Wehype’s Support-a-Creator: Elevating Game-Creator Collaborations
Royden James
Collaboration with Creators within gaming seems to be increasingly guided by scientific principles rather than artistic ones. This shift can be counterproductive, considering that the essence of partnering with a Creator lies in entrusting your creative communication to someone who possesses a better understanding of their community than you ever could. Nonetheless, as much as I’d like to romanticize the idea that games solely exist for passion, it’s important to acknowledge that games are also businesses. Without the scientific approach, the space for artistic expression to flourish would be limited, and without the art, the essence and soul of the endeavor would be absent.
So, how does one reconcile these seemingly contrasting worlds? There are evident instances where this fusion works exceptionally well, resulting in significant value for all parties involved. Take Fortnite as an example. How can a game empower a Creator to pursue their passion while also effectively running a business without assuming excessive risk?
Introducing Support-a-Creator
I’m thrilled to announce that Wehype has recently introduced our Support-a-Creator API, that further expands our all-in-one Platform, enabling game developers to collaborate with their dedicated Creators. This collaboration not only contributes to the success of the games but also allows both parties to share in the achievements through revenue sharing. The key to harmonizing science and art on a larger scale, in this context, is to transition from the traditional solicitation model to a partnership-oriented one. Creators engage in their craft out of love and a sense of duty to their audience. And while audiences understand the necessity of sponsorships, a Creator’s shift to an overt promotion, regardless of execution, has the potential to disrupt audience engagement.
Paid sponsorships certainly have their place and will continue to effectively leverage a Creator’s reach and influence to connect with their audience. That said, authenticity is paramount. Striking the right balance between authentic content and livelihood can pose challenges for some Creators. This is why 80% of sponsorship earnings go to the top 20% of Creators. The merits and downsides of this phenomenon warrant another blog post. Yet, if your goal is scalability, Support-a-Creator offers an excellent platform to engage Creators at all levels, irrespective of their audience size.
This is where Support-a-Creator programs shine. Such programs empower game developers to enable Creators to play and promote their games in a manner that stays true to their style and honors their audience. Simultaneously, Creators are rewarded with a share of the sales they generate. While this might seem akin to an affiliate link at first glance, Support-a-Creator stands apart due to crucial distinctions that make it a more potent approach for revenue sharing and driving engagement than what you may have previously encountered.
Creators: Integral to the Gaming Experience
In contrast to other consumer products, Creators play a significant role in the overall gaming experience. While I may believe my shampoo is exceptional, I wouldn’t spend over 50 hours watching someone shampoo their hair. However, I’d gladly watch RadBrad stream a “Let’s Play” of God of War for 72 episodes. Games are a form of entertainment, whether you’re playing or spectating, and this inherent behavior underscores the effectiveness of partnering with Content Creators in the gaming realm. This merging of the spectator and player roles presents an exciting opportunity for games to establish a distinctive partnership with Creators. This partnership not only fuels engagement and awareness but also significantly impacts key performance metrics like LTV (Lifetime Value), player conversion, and retention.
So how does it work?
In a nutshell, the mechanics of a Support-a-Creator program involve seamlessly integrating the Wehype API directly into the game (usually requiring no more than a day or two of development time). When a potential supporter makes a purchase within the game, they have the option to enter a distinct code, similar to a promotional code. This code grants them the ability to express their backing for their preferred Creator.
What code do you ask?
This unique code is individually generated for each participating Creator, and actively promoted while they engage with your game. Generating and sharing this code is made effortless through the Wehype platform, requiring Creators to have their own Wehype account. The enchantment of this process doesn’t solely reside in its straightforward mechanics; it’s the capability to precisely allocate the correct revenue to each respective Creator.
In today’s climate, where privacy matters more than ever, relying on third-party services for attribution where the accuracy cannot be guaranteed is becoming less justifiable. This in turn makes it harder to encourage Creators to leverage their hard-earned communities when the odds are not in their favor.
Although the debate between probabilistic and deterministic attribution merits a separate dedicated blog post, let’s simply acknowledge that placing trust in a system that might or might not be accurate is a challenge.
However, due to the direct and seamless integration of the API into the game, there exists a precise 1-to-1 correlation between a purchase and the attribution of the sale to the Creator. This level of attribution accuracy is an absolute certainty, meaning that when a code is entered, it unequivocally translates to earnings for the Creator. Personally, I find these odds much more favorable, and I’m inclined to believe you might feel the same way. Additionally, this attribution process doesn’t just benefit the Creator; it also delivers invaluable actionable insights for the game, enhancing its overall performance
Creating the API
Our goal with the Support-a-Creator API was to focus on the following:
Simplicity and ease of integration
Reliable and accurate attribution
Flexible revenue-sharing percentage
Scalable and easy to grow
Easily adapted to fit with the game experience
Fancy having your own Support-a-Creator?
While this might present an incredible chance to partner with your Creators, not every game is well-suited for implementing a Support-a-Creator initiative. Generally, this kind of program finds its stride with Live Service games – often referred to as live ops games or games-as-a-service. These are the types of games that receive ongoing updates, incorporating fresh content, features, and events to maintain player engagement and foster repeated interactions. If yours is one such game, then a Support-a-Creator could be the thing that takes your game from good to great. In this post, I’ve provided a brief overview of the Wehype Support-a-Creator program. Yet, I acknowledge that there might still be lingering questions on your mind. If you’re intrigued by the concept and interested in exploring it further for your game, our team of industry experts specializing in Creator Collaboration is more than willing to engage with you. We’re eager to delve deeper into this uncharted territory. I wholeheartedly encourage you to reach out and connect with us, so we can embark on this journey together.
