The Rise of the Fantasy Creator Economy
This last decade has seen the creator economy explode. This shift has granted artists, writers, musicians, and storytellers new ways to connect with audiences and earn a living doing what they love. But for fantasy and sci-fi creators, this journey hasn’t always been straightforward.
While influencers and lifestyle brands had Instagram, and gamers had Twitch and YouTube, fantasy artists, tabletop creators, and storytellers often found themselves scattered across forums, social media groups, and niche platforms not often optimized for the full creative process. These platforms certainly helped in bits and pieces, but they weren’t built to evolve and grow with creator needs. They weren’t built for storytellers crafting entire worlds, for artists bringing characters to life, or for game masters designing unforgettable campaigns.
Now, that’s changing.
A New Era for Fantasy Creators
The fantasy creator economy isn't hiding in the corners of the internet anymore. There’s been a rapidly growing demand for immersive storytelling and expansive tabletop RPGs, offering fantasy and sci-fi creators an incredible opportunity to step into the spotlight. Fans are looking beyond sheer content and toward new, exciting experiences. And they’re willing to support the artists who create them. We can take a look at the 100,000+ members of the DnDart subreddit alone to illustrate this.
From custom D&D commissions and digital fantasy art prints to homebrew adventures and worldbuilding resources, creators have more opportunities than ever to monetize their passions.
Why the Fantasy Creator Economy Is Thriving Now
There are three key shifts that can be attributed to the rise of the fantasy creator economy:
- Mainstream Popularity of Fantasy Media – From film franchises to HBO shows to bestselling novels, fantasy worlds are everywhere, and audiences want even more.
Over the last decade, we have seen the rise in the fantasy and sci-fi genre’s popularity. Shows like Game of Thrones, The Witcher, Arcane, and Stranger Things have proven that large-scale fantasy storytelling can capture mass audiences and keep them invested over multiple seasons. We have also seen a recent trend focusing on creating film and television adaptations of popular video game franchises like The Witcher, The Last of Us, Fallout, Cyberpunk Edgerunners, and Arcane, which further solidifies the idea that large scale fantasy is perhaps no longer a niche. Companies are also realizing the benefits of cross-media storytelling, where novels, TV series, films, and games are all feeding into one another.
The success of Baldur’s Gate 3 in 2023, which took home the title of Game of the Year, further showcased the desire audiences have for deeply immersive content with a rich narrative-centered approach. This is a real indication that tabletop has expanded far beyond what most players imagine it to be in their minds, and for creators, this means an unprecedented opportunity to home in on the zeitgeist and connect with other creators and customers who are actively seeking fantasy and sci-fi experiences.
- TTRPG Boom – TTRPG popularity is at an all-time high, fueling opportunities for creators to fill the growing demand for custom artwork, homebrew content, and immersive tools.
The pandemic can be largely attributed to the surge in interest, with virtual platforms like Roll20 and D&D Beyond creating ease of access during quarantine and social distancing. D&D Beyond’s registered user numbers actually tripled in early 2020, painting us a picture of how the pandemic very quickly impacted the tabletop landscape.
We also can’t discount popular actual play shows. While foundational shows were already in motion pre-pandemic such as Critical Role, Dimension 20, and The Adventure Zone, The popularity of this storytelling format escalated dramatically amid the pandemic. Podcasts grew by approximately 18% after just one month of social distancing, with Spotify even reporting that by July of 2020 podcast consumption had doubled. This fertilized the soils of the niche TTRPG industry spurring countless opportunities for creatives to take to the mics for exciting new actual plays.
Pop culture moments like Stranger Things, Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves, and Baldur’s Gate 3 have further contributed to the growing attraction toward TTRPGs within mainstream media. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the surging growth within this industry is that while it was initially attributed to ease of online play, podcast growth, and emerging media content, the momentum has spilled over into physical spaces.
One clear example of this is the increase in attendees at Gen Con—the largest tabletop convention in the US. In 2024 Gen Con drew over 71,000 attendees, while Gen Con 2025 drew over 72,000 attendees, its largest crowd ever. The continual growth in physical attendance within the community furthers the case that tabletop gaming and collaborative storytelling have established their position within our modern society, and if anything, tabletop gaming and the art of collaborative storytelling are only growing more prominent.
- Direct-to-Customer Platforms – Tools like Mythari give creators control over their business, pricing, and licensing, cutting out the middlemen who once stood between them and their fans.
Creators want more opportunity and support within the industry. There are tools that support players and GMs but tools for artists and creators are limited and largely niche. To use an example from Mythari, there were no platforms designed for artists offering discoverability and niche focus along with the commission management tools that artists were using. That’s a huge oversight. But as the industry continues growing, opportunities for new artists and creators abound.
There has never been a better time to be a creator in the fantasy or sci-fi communities. Crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter have been a huge contributor to success, raising millions of dollars for indie creators. You also have platforms like Patreon, making it easier for creators to receive funding for their ongoing projects. These platforms have allowed creators and artists to build loyal communities around their work, which is crucial for success. Much of the industry growth is being powered by platforms like these that are dedicated to the niche and clearly understand the perspective of the creator. This is also where Mythari comes in.
What Is Mythari?
Mythari isn’t just an art marketplace—though it would still be a much-needed platform in this space if it was. We are building an ecosystem designed specifically for fantasy and sci-fi creators. This full creator coverage has always been in the design. Mythari was conceptualized as a place where artists, authors, musicians, TTRPG designers, narrative designers, and other storytellers could not only sell their work, but connect, collaborate, and establish community as they develop their projects and pursue their creative endeavors.
At present, Mythari is establishing the first phase of our ecosystem— The Artists Marketplace. Right now on Mythari, creators can:
- Offer fantasy art commissions with built-in protections for both artists and clients.
- Sell digital downloads like VTTs, Portraits, fantasy map packs and character art bundles.
- Join a thriving community of like-minded creators who understand the craft, the challenges, and the passion behind this kind of work. On Mythari you can connect with people who get it.
Mythari helps sci-fi and fantasy artists get discovered by audiences actively searching for their work. There is no other platform working to improve discoverability for artists in this way. Discoverability is a key component of Mythari’s design.
The Future Belongs to the Storytellers
As the fantasy and sci-fi creator economy continues growing, one thing is clear: the next generation of fantastical worlds, unforgettable characters, and groundbreaking games won’t come from corporate boardrooms. They’ll come from independent creators with the courage to pursue their vision.
If you’re an artist, writer, game designer, or storyteller dreaming of turning your passion into a sustainable income, there’s never been a better opportunity than right now. And if you’re an artist and want a platform built exactly for that — Mythari is ready to help you get there.