The Sidemen Arcade expansion brings six new creator partners into the management company’s entertainment business. The company says it will keep working with the Sidemen while helping a new group of European creators turn their audiences into longer-lasting media brands.
The change is bigger than a roster update. Arcade is positioning itself as a partner for original formats, live events, commercial partnerships and creator-owned intellectual property—not simply a company that negotiates sponsorships.
Featured image: The Sidemen portrait collage assembled by Sahaib from Creative Commons-licensed source images, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 3.0. No changes made.
What is the Sidemen Arcade management company?
Arcade grew out of the business built around the Sidemen, the British creator group whose members are KSI, Miniminter, Zerkaa, TBJZL, Behzinga, Vikkstar123 and W2S. In an official company announcement, Arcade said its next phase would focus on building creator-led media brands across “content, commerce and culture.”
Co-founder Jordan Schwarzenberger separately said the business began around the Sidemen roughly five years earlier and helped support a wider operation spanning multiple companies and dozens of staff. Those are company figures, not independently audited numbers, but they help explain why Arcade sees its model as something it can extend to other creators.
Sidemen Arcade expansion: which creators joined?
Arcade named six additions in the relaunch:
- Max Fosh, known for elaborate comedy and stunt-led videos.
- Friends From Work, the collective featuring Arthur Frederick, Arthur Hill, George Clarkey and ItalianBach.
- John Nellis, whose work focuses heavily on football and digital media.
- Faith Kelly, a lifestyle creator and podcast host.
- Generation Football, a football-focused creator brand.
- Fallow Chefs, a food and hospitality creator team.
The company said it would continue its relationship with the Sidemen. An independent report from Drop Media also described the expansion as a move into intellectual-property development, live experiences and commercial partnerships while retaining the Sidemen work.
What does “building media brands” mean?
In practical terms, the phrase means trying to create assets that can outlast a single upload or sponsorship campaign. A successful video format might become a recurring series, a live show, a product line, a licensing opportunity or a separate business. The creator remains the public identity, but the work around that identity becomes more structured and repeatable.
That approach is already visible in the wider Sidemen ecosystem, which includes consumer brands, live events and premium entertainment projects. The group’s reach beyond ordinary channel uploads is also clear in our guide to the Sidemen’s Netflix shows.
Why did Arcade hold a creator “Upfront”?
Arcade scheduled what it called its first European creator Upfront in London for September 17. In traditional television, an upfront is an event where networks present future programming to advertisers. Arcade’s version applied that idea to creator businesses, giving creators a stage to show their plans directly to brands and agencies.
The company said more than 150 advertisers and brand representatives were expected. That figure came from Arcade’s own announcement, but the format itself is significant: it treats creator projects as a planned entertainment slate rather than a sequence of one-off influencer campaigns.
Does the Sidemen Arcade expansion change the group?
Arcade has not announced that the Sidemen are leaving, being replaced or changing their own group structure. The relaunch instead expands the company’s client base while keeping the Sidemen relationship in place. It is therefore better understood as a diversification of Arcade’s business than as a reorganisation of the seven-member group.
The company also has not publicly detailed the financial terms of its new creator agreements, ownership splits for future intellectual property or the exact services every client will receive. Those unanswered questions matter because “creator-first” can cover very different arrangements, from conventional management to joint ownership of new companies or formats.
Why the Sidemen Arcade expansion matters
Arcade’s relaunch reflects a broader shift in the creator economy: major creators increasingly want businesses that can develop projects across video, live entertainment, products and licensing. For Arcade, the test will be whether a model refined around the unusually large Sidemen ecosystem can work for creators with different audiences and ambitions.
The September 2026 announcement establishes the strategy and the first roster. The stronger evidence will come later—when Arcade and its creators release projects that show who owns the ideas, how they are funded and whether they can grow beyond the platforms where those audiences first formed.
Sidemen Arcade: key questions answered
Are the Sidemen still represented by Arcade?
Yes. Arcade’s relaunch announcement says it continues to partner with the Sidemen. Adding new clients does not by itself change the group’s membership.
Is Arcade a new YouTube channel?
The announcement concerns a management and entertainment company. Its plans cover creator projects, commercial partnerships and live entertainment.
What should fans watch for next?
Look for named projects, confirmed release dates and clear details about who owns the new formats. A roster announcement explains the company’s direction, but it is not a release schedule.
