is dependency. If your game needs creator momentum to break through, what happens when the big creators move on? Or when the algorithm shifts? Or when the next trend arrives and your launch window gets crowded out?
Studios can respond in a few grounded ways. Make sharing easy. Support creators with clear rules. Provide tools that help fans make clips, mods, or maps without needing a full production setup. And do not build your entire plan on one streamer carrying your release. That is a gamble.
On the platform side, it raises a bigger question. If UGC and creator discovery shape what gamers play, platforms end up controlling the routes to visibility. That is power too. It can help games get found, or bury them. You feel that as a viewer and as a buyer.
The Creator Economy Is Big, But It Is Not Fair
The creator economy is not a myth. The money is real. The influence is real. And the audience appetite is growing fast.
Still, it is not evenly distributed. A lot of the payout is clustered in a few mega platforms. A lot of the attention is clustered around a small group of creators. And most people making content are doing it without reliable income, hoping consistency turns into momentum.
So yeah, the creator economy is booming. But it is also uneven. If you are watching more streams than ever, you are part of that shift. If you have ever thought about creating, you already know the barrier is not talent. It is time, energy, and sticking with it.
Do you mostly discover games through creators now, or do you still trust reviews, friends, and storefront browsing more? And if you have tried making content, what was the hardest part for you?