Online game platform Roblox, with a user base of 58 million in more than 180 countries, will be testing an advertising format by the end this year ahead of a broader rollout in 2023.
At the company's annual developer conference last Friday in San Francisco, Roblox announced plans to launch ads next year, marking the company’s first effort to diversify its business beyond virtual goods in games.
Manuel Bronstein, Roblox chief product officer, said the company already trialed online ads with brands such as Warner Bros and Vans. The ads were displayed in an experimental ad format referred to as portals.
He also said the company remains committed to its core business, which allows gamers to spend real money on the virtual currency Robux that can be used to level up and buy items in games.
Roblox describes its upcoming ad offering as immersive ads, though there’s not yet a standard format for how they will appear on the platform. And children under the age of 13 will not be able to interact with them, the company said.
Bronstein speculated that future ads in the metaverse — an online world where people socialize, work and learn — could resemble digital billboards that people can use to buy goods like shoes, or even branded digital coffee cups.
Facing the challenge of serving ads on an app that’s predominantly used by kids, Roblox also confirmed they are expanding the platform to offer more sophisticated experiences to age groups beyond its traditional 13-and-under audience.
Some new experiences, like interactive video billboard ads and portals that transport the user into a branded experience, will be limited to the oldest age group.
The company is also adding more guidelines to let parents and children know which virtual experiences are suited for certain age groups based on criteria like violence.
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