Roblox game developer Voldex, which recently acquired Brookhaven, has hired former Moonbug franchise strategy head Katelynn Heil as head of franchise management to bring the company into the brand-building business.

With 73.2 billion visits, Brookhaven is one of the most popular games on Roblox. In this newly created role, Heil will initially focus on expanding the roleplaying game into new categories, and she already has a few ideas about the low-hanging fruit she’s most interested in, she tells Kidscreen.

“Given Brookhaven’s incredible, long-standing player base, I’m excited to explore both narrative and interactive content opportunities, traditional licensing categories like toys and softlines, and more experiential extensions, such as live events and in-person activations, that bring fans and communities together in real life,” says Heil.

She also emphasizes that Brookhaven‘s doors are open to brand partnerships that are appealing to kids. “The audience is huge and highly engaged, with a sweet spot around ages eight to 11,” she says. “We’re eager to create experiences that speak to that core demographic, while welcoming families and older players, too.”

Brookhaven was created by a user named Wolfpaq in 2020 and has more than 165 million monthly active users (and a 86% positive user rating). Voldex acquired the game in February.

Heil worked on major kids brands, including CoComelon and Blippi, when she was head of brand marketing and franchise strategy at Moonbug Entertainment. As general manager of Blippi, Heil was behind the brand’s introduction of new characters and its expansion onto multiple distribution platforms. She has also had director of strategy and business operations roles at WarnerMedia and Otter Media.

Heil plans to bring a lot of this franchise-building expertise to Voldex. Beyond Brookhaven, she’s also in charge of shaping the company’s broader franchise growth and building brands out of the company’s wider portfolio, which includes NFL Universe Football and Driving Empire.