Gamefam, a metaverse media firm for Gen Z and Alpha communities, stated in its second annual report that its branded campaigns on Roblox and Fortnite have exceeded 2.7 billion model engagements in 2024.
The State of Manufacturers on Roblox and Fortnite report famous that Gamefam, which makes video games on Roblox and Fortnite, is the No. 1 fastest-growing personal firm within the media business in 2024, in accordance with the Inc. 5,000 listing. And it’s sport portfolio has surpassed 45 billion gameplay classes thus far.
Gamefam continued to steer with their improvement of fan-favorite standalone model video games, holding declare to 5 of the highest 15 model video games of all time on Roblox. Throughout the 12 months, Gamefam’s Sonic Velocity Simulator grew to become the primary model sport ever on Roblox to cross a billion visits, stated Joe Ferencz, CEO of GamesBeat, in an interview with GamesBeat.
“It was an enormous development 12 months for the corporate. Our portfolio is now at 64 million every day visits, together with both possession or unique partnerships with a set of the highest 25 video games on Roblox,” Ferencz stated. “In order that’s been actually thrilling to see that occur, and the explanation why is that our reside ops practices and our model partnerships enterprise are extraordinarily engaging to prime Roblox builders to collaborate with.”
He added, “We’ve been capable of join not solely our personal portfolio, but in addition a partnership portfolio that extends into the tens of tens of millions of every day visits and tens of tens of millions of DAU in order that’s been actually thrilling.”
With Roblox and Fortnite exploding in reputation and their corresponding rise in significant promoting and advertising alternatives, 2024 proved to be an important 12 months for manufacturers, Hollywood studios and expertise to assume strategically and leverage these platforms to have interaction youthful generations.
As model entrepreneurs turn out to be extra accustomed to activating on Roblox and Fortnite, Gamefam has led the cost in serving to them shift their pondering from simply exhibiting as much as constructing packages that generate measurable scale and influence.
On the identical time, Gamefam continued to generate return-on-investment for manufacturers with customized integrations and activations inside its portfolio of the most well-liked Roblox and Fortnite video games that keep large participant bases, producing 2.7 billion model engagements in 2024 by way of this method.
Ferencz stated the integrations can take various types. With Ubisoft, Gamefam partnered to place the French sport firm’s Brawlhalla into standard Gamefam video games. That ensures {that a} sure dimension of viewers will discover the model integraiton, compared to beginning a model new sport.
“We’ve got 5 of the highest 15 Roblox video games of all time, so we advise few manufacturers to make a standalone sport,” Ferencz stated. “Roblox remains to be a comparatively small income stream by world gaming requirements for particular person video games. The whole payout pool for roadblocks will in all probability hit $1 billion to builders this 12 months. It’s extremely levered to the top-end video games, and with a $1 billion payout pool complete that’s nonetheless considerably smaller than any of the highest particular person cellular free to play video games.”
He added, “So we’re advising online game corporations: You want to be on Roblox, however you want at the moment to just remember to’re driving again to your core enterprise streams whereas beginning to consider how Roblox generally is a income producing platform in its present setup for you over the subsequent 5 years.”
Gamefam’s strategic imaginative and prescient for manufacturers and ensuing success have led to a sea change with over 400 manufacturers activating on Roblox thus far, almost doubling final 12 months’s complete and exhibiting a 560% enhance from 2022. Equally, Fortnite noticed large model curiosity with a 330% enhance since 2022 within the variety of manufacturers that created video games or integrations on Fortnite.
“Roblox and Fortnite are the popular media platforms for Gen Z & Alpha, and types have to have a metaverse technique with a purpose to retain and achieve cultural relevance with the youthful generations,” stated Ferencz. “With over half a billion month-to-month lively customers throughout Roblox and Fortnite, the time for manufacturers to be on these platforms is now or they threat falling behind the opponents who’re transferring shortly to determine share of voice, thoughts and coronary heart with in the present day’s Most worthy shoppers and followers.”
Gamefam’s 2024 achievements
Topping the Charts and Reaching New Milestones with Hit Roblox Video games: Gamefam was the developer and operator behind 4 of the highest 10 model video games on Roblox (by complete visits in 2024) together with Mattel’s Barbie DreamHouse Tycoon (No. 1 model sport on Roblox in 2024), SEGA’s Sonic Velocity Simulator (No. 2 in 2024, No. 1 model sport on Roblox of all time), Paramount’s SpongeBob Simulator (No. 8 in 2024), and Paramount’s TMNT Battle Tycoon (No. 9 in 2024).
Maximizing Cultural Moments (just like the Tremendous Bowl) By means of Roblox: Constructing on the Tremendous Bowl LVII success (No. 1 Roblox live performance of all time), Gamefam once more partnered with the NFL and introduced them along with Paramount to launch a five-game Tremendous Bowl LVIII quest on Roblox. The NFL and Paramount reached the subsequent era of soccer followers as this 30-day activation grew to become the No. 1 multi-game model occasion on Roblox with over 75 million complete visits and 985 million minutes of brand name engagement.
Bringing the Field Workplace & Streaming to the Metaverse: Gamefam labored with studios behind films and exhibits to advertise their content material to tens of millions of gamers on Roblox and Fortnite earlier than, throughout and after their world premieres.
Particularly, Gamefam labored with Sony Photos to construct a 4-game takeover on Roblox for The Garfield Film, ensuing within the largest multi-game film marketing campaign on Roblox with 31 million visits. Moreover, Gamefam partnered with Paramount to develop the primary playable story to advertise the brand new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles streaming sequence on Paramount+. Gamefam developed different distinctive integrations and experiences for the entire prime studios, for films together with Sony Photos’ Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Disney’s Inside Out 2 and Disney’s Moana 2.
Rocking on Roblox: Following final 12 months’s success with Saweetie’s Tremendous Bowl LVII live performance (No. 1 Roblox live performance of all time) and Cher’s vacation album launch activation, Gamefam continued to jam out with Gen Z & Alpha within the metaverse.
In 2024, Gamefam and Warner Music Group teamed up once more to deliver seven-time Grammy winner Coldplay to Roblox for the primary time with a multi-game takeover to have fun the launch of the band’s new album Moon Music. The marketing campaign resulted in 25+ million visits and 295 million minutes of brand name engagement, equal to listening to Moon Music 6.7 million occasions.
Serving to Manufacturers Obtain Scale on Roblox and Fortnite: In 2024, Gamefam labored on over 60+ campaigns and video games. Gamefam launched the primary official Roblox sport for Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants, teamed up with gaming icon and legendary streamer Ninja for his first-ever Fortnite sport takeover in Gamefam’s standard Infinite ZoneWars 2.0, and created integrations for numerous manufacturers together with Samsung, Moose Toys, Skechers, Lego, FIFA and Spin Grasp.
In recognition of the corporate’s trailblazing work, Gamefam was honored with 30+ prestigious awards in 2024. These included Nice Place to Work, Inc. 5000 (No. 1 fastest-growing personal firm within the media business), Quick Firm Greatest Workplaces for Innovators, The Stevie Awards for Nice Employers and Deloitte Expertise Quick 500, amongst others.
In 2022, Gamefam confronted complaints about its pay and crunch from workers/contractors who had been sad, however Gamefam stated it has tried to handle points in bringing extra skilled practices to its workforce; it famous its Nice Place to Work survey confirmed 90% of workers stated this 12 months it was an excellent place to work, up from 81% the 12 months earlier than.
Gamefam and lots of of its companions had been named winners of promoting marketing campaign award packages together with the Clio Sports activities Awards (4x winner), Clio Leisure Awards (3x winner), The Drum Awards (5x winner), Webby Awards and Marketing campaign Tech Awards, amongst many others.
For the previous few years, Roblox and Fortnite have been solidified as the popular platform of alternative for Gen Z and Alpha, with customers spending 144 minutes per day on Roblox in comparison with TikTok (112 minutes per day) and YouTube (70 minutes per day), in accordance with Qustodio.
This 12 months, Roblox exploded to greater than 89 million every day customers (29% enhance YoY) and was an instrumental device for manufacturers seeking to attain Gen Z and Alpha.
Model video games on Roblox amassed over 1.4 billion visits with 15.8 billion minutes spent in these video games. That is particularly significant at a time when conventional youngsters’ TV rankings have collapsed as much as 90%.4
Whereas this area remains to be new, manufacturers are already studying about what’s working most successfully for them. In 2024, there was a shift in manufacturers constructing integrations moderately than standalone video games.
For all manufacturers, particularly IP that’s non-endemic to gaming, integrations permit them to achieve communities of tens of millions of gamers within the main video games on Roblox and Fortnite, delivering significant and lively engagement at scale.
This 12 months, 57% of manufacturers constructed integrations, and 43% constructed standalone experiences whereas in 2023, 37% of manufacturers constructed integrations and 63% constructed standalone experiences. The 20 proportion level enhance in manufacturers constructing integrations proves entrepreneurs perceive activations inside standard video games ship fast worth.
Ricardo Briceno, chief enterprise officer at Gamefam, stated in a press release, “The shift towards integrating into standard video games with tens of millions of every day customers, moderately than constructing standalone experiences, is sensible as a result of manufacturers are recognizing the worth of reaching gamers the place they already hang around. By embedding themselves into these vibrant communities, manufacturers not solely create significant, genuine engagement but in addition safe their long-term reference to the generations shaping in the present day’s tradition and tomorrow’s discretionary spend.”
Roblox had a number of points this 12 months with mother and father complaining about baby security. By November, the corporate up to date its child-safety insurance policies and launched new tech. Ferencz stated his firm works to stick to all of Roblox is Phrases of Service and security compliance protocols. However he stated Gamefam goes farther than that by serving to the kids’s promoting overview unit so it will possibly assist manufacturers perceive security protocols on Roblox. He’s additionally on the board of an area nonprofit in Los Angeles.
“We’re doing every thing we will, each in collaboration with Roblox and with our model companions to make sure we’re on the highest requirements of youngsters’s security,” he stated.
Extra Manufacturers Will Flip to Roblox and Fortnite in 2025
With greater than 1,000 complete model video games and campaigns from 500+ distinctive manufacturers showing on Roblox and Fortnite thus far, expectations for 2025 are increased than they’ve ever been. As entrepreneurs now perceive their audience-building and engagement potential, Gamefam expects to see an even bigger inflow of funding from manufacturers on these platforms.
2025 will provide a breakout alternative for sports activities properties and types which can be non-endemic to gaming throughout areas like client packaged items, meals and beverage, eating places and expertise, amongst others. Early predictions for the remainder of the last decade proceed to be extremely constructive, with the metaverse as a complete projected to have over 2.6 billion customers by 2030.
The recognition of Roblox and Fortnite with younger demographics imply difficulties for manufacturers in conventional areas. Ferencz stated that younger people are actually form of residing in inside these worlds, they usually’re not popping out for streaming movies and issues like that.
“That’s the propellant for for the manufacturers right here. In the event that they’re not participating with the brand new era, that’s that’s doom for them as a result of their model will disappear as these individuals grow old. If you happen to’re not gaining relevancy on Roblox and Fornite, you’re shedding relevancy on Roblox and Fortnite,” he stated.
The Roblox and Fortnite generations are essentially enjoying console video games or cellular video games as a lot. That might be a complete era of followers that multi-generational manufacturers like Disney are lacking out on.
“They’re watching video content material on YouTube and TikTok, they usually’re in a closed loop of UGC gaming tradition. And so we have now been captivated with serving to the manufacturers and characters and gaming corporations that we love begin to navigate and seize worth on this area,” Ferencz stated.
With TMNT, Gamefam made a playable cutscene and the marketing campaign generated 37 million visits. Brawlhalla was built-in with the favored TMNT sport, permitting Brawlhalla to get much more views/performs (and rewards for gamers) than it in any other case would with a model new sport.
In a marketing campaign that mixed SpongeBob with the NFL and Paramount within the first quarter of 2024, Gamefam delivered a five-game cross-platform quest that generated 350 million validated model engagements for a billion minutes of face time with Roblox gamers, Ferencz stated.
“We received three Golden Cleos simply this month for this marketing campaign,” he stated.
Expertise search
As for the expertise, Ferencz stated the corporate has a number of management from sport corporations like Digital Arts and Zynga whereas it additionally has a number of Roblox natives who grew up making Roblox video games. There are greater than 100 individuals on the firm, however Ferencz doesn’t share the precise quantity.
Gamefam additionally has its new Gamefam Creator Fund that’s investing in indie Roblox improvement groups. The investments from the previous six months have resulted in video games with about 8,000 concurrent gamers thus far, Ferencz stated.
“I feel we actually consider that relating to authentic IP on Roblox, you can not compete with the Roblox developer neighborhood. There are simply too many sensible, motivated builders working all over the world to make issues that you’d by no means have thought to make, and that’s what powers Roblox,” he stated.
And if he can’t beat them, Ferencz will be a part of them, generally by buying promising video games and matching them up with a model. Warfare Tycoon is an efficient instance of that, as Gamefam acquired it just a few years in the past and it has grown income round 800% for the reason that deal.
Predictions for 2025
Listed here are Ferencz’s sizzling take predictions on how the Roblox and Fortnite will influence the advertising and media world in addition to broader tradition:
“Roblox will turn out to be equally necessary to YouTube and TikTok for Hollywood film advertising, particularly as in-game integrations like Fandango begin providing a direct buy funnel with sturdy measurable influence.”
“2025 will probably be when in-game promoting on Roblox turns into a must have piece of the media plan for each Fortune 100 model seeking to attain Gen Z and Gen Alpha shoppers.”
“Roblox will break 500 million month-to-month lively customers in 2025, on its solution to 1+ billion by 2030.”
“In 2025, a number of of the massive 4 US sports activities leagues (NBA, NHL, MLB, NFL) will use Roblox or Fortnite to interrupt main information in regards to the league, its groups and/or gamers.”
“By 2026, Fortnite’s Disney platform will turn out to be a prime three digital leisure expertise for six to 12 12 months olds.”
“An authentic IP born from Roblox will turn out to be a blockbuster animated movie by 2030, alongside attire, toys and different IRL spinoffs.”
“Entrepreneurs are realizing Roblox and Fortnite methods are needed to achieve new, younger audiences in lively methods, which is far more efficient than the passive advertising we’re used to seeing,” he added. “Metaverse gaming isn’t a fad, and it’s not going to cease with Roblox and Fortnite… we have now our eyes on platforms like All over the place and Horizon Worlds as the subsequent frontier for Gen Z and Alpha engagement. With Gamefam’s experience and prime portfolio in metaverse gaming, we’re in one of the best place to ship distinctive and fascinating model experiences with large scale and groundbreaking IP collaborations.”
