Monthly 15 Million KRW from Selling Metaverse Items... 3 Million Creators Making a Living on Zepeto

Monthly Earnings Over 15 Million KRW... Global Brands Also Send Love Calls
Creator Development Turns into Business... The Creator Economy Grows

'Renji,' a first-generation creator on Zepeto, earns over 15 million KRW monthly by producing avatar clothing and accessories. He has also participated in marketing with Brand X Corporation, which operates GS25 and the activewear brand Jeximix.

Creator 'ZED' is a case of a game company 3D character modeler who switched full-time to being a Zepeto creator. Having released 1,800 items over two years and sold more than 3 million units, he ranked first in global sales last year. With just one popular animal pajama item, he earned between 2 to 3 million KRW in sales, increasing his income tenfold compared to before going full-time.

[Asia Economy Reporter Yuri Choi] The number of creators on Naver's metaverse (extended virtual world) platform 'Zepeto' has nearly reached 3 million. As the ecosystem for producing and selling avatar clothing, accessories, and other items in the metaverse grows, the number of creators is rapidly increasing.

According to Naver Z, a Naver subsidiary, as of this month, 2.83 million creators are active on 'Zepeto Studio.' Zepeto Studio is a creator platform where users can directly produce and sell items within virtual reality. After surpassing 1.5 million creators in October last year, it is now approaching 3 million.

Zepeto Studio has grown rapidly in just two and a half years since its launch in March 2020. Among Naver's ecosystem, which includes Naver Webtoon, Wattpad, blogs, and Vibe, where over 10 million creators produce content and generate revenue, Zepeto Studio hosts the second-largest number of creators after webtoons and web novels (6 million).

Generating Income by Selling Avatar Clothing and Accessories... Collaborations with Global Companies

Zepeto creators earn income by creating metaverse spaces such as worlds and maps or by producing avatar clothing and accessories. When users purchase items using the platform currency 'Gems,' creators earn revenue after deducting a 30% platform fee.

The number of registered creative items has exceeded 7.66 million, with over 184 million items sold. The variety includes not only clothing but also masks, wings, lenses, nail art, and more. Creators with fandoms can continue to generate steady income even without releasing new products, as sales persist.

The formation of this economic ecosystem is a result of popularity among the trend-sensitive and socially active MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z). Zepeto has accumulated over 320 million users, 90% of whom are in their teens and twenties. Collaborations and marketing with companies targeting the MZ generation are a major source of income for creators. Currently, Zepeto collaborates with over 100 global companies including Samsung, Hyundai Motor Company, Gucci, and Nike. Artists such as BTS and Blackpink also use Zepeto.

From YouTube to Metaverse... Expanding the Ecosystem Overseas

As the number of creators generating income increases, systems supporting them are also becoming business opportunities. Renji established 'Renzed,' a metaverse-specialized company, to nurture creators. After Naver Z acquired an 8% stake in Renzed, content studio Playlist, jointly funded by Naver Webtoon and Snow, also invested. ZED founded 'ZGM Management,' which includes 50 creators, providing design tools and other support to help creators generate revenue more easily.

With the rise of creator development programs, more creators are shifting their focus from YouTube to the metaverse. One creator said, "Compared to before, there are more tutorial videos and online classes available, improving accessibility. Production time per item has shortened to 2-3 hours, so some creators earn hundreds of millions KRW as a side job."

Hyun Daewon, head of the Metaverse Graduate School at Sogang University, said, "The metaverse is an economic ecosystem led by creators integrating the real and virtual worlds. As the technical barriers to producing 3D content lower and more people learn, more will enter this new economic ecosystem."

The creator ecosystem is expanding overseas, including Southeast Asia. On May 31, Naver Z signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Thailand's largest telecom company, 'True,' to foster the Zepeto ecosystem. The two companies plan to provide online-to-offline (O2O) experiences tailored to Thai users through Zepeto and activate monetization for creators in Thailand. With K-pop fandom driving Zepeto's popularity, the number of creators in Thailand has reached 500,000.