92.7% of gaming content creators work independently, says new study

92.7% of gaming content creators operate independently without agency representation, with the large majority creating content alongside full-time employment or education.

That’s according to Yrs Truly’s Gaming Content Creator Report 2025, which is aimed towards helping games marketing professionals build relationships with content creators across social media.

Yrs Truly collected data from over 100 creators across the globe (primarily from the UK, Ireland, and Europe), who provided their experiences with gaming brands from pitching to paid sponsorships.

It found that almost half of content creators work part-time alongside full-time responsibilities, with only 30.3% focusing solely on content production.

“This challenges common misconceptions about content creators, showing that only the most prominent can afford to pursue content creation as a full-time occupation,” the report said.

“For the majority, their time dedicated to content is limited, highlighting how important it is for brands to communicate clearly and efficiently.”

As for ways to capture influencers attention when pitching, respondents suggested while they look for games similar to what they’ve previously played, they are “open to more unfamiliar titles, provided the game aligns well with their audience.”

Looking at platform preferences, the majority of creators use YouTube and Twitch (68%). However, 89% of respondents also produce short-form content on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts.

Yrs Truly noted that “creators are diversifying across multiple platforms for short-form content” as they can “increase their reach without much extra work” by reposting TikTok videos to YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels.

Respondents also expressed that attending events was “another major incentive for creator involvement” when covering games. 36% of creators said they’d expect financial compensation for attendance, such as travel and lodging costs.

As for brands looking for sponsorship deals with content creators, 100% of those surveyed said they were “willing to negotiate rates” with 65.9% offering different rates for indie projects.

When taking on sponsorships, the survey found that creators’ highest concern is their community’s reaction – 70.7% of respondents rated their concern as seven or higher out of ten.

“Creator’s wont risk the trust of their followers just for a paycheck – if an opportunity doesn’t align with their audience’s values and interests, influencers are likely to reject it, or at least charge a significantly increased rate,” the report said.

Overall, the data found that income from sponsorships made up 29.6% of a content creator’s overall earnings.

“Many opinion pieces have been written about the state of creator marketing in games, but very few include direct insight from content creators,” said Yrs Truly founder and director MJ Widomska. “We wanted to correct that.”

“Content creators were very transparent with us, sharing past negative experiences, and highlighting how they’d like to be treated when working with brands.”