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 non-public firm within the media trade in 2024, in response to the Inc. 5,000 listing. And it’s recreation portfolio has surpassed 45 billion gameplay classes to this point.
Gamefam continued to steer with their growth of fan-favorite standalone model video games, holding declare to 5 of the highest 15 model video games of all time on Roblox. Through the yr, Gamefam’s Sonic Pace Simulator grew to become the primary model recreation ever on Roblox to cross a billion visits, stated Joe Ferencz, CEO of GamesBeat, in an interview with GamesBeat.
“It was a huge growth year for the company. Our portfolio is now at 64 million daily visits, including either ownership or exclusive partnerships with a suite of the top 25 games on Roblox,” Ferencz stated. “So that’s been really exciting to see that happen, and the reason why is that our live ops practices and our brand partnerships business are extremely attractive to top Roblox developers to collaborate with.”
He added, “We’ve been able to connect not only our own portfolio, but also a partnership portfolio that extends into the tens of millions of daily visits and tens of millions of DAU so that’s been really exciting.”
With Roblox and Fortnite exploding in reputation and their corresponding rise in significant promoting and advertising alternatives, 2024 proved to be a vital yr for manufacturers, Hollywood studios and expertise to assume strategically and leverage these platforms to interact youthful generations.
As model entrepreneurs turn out to be extra conversant in activating on Roblox and Fortnite, Gamefam has led the cost in serving to them shift their pondering from simply displaying as much as constructing applications that generate measurable scale and impression.
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 a lot of types. With Ubisoft, Gamefam partnered to place the French recreation firm’s Brawlhalla into standard Gamefam video games. That ensures {that a} sure measurement of viewers will discover the model integraiton, compared to beginning a model new recreation.
“We have five of the top 15 Roblox games of all time, so we advise few brands to make a standalone game,” Ferencz stated. “Roblox is still a relatively small revenue stream by global gaming standards for individual games. The entire payout pool for roadblocks will probably hit $1 billion to developers this year. It’s highly levered to the top-end games, and with a $1 billion payout pool total that’s still significantly smaller than any of the top individual mobile free to play games.”
He added, “So we’re advising video game companies: You need to be on Roblox, but you need at this time to make sure that you’re driving back to your core business streams while starting to think about how Roblox can be a revenue generating platform in its current setup for you over the next five 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 to this point, practically doubling final yr’s complete and displaying a 560% improve from 2022. Equally, Fortnite noticed large model curiosity with a 330% improve since 2022 within the variety of manufacturers that created video games or integrations on Fortnite.
“Roblox and Fortnite are the preferred media platforms for Gen Z & Alpha, and brands need to have a metaverse strategy in order to retain and gain cultural relevance with the younger generations,” stated Ferencz. “With over half a billion monthly active users across Roblox and Fortnite, the time for brands to be on these platforms is now or they risk falling behind the competitors who are moving quickly to establish share of voice, mind and heart with today’s most valuable consumers and fans.”
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 recreation on Roblox in 2024), SEGA’s Sonic Pace Simulator (No. 2 in 2024, No. 1 model recreation 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) Via 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 following technology 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 motion pictures and reveals to advertise their content material to hundreds of thousands of gamers on Roblox and Fortnite earlier than, throughout and after their international premieres.
Particularly, Gamefam labored with Sony Photos to construct a 4-game takeover on Roblox for The Garfield Film, ensuing within the greatest 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 collection on Paramount+. Gamefam developed different distinctive integrations and experiences for the entire high studios, for motion pictures together with Sony Photos’ Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Disney’s Inside Out 2 and Disney’s Moana 2.
Rocking on Roblox: Following final yr’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 carry seven-time Grammy winner Coldplay to Roblox for the primary time with a multi-game takeover to rejoice 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 recreation for Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants, teamed up with gaming icon and legendary streamer Ninja for his first-ever Fortnite recreation 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 non-public firm within the media trade), 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 staff/contractors who have 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 staff stated this yr it was an important place to work, up from 81% the yr earlier than.
Gamefam and lots of of its companions have been named winners of promoting marketing campaign award applications 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 selection 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 response to Qustodio.
This yr, Roblox exploded to greater than 89 million each day customers (29% improve YoY) and was an instrumental device for manufacturers trying to attain Gen Z and Alpha.
Model video games on Roblox accrued over 1.4 billion visits with 15.8 billion minutes spent in these video games. That is particularly significant at a time when conventional children’ 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 reasonably than standalone video games.
For all manufacturers, particularly IP that’s non-endemic to gaming, integrations enable them to achieve communities of hundreds of thousands of gamers within the main video games on Roblox and Fortnite, delivering significant and energetic engagement at scale.
This yr, 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 improve in manufacturers constructing integrations proves entrepreneurs perceive activations inside standard video games ship quick worth.
Ricardo Briceno, chief enterprise officer at Gamefam, stated in an announcement, “The shift toward integrating into popular games with millions of daily users, rather than building standalone experiences, makes sense because brands are recognizing the value of reaching players where they already hang out. By embedding themselves into these vibrant communities, brands not only create meaningful, authentic engagement but also secure their long-term connection with the generations shaping today’s culture and tomorrow’s discretionary spend.”
Roblox had a whole lot of points this yr with mother and father complaining about little one 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 evaluate unit so it might assist manufacturers perceive security protocols on Roblox. He’s additionally on the board of an area nonprofit in Los Angeles.
“We are doing everything we can, both in collaboration with Roblox and with our brand partners to ensure we are at the highest standards of children’s safety,” 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 to this point, expectations for 2025 are greater than they’ve ever been. As entrepreneurs now perceive their audience-building and engagement potential, Gamefam expects to see a much bigger inflow of funding from manufacturers on these platforms.
2025 will provide a breakout alternative for sports activities properties and types which might be non-endemic to gaming throughout areas like shopper packaged items, meals and beverage, eating places and know-how, amongst others. Early predictions for the remainder of the last decade proceed to be extremely optimistic, 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 kind of residing in inside these worlds, they usually’re not popping out for streaming movies and issues like that.
“That is the propellant for for the brands here. If they’re not engaging with the new generation, that’s that’s doom for them because their brand will disappear as those people get older. If you’re not gaining relevancy on Roblox and Fornite, you are losing relevancy on Roblox and Fortnite,” he stated.
The Roblox and Fortnite generations are essentially taking part in console video games or cell video games as a lot. That might be a complete technology of followers that multi-generational manufacturers like Disney are lacking out on.
“They’re watching video content on YouTube and TikTok, and they’re in a closed loop of UGC gaming culture. And so we have been passionate about helping the brands and characters and gaming companies that we love start to navigate and capture value in this space,” 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 recreation, permitting Brawlhalla to get much more views/performs (and rewards for gamers) than it in any other case would with a model new recreation.
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 won three Golden Cleos just this month for this campaign,” he stated.
Expertise search
As for the expertise, Ferencz stated the corporate has a whole lot of management from recreation corporations like Digital Arts and Zynga whereas it additionally has a whole lot 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 growth groups. The investments from the previous six months have resulted in video games with about 8,000 concurrent gamers to this point, Ferencz stated.
“I think we really believe that when it comes to original IP on Roblox, you cannot compete with the Roblox developer community. There are just too many smart, motivated developers working around the world to make things that you would never have thought to make, and that is what powers Roblox,” he stated.
And if he can’t beat them, Ferencz will be a part of them, typically by buying promising video games and matching them up with a model. Warfare Tycoon is an effective 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 impression the advertising and media world in addition to broader tradition:
“Roblox will become equally important to YouTube and TikTok for Hollywood movie marketing, specifically as in-game integrations like Fandango start offering a direct purchase funnel with strong measurable impact.”
“2025 will be when in-game advertising on Roblox becomes a must-have piece of the media plan for every Fortune 100 brand looking to reach Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumers.”
“Roblox will break 500 million monthly active users in 2025, on its way to 1+ billion by 2030.”
“In 2025, one or more of the big four US sports leagues (NBA, NHL, MLB, NFL) will use Roblox or Fortnite to break major news about the league, its teams and/or players.”
“By 2026, Fortnite’s Disney platform will become a top three digital entertainment experience for six to 12 year olds.”
“An original IP born from Roblox will become a blockbuster animated film by 2030, alongside apparel, toys and other IRL spinoffs.”
“Marketers are realizing Roblox and Fortnite strategies are necessary to reach new, young audiences in active ways, which is way more effective than the passive marketing we’re used to seeing,” he added. “Metaverse gaming isn’t a fad, and it’s not going to stop with Roblox and Fortnite… we have our eyes on platforms like Everywhere and Horizon Worlds as the next frontier for Gen Z and Alpha engagement. With Gamefam’s expertise and top portfolio in metaverse gaming, we’re in the best position to deliver unique and captivating brand experiences with massive scale and groundbreaking IP collaborations.”
