PlayMakers - Empowering the rise of “forever-lasting” games

As a company, we’re often asked about the differences between us and other platforms focused on mods. In this analysis, we will be covering some of the history of User-generated content (UGC) in gaming, and how it brought to the birth of PlayMakers’ UGC features.

For years, players have been coming up with new mechanics, character and weapon skins, UI revamps and so much more. All of these interventions were always very external to the core game experience and optional. However, due to various factors, which we will discuss below, we believe that the traditional modding paradigm is no longer the most straightforward way of adding user-generated content to games. Here’s why:

The Evolution of Modding

A Shift in Mentality

Historically, game studios have been very protective of their intellectual property. For years, adding User-Generated Content (which wasn’t always called by that name) in-game was seen as “hacking” the game, with creators often making their versions without studio authorization. Major actors in the industry tried to fight modders. Yet, even industry leaders such as Rockstar Games inevitably changed their mind regarding modding, resulting in an acquisition in august 2023 of the creators of the FedM and RedM modding tools.

Gradually, studios realized that modders brought significant benefits to their games’ appeal and longevity. Games like Bethesda’s Skyrim continued selling millions of copies years after their release, largely thanks to modding.

This led to initiatives from game studios to support modders officially. They provided tools for modding, and many platforms, such as Mod.io and Overwolf, emerged to facilitate easier mod publishing and downloading. Mods evolved from a niche to mainstream entertainment for mid and hardcore gamers, with today an approximate 66% of studios considering UGC as primary way to grow their games.

A Shift in Business Model

Despite the benefits, the modding model has inefficiencies. Mods are complex to create, integrate (be game-compliant), and monetize — for both studios and creators. Mods were distributed for free for decades, supported by a small demographic of skilled, passionate gamers.

Visionary studios like Roblox and Epic recognized these inefficiencies. They understood that in the era of social media, relying on traditional modding paradigms was inefficient.

Instead of modding libraries, they integrated modding tools into their ecosystems. This allowed creators to work more efficiently, without needing a strong technical background, and to produce game-compliant assets from the start. They also recognized that rewarding creators — financially or through in-game benefits — would grow their creator audiences rapidly. Heavy investments were made in that sense, with Fortnite reinvesting 40% of their net revenues to creators or PUBG mobile, launching a $100M fund for their creators program.

The paradigm changed from games as a product to Games as a Platform.

A Shift in Technology

Technological advancements have further evolved UGC creation. Recent progress in generative AI and no-code tools has made UGC creation significantly more accessible. What was once the domain of a niche group of skilled artists and developers is now open to a broader fan base, enabling them to create valuable content.

However, current mods libraries fall short in providing adequate support for creators in UGC creation. Tools such as Scenario and Kaedim are at the forefront of this transformation. They allow users to generate high-quality assets, characters, and environments with unprecedented ease and efficiency. As a result, the barriers to entry for creating sophisticated UGC are significantly lowered, fostering a more inclusive and innovative community of creators with an increasing amount of content created, ready to bring value to games that are able to capture it.

PlayMakers’ Approach to UGC

At PlayMakers, we analyzed the UGC and modding market and observed two trends. On one hand, modding was thriving but not reaching its full potential. It was linked to a poor user experience and limited adoption from players. Users ****face incompatibility issues between mods, need to be tech-savvy to properly implement them, and load them in the right order. Creators need to maintain their mods regularly and are not rewarded for it.

On the other hand, we saw the rise of games like Roblox and Fortnite, which created comprehensive game engines, platforms. This made modding, or rather UGC, easier and more sustainable. However, building such tools is resource-intensive, feasible only for major games.

☝️ PlayMakers User-Generated Assets feature in 3 minute

On our mission to allow any studio to turn their game into a platform, we built a proprietary technology to audit and correct any asset automatically, enabling integration into games with a single click. We ensured that new UGC could be seamlessly spread to the entire game’s audience without separate downloads or launchers. Pure UGC, treated as if created by the studio itself.

We believe this new approach to UGC, powered by new technologies, will usher in a new era of gaming. In this era, studios can rely on their fans not only to be vocal decision-makers but also active creators. We call this, the era of forever-lasting games, where players can help studios in their LiveOps strategy at lower, if not in some cases at no cost, and to monetize extra revenues by selling in-game content made by players. This also allows studios to leave their older titles in the hands of creators and focus on new titles, hence making them forever-lasting.

We created a comparative table showing the main differences in UGC toolings, including PlayMakers, highlighting how they unleash the potential of player-made contributions.

Seamless UGC integration

Powered by PlayMaker’s proprietary auditing and correcting technology, studios can seamlessly integrate player-made content into their games. UGC collected through PlayMaker’s platform can not only be downloaded as optional content by players, but also introduced as official game updates by the studio. PlayMakers ensures that all requirements are met so studios can integrate game assets with their eyes closed.

Other platforms guarantee some level of auditing by ensuring that mods don’t contain malware or bugs but cannot guarantee automated integration with one click.

Studio public acceptance/rejection

Thanks to PlayMakers’ Studio Dashboard, studios can accept and reject player contributions with one click. As they do, they can provide feedback to the creator, allowing them to resubmit their creation until it meets the studio’s standards.

This set of features is unique to PlayMakers and fosters stronger communication and connection between game studios and their fans.

Creator Guidelines, Resources and Tools

Creating game assets is no easy task. For studios to receive relevant and usable submissions, it is key to provide guidelines to creators while allowing for creative freedom. Studio-specific platforms such as Supercell Make provide basic guidelines and resources that players can use to contribute to their portfolio of games, but don’t allow them to receive game-compatible submissions in most cases.

PlayMakers provides extensive guidelines and resources, both generic and game-specific. These guide users step by step through the creation process, resulting in pro-level submissions for studios. Additionally, PlayMakers partners with creation tools such as Genie Labs and Scenario.ai, allowing creators to create their contributions directly from the platform.

Creators are rewarded fairly

Platforms like Dying Light’s Pilgrim Outpost offer in-game rewards for UGC, further engaging player commitment to the title.

Others like the aforementioned Supercell Make are also offering cash prizes, delivered to the winners of their competitions.

At PlayMakers, we believe in rewarding creators fairly, especially when their contributions bring tangible value to gaming studios. Our system can transfer wire payments, in-game currencies, and rewards, or even tokens directly to creators in an automated fashion.Additionally, we allow studios (with the creator’s consent) to monetize UGC and reward users through a royalty system calculated on UGC sales or usage.

Mod-dedicated tools providers, struggle to monetize UGC because traditional modding paradigms still see it as free, optional products that studios shouldn’t benefit from financially.

Community involvement

PlayMakers’ Makers Hub is a dedicated community hub where creators can submit UGC and receive support and feedback directly from other community members, either through upvotes or through comments.Thanks to a lively social feed, creators and players involved in the evolution of the game are constantly exposed to the latest trending UGC.

Community interactions are common within UGC platforms, but PlayMakers is bringing them into the era of social media, with feeds offering a constant flow of content and inspiration, powered by visually engaging posts and smart algorithms.

Will UGC become the main source of content to grow games in the future? Will most games embrace the value of turning their game into a platform, and replicate the success of Fortnite and Roblox?

Will modding continue to exist, or will new infrastructures replace it, simplifying creation and automating the implementation of player-made creations?

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