When consumer brands enter a platform like Roblox, they often make a big push to promote their campaign launch. You'll have press releases going out, coverage from press, social media posts from the brands themselves, YouTube influencer campaigns, executives announcing the activation on LinkedIn, and Roblox featuring the game on the sidebar of its logged-in homepage.
All of these tactics can drive awareness and activity both on and off of Roblox. But what happens after launch? Are branded games able to maintain the interest of players, encouraging them to keep coming back over time? And can brands revive interest in a game that they launched a long time ago that has seen visits and engagement dwindle?
This month's rankings show good examples of both brands launching new games on the platform and capturing attention as well as existing games reigniting interest with inventive, well-timed updates related to trending topics.
New Brands Enter the Space
November saw a variety of consumer brands launch new games on Roblox, and several of them were able to attract millions of visits.
Stranger Things Immersive Watch Party
Monthly Visits: 3.8 million (#5 - tied)
This is not Netflix's first time launching a Stranger Things experience on Roblox. They previously launched a game that recreated Starcourt Mall, the central location from the hit show's third season.
This latest campaign was tied into a broad Stranger Things Day campaign, which saw Netflix making announcements on their social media accounts, collaborating with physical retailers like Walmart, and hosting in-person screenings across North America. The Roblox experience included recreations of key locations in the fictional town of Hawkins and allowed players to watch the show's first episode, which was streaming within the game.
Elton John Beyond the Yellow Brick Road
Monthly Visits: 2 million (#11)
Music is undoubtedly a big category in the metaverse, and we've already seen many world-famous artists holding successful virtual concerts that have reached millions of users.
Famed rock 'n roll musician Elton John launched a Roblox experience in conjunction with his farewell tour, which culminated with a performance at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles. Within Roblox, players were able to play a variety of mini-games, win UGC items for their avatars, and watch virtual performances.
Crocs World Mini-Games
Monthly Visits: 2 million (#10)
Over their short lives, my 3 kids (currently ages 12, 10 and 6) have each probably had 2-3 pairs of Crocs each. So it's no surprise that Crocs decided to launch a set of mini-games on Roblox. Clearly, their target audience of young consumers is already spending time on this platform.
Drafting on Trends - World Cup Drives Engagement
Certain events can take over culture and conversation throughout the year. Holidays like Christmas an Halloween certainly do. And so do sporting events such as the World Cup. With the top sport in the world having its moment with the Men's World Cup, two soccer brands were able to drive interest to their Roblox games by tying into this special event.
FIFA World
Monthly Visits: 3.8 million (#8)
FIFA, the nonprofit organization that runs the World Cup tournament, launched FIFA World on Roblox ahead of the Men's World Cup, happening this year, and the Women's World Cup, happening in 2023. FIFA added a variety of mini-games into the experience and also allowed fans to learn more about the tournament as it unfolded. This gave Roblox players a way to immerse themselves in the tournament even when live games were not happening.
Nikeland
Monthly Visits: 3.8 million (#9)
Nikeland showing up in the Top 10 this month took me totally by surprise. Why? Because Nike has had Nikeland since 2021. And over the past half year of tracking branded game performance, it hasn't been one of the top branded games in terms of most visits. It's always been several levels below the top performers.
So what drove Nikeland's sudden success? A big World-Cup related update, that's what. Nikeland brought in new gameplay modes, items, and non player characters all focused on soccer. Nike has also been airing a commercial throughout the tournament, highlighting famous international players who wear Nike. Nike smartly realized that tying their brand and athletes to the World Cup would drive major brand awareness, and this latest Roblox data shows how that's paying off.
Top Industries
Not every company across every industry needs to create a branded Roblox games. But here are the industries that are most active as well as seeing the most success reaching young, global audiences via metaverse gaming:
Entertainment: 5
Hello Kitty, Warrior Cats, Miraculous, Stranger Things, Black Adam
Apparel: 5
Nike, Crocs, Vans, Alo Yoga, Tommy Hilfiger
Toys: 3
Hot Wheels, Squishmallows, NERF
Music: 3
Spotify, Elton John, The Chainsmokers
Brands that Missed the Cut
Here are notable brands that were in last month's Top 20 rankings, but which failed to make the cut this time around.
My Little Pony - 1,100,000
Bakugan Battle League - 1,100,000
iHeartLand Music Tycoon - 900,000
Walmart Land - 800,000
Gucci Town - 700,000
Amazon Trip Around the Blox - 400,000
Stephen Dypiangco is the CEO of Metaverse Marcom, a strategy and consulting firm helping entertainment and sports brands enter the metaverse.
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