I built a platform that pays game guide writers 85% of revenue
Hey IH,
I'm LimitlessToaster, founder of The Guide Forge (theguideforge.com).
The idea is simple: there are thousands of incredibly knowledgeable gamers writing detailed guides, walkthroughs, and tips for free on Steam, wikis, and Reddit. They get nothing for it. I wanted to fix that.
The Guide Forge is a platform where players can publish game guides and earn from them — keeping 85% of all revenue including sales, subscriptions, and ad revenue. Think of it like a Substack for gaming knowledge.
We're live with guides covering Skyrim, Stardew Valley, Valorant, Terraria, and more.
Where I am at:
Early stage. The platform is built and working, but I'm now focused on growing the creator side. The classic chicken-and-egg problem — readers want content, creators want readers.
What I am looking for:
Founding creators. Gamers who already write guides and want to get paid for it. If you know anyone who fits that description, I'd love an introduction. And if you're a gamer who writes — seriously, come check it out.
Happy to answer any questions about the build, the model, or the journey so far.
The 85% revenue share model is a massive statement. Gaming wikis and Reddit have been thriving on free labor for decades, so seeing a platform that actually treats guide writers like creators (similar to Substack) is refreshing.
Since you're tackling the chicken-and-egg problem right now, are you focusing more on SEO-heavy long-form guides to pull in organic search traffic, or are you looking for creators with existing audiences on YouTube/Twitter to migrate their followers over? The ‘Founding Creator’ approach sounds like a solid way to build that initial core.
Thanks! And yes, the Substack comparison is exactly right. Writers on Substack built real businesses from content they were giving away on Medium or Twitter — there's no reason guide writers can't do the same thing here.
To answer your question — honestly both, but with different timelines. Right now the priority is SEO. Long-form guides on specific games rank well on Google and bring in organic readers without needing an existing audience, which matters a lot at this stage. A creator with 0 followers can still generate traffic through search.
The YouTube/Twitter migration is the longer play. Those creators bring readers instantly but they're harder to recruit because they already have something to protect. The founding creator pitch is really aimed at the middle ground — someone who writes seriously but hasn't monetized yet.
The bet is that SEO is the unlock to the chicken-and-egg problem. If guides are pulling in search traffic, creators see value even before the platform has a large audience.
Focusing on the 'Middle Ground' creator is a solid strategy. They have the most to gain and the most hunger to produce quality.
However, from an SEO perspective, the gaming niche is currently a battlefield because of Google’s emphasis on EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness). Giant wikis like Fandom and IGN dominate not because their content is always better but because their 'domain authority' is massive. For a new platform like The Guide Forge, outranking them for long-form guides will be tough if Google sees you as just another 'user-generated content' site.
To win, you need to turn your 'Founding Creators' into verified experts in Google’s eyes. This is where Digital PR becomes a shortcut. If a major gaming publication or a high-authority tech site cites a guide from your platform as the 'definitive source,' it passes an incredible amount of 'Trust Equity' to your entire domain.
It’s the difference between waiting 12 months for organic traction and hitting the top spots in 3 months. Have you considered how building that high-level media authority could help your creators outrank the legacy wikis faster?