Roblox launches new initiative to connect platform pros with newbies

The Roblox Partner Program, with Dubit and Dentsu already on board, is designed to help IP owners scale and advertise on the platform.
June 23, 2023

Roblox wants to make it easier for companies to scale, learn and advertise on its popular gaming platform.

At the Cannes Lions advertising festival on Wednesday, it unveiled the Roblox Partner Program, which is designed to connect brands with game developers, creators and ad companies that have experience reaching Roblox audiences. These partner companies will work with brands that are either new to the platform or aiming to scale, sharing advertising best practices, educating brand owners about Roblox and helping them set up ads in their experiences.

The program already has a handful of partners on board, including video game developers Dubit, Playwire, Century Games and Dentsu.

Partner companies working with Roblox get access to data, how-to resources and incentives (such as commissions) for selling ads on the platform to their clients. The program also allows partners to be among the first companies to learn about best practices from Roblox, and to use the platform’s data to create industry standards for brand activations, says Matthew Warneford, CEO of UK-based Dubit, a kids research firm that also makes games for Roblox.

The platform’s fastest-growing audience is older teens and young adults, but kids and younger teens still love it, adds Warneford.

Program partners could help companies reach kids—a trickier prospect since Roblox removed ads and sponsored experiences for kids under age 13 last year. However, there are options for ad campaigns aimed at the 13-to-16 and 17-plus demos; and while billboard ads aren’t visible to under-13s, they can access branded user-generated content such as avatar apparel, which is popular among kids, adds Warnerford.

“Roblox has given us the rules and tools for engaging both older and younger audiences, and as part of the Partner Program, we’ll have access to additional insight to build great experiences for everyone,” he says.

The Roblox Partner Program is launching at a time when demand is high from kids who are looking to connect with brands. In a survey asking kids ages eight to 16 if they’d check out branded experiences in Roblox, Dubit found a high level of interest in Roblox commerce. More than half of kids ages eight to 12 (66%) and 13- to 16-year-olds (65%) said they’d check out branded experiences, and more than 60% of kids in both demos want their favorite brands to be on the platform.

Roblox is currently looking to sign more partners, and IP owners can connect with existing partners through the program’s website.

About The Author
News editor for Kidscreen. Ryan covers tech, talent and general kids entertainment news, with a passion for kids rap content and video games. Have a story that's of interest to Kidscreen readers? Contact Ryan at rtuchow@brunico.com

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