Own. App, the performance-based platform for the creator economy, and Ghost Gaming, the leading North American esports organization representing game creators across a network of more than 30 million subscribers, today released performance results from the Ghost Gaming Recruitment Challenge, a live creator competition that tested a new talent model based on audience engagement rather than subscriber counts, opaque algorithms, or traditional scouting pipelines.
The challenge concluded at Creator Summit 2026, the largest gathering of creators of the year, during Games Week Georgia, hosted by Resurgens Gaming, Ghost Gaming and Skillshot. It generated over 3.6 million combined impressions and over 90,200 total engagements on Own. App, Ghost Gaming, and creator-generated community content. Over 450 creators participated organically, producing over 750 pieces of content without paid promotion. The results indicate a significant shift in how creators will be discovered, evaluated and recruited in the future.
Hosted alone. From April 19 to May 14, the Recruitment Challenge invited creators to participate in weekly identity, content, collaboration, and community challenges for a chance to join the Ghost Gaming creator roster. The rankings were determined entirely by actual audience engagement on Own. Application, creating a seamless alternative to legacy creator discovery systems, increasingly criticized for their inflated metrics and biased algorithms. With the advertising industry estimated to lose more than $100 billion annually to ad fraud and bot-inflated engagement, the Recruitment Challenge served as concrete proof of a more transparent, performance-based discovery model.
Own. App and Ghost Gaming were the center of leading partners across multiple verticals, from platforms to brands to networks, including major streaming platforms Twitch and Kick. Most notably, the challenge demonstrated that creators without massive followings could outperform larger accounts when measured on audience response rather than existing reach. Thanks to Clean. Thanks to the app’s “Fresh Shot” system, which reset leaderboards each week, creators had to continually earn the engagement of a live audience rather than benefit from accrued followers or platform bias.
“What a magical week. It served as a platform validation for Own. App on the largest possible scale, with 1,500 creators in a room and every industry option at their disposal. There were legacy brands, but also almost every other alternative available to the creator economy. Among this impressive assemblage, Own was a leader. There is no clearer signal in this industry than where creators choose to show up, and the Creator Summit was a referendum on that issue,” said Amir Kaltak, CEO and CTO of Own. Application.
For Ghost Gaming, the competition transformed recruiting into a public-facing content engine rather than a behind-closed-doors scouting process. The organization saw engagement rates increase by 35% during the challenge, while comments increased by 131% and reposts more than doubled as audiences actively followed leaderboard movements and creator submissions.
“What made this challenge successful was the ability to evaluate creators in real time based on authentic engagement, consistency, collaboration and community response, not just existing reach or industry visibility,” said Julian Caggiano, Managing Director of Ghost Gaming. “In many ways, this has been more effective than traditional creator discovery because it has given us a more authentic view of talent and opened the door to creators who might otherwise have been overlooked. »
Own. The app itself saw an engagement rate of 4.8% during the challenge, significantly higher than the industry benchmark of 1-2% for comparable accounts, while generating engagement levels close to Ghost Gaming despite operating with a fraction of the audience size. Data suggests that smaller but highly engaged communities can provide a stronger signal of creator influence than raw follower counts alone. Since the launch of the Recruitment Challenge, the platform has also seen growth of approximately 2x per week.
“Sharing a stage with Twitch, Kick, and the other platforms defining where creators build was no coincidence. It was a placement that signaled where the conversation was headed. This is the most comprehensive esports platform and organization partnership the industry has seen executed in a single event window. Other organizations and partners are already watching and thinking about how to build on this incredible demonstration,” said Katia Zaitsev, COO of Own. Application.
Winning creator, Ghost Koby (@Ko6ys), secured a spot on Ghost Gaming’s roster through sustained performances throughout the four weeks of competition, demonstrating audience connection, consistency, collaboration and quality content in real-time.
By transforming recruitment into an interactive community event, the challenge created a continuous flywheel of creator participation, audience engagement, and amplification of branded content within Own. App, X, Instagram, TikTok and Discord.
According to Proper. App and Ghost Gaming, the Recruitment Challenge wasn’t just a marketing campaign: it was a proof of concept for a broader shift in the creator economy: replacing subjective creator research and vanity metrics with measurable audience validation.
By the numbers
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Over 3.6 million impressions combined
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90,200 commitments in total
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More than 450 participating creators
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750+ creator-generated posts
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4-week live competition
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4.8% engagement rate on Own. Application
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35% increase in engagement for Ghost Gaming during the campaign
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131% increase in comments/replies on Ghost Gaming channels
For more information about Own. For the app, visit www.ownapp.co. and follow @ownapp_ on Instagram, X, TikTok and Discord.
About Ghost Gaming
Ghost Gaming is a leading North American gaming organization with over 100 managed content creators and esports competitors, cultivating and representing gaming talent across a network of 30 million subscribers. Ghost Gaming provides platforms to create unique partnerships in sports, music and entertainment, with strategic partners including Intel. Learn more at www.ghostgaming.com.
About Clean. Application
Subsidiary of NEMO Enterprises, Own. App is a next-generation gamified social platform purpose-built for the creator economy. With performance-based discovery, fair overall compensation, and complete content ownership, Own. The app redefines how media, money and creativity flow online. Founded by Amir Kaltak and Katia Zaitsev, Own. The app is headquartered in Austin, Texas. Learn more at www.ownapp.co.
Media contact: own@transformgroup.com
