It's Tuesday and thanks to TikTok’s latest test feature, your FYP could soon be loaded up with more gadgets and gizmos than a late-night inforercial.

ROBLOX REVERSAL

Roblox creators will soon earn 100% of revenue from in-game item sales

Roblox is making good on one of its biggest promises to creators.

The background: Over the last few years, Roblox has paid out hundreds of millions of dollars to creators who make and sell assets like in-game avatars, accessories, and plugins through its Creator Marketplace. The catch: Roblox has historically claimed a 30% cut of each sale. Now, that monetization system is about to change.

The official announcement: Back in 2023, Roblox announced that it would be eliminating its 30% cut—meaning creators would “keep 100 percent of the proceeds from the sale of your assets” (minus sales tax and processing fees).

Upcoming changes: To implement that new system, Roblox will transform the Creator Marketplace into a “Creator Store” where players can buy items with USD instead of Robux (aka Roblox’s in-game currency).

• Once that revamp is complete, creators will officially earn 100% of the proceeds from asset sales.

The big picture: While Roblox’s decision to eliminate its cut of creators’ sales is unusual, the wave of “loud and clear” community discontent that preceded the change isn’t—and that’s something platforms like Twitch have historically struggled to reckon with.

• Roblox’s radical approach might not be attainable for platforms built around streaming and video, but its implementation is still a process creator-focused companies should keep an eye on—especially given the vibrant communities of filter and effect creators that have emerged in recent years.

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• In addition to laying off 530 employees, Riot Games says it has stopped development of “REN,” an esports-focused platform designed to rival Twitch. (Tubefilter)
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• Meta plans to share “privacy-preserving social media data” with researchers as part of a mental health and wellbeing-focused partnership with the Center for Open Science. (Engadget)
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• Instagram’s latest test feature is “Flipside,” a tool that allows users to create custom profiles and “share exclusive content with a smaller group of followers.” (TechCrunch)
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• TikTok appears to be encouraging certain creators to post long-form horizontal videos by increasing the visibility of eligible posts with viewership “boosts.” (The Verge)

DATA • GOSPEL STATS 📈

Top 3 Branded Videos: Philanthropic acts, perilous air balloons, and pop science

As the month wraps up, it’s safe to say that January’s top branded videos fell into three main categories: MrBeast videos, edutainment content, and podcasts. This week’s most-viewed clips were no exception. Here’s how the latest Gospel Stats Weekly Brand Report shook out:

🥇 Beast Philanthropy x Dragon City: We Built A Town (12.9M Views)
MrBeast’s most recent act of charity centered on the construction of long-term housing for a community affected by storms. To put a little financial oomph behind that video, the YouTuber teamed up with a mobile game that encourages players to build their own destruction-proof homes: Dragon City.

🥈 Theo Von x Celsius, PrizePicks, Current, BetterHelp, Füm: Shane Gillis | This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von #478 (3M Views)
For the 478th episode of his podcast, Theo Von sat down with fellow comedian Shane Gillis to discuss a few of the internet’s favorite things: “the perils of hot air balloon rides, shady tunnel activity in NYC, the upside to arranged marriages, and defensive vomiting.” The result: Von’s five sponsors earned the attention of 3 million viewers.

🥉 Veritasium x Ground News: Do People Understand the Scale of the Universe? (3.6M Views)
Veritasium’s latest IRL adventure revealed exactly how much the average person doesn’t know about our universe. Luckily, that’s the whole point of the channel: to let viewers in on the secrets of all things science and education-related. The video’s sponsor, Ground News, takes a similar approach to breaking news by helping readers “compare headlines across the political spectrum.”

FYI: Our weekly brand report is just a sneak peek at Gospel Stats’ in-depth analysis of YouTube sponsorships and rising creators. Check out the full site for more info.

WATCH THIS 📺

Is it time for a live-action adaptation of Ratatouille?

Max Fosh’s latest experiment might be a little out-of-the-box for viewers who prefer to keep their mealtimes rodent-free.

Kitchen nightmares: The adventurous YouTuber decided to test out the logic behind Pixar’s Ratatouille by cooking up a nutritious meal for his friends—with a little help from a hired rat named Mars. (Don’t worry: Mars washed his hands before entering the kitchen.)

• The resulting dinner party is an event you’ll want to see for yourself. Check out Fosh’s complete culinary adventure here.

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Today's newsletter is from: Emily Burton, Sam Gutelle, and Josh Cohen. Drew Baldwin helped edit, too. It's a team effort.