Roblox Creators Say Brand Deals Aren’t Worth It

While Roblox is rapidly evolving into a branded marketing playground, top creators on the platform say brand partnerships aren’t the goldmine they appear to be. Instead, user-generated content (UGC) and in-game sales remain the primary revenue drivers — with brand deals serving more as portfolio padding than profit engines.

💸 Avatar Item Sales Still Outperform Brand Collaborations

In Q4 2024, Roblox paid out over $280 million to developers and UGC creators. But according to leading developers, the bulk of that income came from:

🎨 Selling UGC avatar items in the marketplace
🕹️ Running in-game purchases and premium passes
💳 Offering paid subscriptions in custom experiences

Meanwhile, branded collaborations continue to underperform in terms of financial return.

“For the most part, it’s not worth it,” said Supernob123, a top UGC creator who earned $300,000 in 2020 from avatar item sales alone. She cited brand deal payouts as low as $1,000–$3,500, often far below what independent content generates.

🤝 Brand Projects Serve as Portfolio Builders, Not Profit Centers

Some creators still engage in brand work — but not for the paycheck.

“I don’t really do the brand deals for the money. It’s a great portfolio piece,” said Junozy, who’s collaborated with brands like Forever 21 and Tommy Hilfiger.

These developers view branded projects as a way to gain credibility, diversify experience, and showcase professional polish — rather than as sustainable income streams.

🏢 Agencies Take Massive Cuts — Up to 90%

One of the biggest complaints? Middlemen and creator studios often absorb the majority of the brand budget:

🤯 Creators report seeing as little as 10% of the campaign spend
⚖️ Many agencies take 80–90%, leaving developers with minimal compensation

“If a brand spends $500,000, and I only see $5,000 — something’s off,” said one anonymous creator.

While studios provide support such as legal protection and insurance, many developers feel these services don’t justify the enormous cut.

🧩 Some Studios Are Improving Transparency

In response to criticism, certain agencies have begun sharing detailed budget breakdowns with creators. For example:

🧾 The Gang now discloses total campaign budgets and the percentage going to each creator
🛠️ Dubit claims their value lies in handling multi-game coordination and logistics

“Transparency eliminates the question marks,” said Marcus Holmström, CEO of The Gang.

🧠 Roblox Acts as a Middleman — Without Taking a Cut

To better align brand deals with creator needs, Roblox has begun facilitating partnerships internally, functioning as a neutral broker. Key benefits include:

✅ Roblox takes no cut from brand-to-creator payments
🚀 Developers receive direct compensation, sometimes within two weeks — significantly faster than the 2–3 month wait common with agencies
📈 Roblox monetizes through advertising tools like Portals, which direct traffic to branded content

This hybrid model has earned praise from creators, many of whom now prefer to work directly through Roblox rather than third-party studios.