The Play for Brands

The Play for Brands

Biweekly analysis for consumer brand marketing leaders on where your next under-25 audience sits, inside gaming. Platforms, policy and the brands getting it right.

How a Children's Brand Makes Money on Roblox: The Business Case for a Brand World

Oct 23, 2026

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10 min read

How a Children's Brand Makes Money on Roblox: The Business Case for a Brand World

Put Roblox on a list of channels a children's brand could enter and it gets the fastest 'in principle' yes in the room and seemingly the weakest business case. Reach is obvious and time spent has no rival. Things often stall on the returns question and there are three parts to the answer, with the in-game shop the smallest of them.

Daniel O'Sullivan
Daniel O'Sullivan
Why Paid Media Can’t Buy Visibility for a Roblox Brand World (and When to Stop Spending)

Oct 9, 2026

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7 min read

Why Paid Media Can’t Buy Visibility for a Roblox Brand World (and When to Stop Spending)

Roblox's homepage recommendations pick games in two stages. Any traffic, bought or brought, can get a world into the first stage. Only the cohort Roblox sends itself impacts the second stage. The skill in a Roblox media plan is knowing when to stop buying.

Daniel O'Sullivan
Daniel O'Sullivan
How Game Franchises Reach a New Generation on Roblox (and Why Most Publishers Haven't Yet)

Sep 23, 2026

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7 min read

How Game Franchises Reach a New Generation on Roblox (and Why Most Publishers Haven't Yet)

Decades-old character IP has been using Roblox to reach players who were never going to find it through the original medium. A few game franchises have followed suit, usually through a studio with experience on the platform. The publishers with the biggest catalogues mostly haven't, yet.

Daniel O'Sullivan
Daniel O'Sullivan
Should a Brand Build Its Own Kids' Game or Buy Space in Someone Else's?

Sep 10, 2026

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7 min read

Should a Brand Build Its Own Kids' Game or Buy Space in Someone Else's?

In two weeks in August, three companies that own large kids' audiences either scaled their own game-making or opened a world they own to another brand. A brand choosing where to reach kids now has three kinds of landlord to pick from.

Daniel O'Sullivan
Daniel O'Sullivan
How Much Money Does a Branded Roblox World Actually Make?

Aug 26, 2026

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8 min read

How Much Money Does a Branded Roblox World Actually Make?

More brands are asking how their Roblox world earns its keep. It has to sell something, or the algorithm has less reason to send players. Unless revenue is the primary goal from the outset it just won't earn what anyone hopes.

Daniel O'Sullivan
Daniel O'Sullivan
Is Roblox in Decline? What the Q2 2026 Results Mean for Brands

Aug 5, 2026

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8 min read

Is Roblox in Decline? What the Q2 2026 Results Mean for Brands

Shares fell 29%, the full-year forecast was pulled and for the first time Roblox expects players to spend less. Underneath it, the audience grew and spread across more games. Roblox is still growing, even if the stock price isn't, and that's the important bit for brands.

Daniel O'Sullivan
Daniel O'Sullivan
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