Roblox experiences have become the go-to for brands searching to target young consumers in new and exciting ways—the interactive and immersive worlds of the gaming platform are a no-brainer when looking to maximize engagement. These gamified experiences empower brands to connect with a huge audience of hyper-engaged players, strengthening online communities. We sat with our resident Roblox expert and Director of Customer Success, Emiliana Santandreu, to answer top questions brands have about Roblox and discuss what brands need to know about successfully developing on the platform.
On December 11, 2024 at 12pm ET, Obsess will also be hosting a webinar (and short Q&A session) with CEO Neha Singh and COO Andee Olson to answer remaining questions and discuss why it’s increasingly critical for brands to have a presence on Roblox–the new “social media” platform–guiding your 2025 planning.
What is Roblox?
Roblox is an online platform with a marketplace of user-generated virtual experiences and digital goods where users can create, socialize, shop and play—it serves as both a game engine and a social hub, allowing players to engage with 3D virtual worlds. Accessible via multiple platforms, such as mobile devices, PCs and Xbox consoles, Roblox is free to download and use.
Games on Roblox span genres and game styles, from role-playing and tycoon simulations to obstacle courses and social hangouts, there’s no shortage of activations brands can create. There’s even an incredibly popular game where users wait in line for the bathroom (with over 33 million visits since late August of this year)—the sky is truly the limit! Brands across verticals have activated on the platform, engaging the platform’s built-in audience with custom Roblox experiences.
Who is the audience on Roblox?
Roblox primarily attracts a younger audience, with most users aged between 9-24 years old, though its appeal is growing among older demographics. It has a global user base of almost 90 million daily active users, heavily concentrated in the U.S., Canada and Europe, and is fairly evenly gender-split, unlike a lot of other gaming platforms that lean more male.
Engagement on Roblox is extremely high, with users spending an average of 2-3 hours per day on the platform—this is higher than Instagram and TikTok combined. Brands build on Roblox to reach and engage the large audience of Gen Zers through community integration, events and user-generated content that drives continuous engagement. Developing on Roblox is meeting your customers and target audiences where they are!
For more insight on gaming trends, download our infographic with key stats and insights on virtual experiences.
How long does it take to build an experience?
The timeline varies depending on the complexity of the experience, but is usually only a few short months. Roblox development requires working within its proprietary engine, Roblox Studio, so it’s different to developing on other platforms or Obsess virtual stores.
However, for brands who already have virtual stores with us, we can work with them to take their virtual store designs and concepts and use them for their Roblox experiences through Roblox Studio—creating one unified concept across the web and Roblox in a way that complements each platform and reduces the timeline to launch. Additionally, Obsess has been a part of the Roblox UGC program for the past four years, which allows us to sell digital goods through the Roblox marketplace, a key component of a successful Roblox strategy. We wrote this blog to answer some questions on how to build your brand on Roblox.
Why should my brand be on Roblox?
There are plenty of reasons why brands should consider activating on Roblox:
Reach a massive, diverse audience that is growing—it grew 12% from Q2’24 to Q3’24
Drive meaningful, memorable, long-term engagements
Roblox has the tools to launch extremely customizable brand experiences quickly—meaning your ROI will be high, and there are varying degrees of effort and investment, so you can show up in a way that fits your brand and budget
Gen Z’s growing spending power to buy from your brand
Advertising is quickly becoming a key tool on Roblox and presents an opportunity to advertise your brand, your product or your experience in the platform
Monetize your gaming investments
Roblox announced Shopify as their first real-world commerce partner, enabling brands to sell physical items on the platform–coming in 2025. This partnership is already in beta testing in a few key experiences as of this week
Opportunities for other integrations, such as loyalty programs (like in Slivingland) or others, such as Fandango (like in Wicked)!
To learn more about building custom brand activations on Roblox, book a demo or email us at contact@obsessvr.com.