Fortunately for brands like Nike, they have time to figure this out. And the fact that they’re investing any time at all in this space tells me they’ll be one of the brands who finds a way to build their business here. I agree this particular execution is no breakaway hit, but just doing it — without overanalyzing, overspending, or overstrategizing — will give them learnings they can use in the future. I’d be more concerned for the brands who still don’t know what Roblox is, as its players’ influence on our world will only grow over time.
Your last paragraph sums this up so well. Building in-game stores for virtual worlds like Roblox is the same mistake brands made by creating their own games -- it's just not scalable. Sponsor in-game rewards, let players grind for the awesome content, and let the developers continue to make amazing games - it's what made video games amazing to begin with.
Fortunately for brands like Nike, they have time to figure this out. And the fact that they’re investing any time at all in this space tells me they’ll be one of the brands who finds a way to build their business here. I agree this particular execution is no breakaway hit, but just doing it — without overanalyzing, overspending, or overstrategizing — will give them learnings they can use in the future. I’d be more concerned for the brands who still don’t know what Roblox is, as its players’ influence on our world will only grow over time.
Your last paragraph sums this up so well. Building in-game stores for virtual worlds like Roblox is the same mistake brands made by creating their own games -- it's just not scalable. Sponsor in-game rewards, let players grind for the awesome content, and let the developers continue to make amazing games - it's what made video games amazing to begin with.