In-Game Developers Rake in Substantial Amounts: Overwolf Disburses $240 Million in 2024 (Paraphrased)
In-Game Developers Rake in Substantial Amounts: Overwolf Disburses $240 Million in 2024 (Paraphrased)
In 2024, Overwolf, a platform for gaming-related user-generated content (UGC), dished out a whopping $240 million to their creator community, marking a 19% surge from the $201 million distributed in 2023.
Citing their creators as the driving force behind their year-on-year success, Overwolf honors mod developers, in-game application designers, and private server operators for popular titles such as Valorant, League of Legends, Fortnite, Dota 2, World of Warcraft, Rainbow Six Siege, and Minecraft.
Overwolf, following its acquisition of ad tech company NitroPay for a substantial sum in May, and subsequently doubling its audience to over 100 million unique monthly players, now supports 1,500 games and boasts 178,000 creators. Notable apps include Porofessor, Facecheck, R6Tracker, TFTactics, Buff, and Outplayed.
Prominent successes include Arco “Tex” Dielhof’s advanced UI apps for Diablo IV and Baldur’s Gate 3, and Matt Hawkins’ Tracker Network, amassing 10 million registered users between its stats website and in-game applications.
Private servers bolster their revenue through in-game stores. The Grand Theft Auto V server DrillUK, which integrates roleplaying and casual gameplay, gained over 24,000 members under the management of Tebex, which Overwolf acquired in 2022. Gaming-focused sites like Maxroll.gg continue to provide tools, guides, and resources for games like Diablo IV and Path of Exile2*, while Valorant.gg caters to esports communities, boasting millions of monthly users.
Premium mods emerge as a significant growth area for Overwolf, with 46 of these generating over $3 million in revenue. Priced between $2 and $10, mod creators walk away with at least half of the generated revenue. In-app ads, scrutinized for adherence to guidelines to maintain uninterrupted gameplay, share 70% of the ad revenue with creators, leaving Overwolf with a 30% cut.
Via CurseForge, Overwolf links up with specialty gaming communities, such as those for ARK: Survival Ascended, where the popular ARK Primal Nemesis mod, purchased over 45,000 times, introduces over 1,000 custom dinosaurs to the title.
In June 2024, the Power Rangers franchise made its debut in ARK: Survival Ascended with the ARK x Power Rangers Premium Mod, developed by UGC game studio and publisher Look North World, generating over $350,000.
Overwolf CEO Uri Marchand expressed pride, stating, “Our primary objective is creator payouts. In 2024 alone, we distributed over $240 million to creators. We look forward to more major studios and IPs joining the UGC bandwagon in 2025 and beyond, serving up opportunities for creators and gamers alike.”
Overwolf acknowledges the significant contributions of mod developers and app designers for games like Valorant and League of Legends, as they contribute to their creator community's success.
Minecraft, alongside other popular titles, benefits from the support provided by Overwolf, which hosts apps such as Porofessor and Facecheck to enhance the gaming experience.
In 2022, Overwolf acquired Tebex, the management team behind the Grand Theft Auto V server DrillUK, which offers roleplaying and casual gameplay options for its over 24,000 members.
Overwolf's platform, which supports apps and mods for Fortnite, Dota 2, and other games, enables creators to earn revenue through the sale of premium mods, such as the ARK Primal Nemesis mod on CurseForge.