Opinion - Generation Media

Elevating integration: brandRoblox and Fortnite's impact on kids' gaming innovation

Glenn examines how brands looking to reach kids in the ever growing gaming space can take advantage of opportunities while maintaining brand safety and compliancy.

It’s no secret that the popularity of gaming has skyrocketed amongst kids in recent years, and 2023 was no exception to this trend. In 2023, 80% of kids aged 7-9 played games on a weekly basis with over 45% playing at least 10 hours a week. This was even more apparent in boys, where over half registered above 10 hours play time per week.

Despite the popularity in gaming amongst kids, the question for brands has always been, how do we most effectively reach this audience? When looking at the most popular games in 2023, there are definite opportunities in this space. Unlike previous generations, Gen Alpha’s play time is not dominated by traditional console titles. In fact, of the top 10 games of 2023, five are commercially available to advertisers, including the top 2: Roblox and Minecraft.

Roblox, in particular, has emerged as an attractive proposition for brands looking to get into the kids gaming space, offering a platform for creativity and social interaction. One notable aspect of Roblox's appeal lies in its vast array of branded experiences, which bring beloved characters and worlds to life in immersive gaming environments. These branded experiences not only offer children the opportunity to explore familiar settings, but also encourage creativity and collaboration within the Roblox community. With the platform's ever-expanding roster of partnerships, Roblox continues to set the standard for innovative and inclusive gaming experiences for kids.

A number of brands have already immersed themselves in the Roblox miniverse through branded experiences. One of the most famous examples is Nike who created ‘Nikeland’ in Roblox, where players can customise avatars with Nike gear and participate in special events with athletes and influencers, bridging gaming and sport in a dynamic virtual world.

In the Roblox branded experience, though, it’s kids’ brands which, perhaps unsurprisingly, are the market leaders. Of the top 10 Roblox Branded Games published by Metaverse Marcom, eight of the ten were kids brands with the highest, Barbie, driving over 26m monthly visits. Roblox has strengthened its brand partnership offering by enlisting the expertise of a former Disney Interactive Experiences VP. Leveraging their experience and insights, Roblox aims to forge deeper collaborations with brands, enhancing the platform's appeal and diversifying its content offerings to cater to a broader audience.

Another area where brands are connecting with Roblox players is through avatar shops. Introduced at the at the end of last year, avatar shops are similar to branded experiences, although they have more of a focus on the sale of virtual clothing, accessories and outfits. Gym wear brand Alo Yoga, as well as celebrities Nicki Minaj and Olivia Rodrigo, have all launched avatar shops with the two musicians’ experiences surpassing 2m visits in January.

Avatar shops are appealing to brands, as they allow players to express their individuality and creativity whilst engaging with the brand. The shops come at a lower cost and have shorter lead times than custom-built experiences. Whilst the first brands to use avatar shops in Roblox have been in the clothing industry, we can expect other sectors to follow suit. The format and audience lends itself nicely to toy brands looking to place products in avatar shops for players to engage with.

It’s not just Roblox which is creating opportunities for brands to collaborate with the game. Fortnite and Disney have partnered to bring beloved characters and iconic settings from the Disney universe into the immersive world of Fortnite. With a $1.5b equity stake in the game’s operator, Epic Games, this deal is expected to last for years, aiming to create an engaging experience for players.

Disney is by no means the first brand to collaborate with Fortnite to create a branded experience. In April 2022, Epic announced a partnership with Lego. A huge project in its own right, the experience took 20 months from the initial announcement to be rolled out in the game. However reports are that the Disney project is set to eclipse Lego and will, according to Disney MD, Bob Iger, take ‘a few years’ to be released to players.

These moves from two of the most popular games played by children serve as encouragement for advertisers, as they demonstrate a willingness to allow brands to deeply engage themselves in the gaming space. Roblox and Fortnite are embracing innovative ways of connecting brands to players outside of typical pre-roll ads through interactive branded experiences and partnerships. This is likely to pave the way for other large gaming titles to follow suit.

Not all innovative activations have to be at the scale of Disney and Lego. There are plenty of opportunities for brands to immerse themselves within these games at a lower cost. Billboards within Roblox and Minecraft can be accessed starting with budgets of £10k, and £50k is enough to create a custom branded character on Roblox.

Brands looking to reach kids in the ever-growing gaming space should rightly be excited by these prospects. However, the key challenge for these types of brands has always revolved around brand safety and compliancy. At Generation Media, we are committed to ensuring that brands can do this in a safe way by working with carefully selected partners who can offer a route into the gaming space that is secure for brands. To discover how to