• by Colin Kirkland , May 1, 2024

After testing its video ads offering for the past six months with major brands and agencies like Walmart, Warner Bros. Pictures, and Dentsu, Roblox is opening up the opportunity to all advertisers.

Brands interested in advertising on the popular metaverse gaming platform can now publish video ads for Roblox users 13 years and older without having to create custom large-scale immersive experiences. However, if they have custom content, video ads can link users directly to a brand's experience within the platform.

Notably, Gen Z users comprise over half of the platform's 71 million daily active users.f

Roblox’s video offering will take in-app advertising beyond the current portal and image ad formats, providing advertisers with “expanded controls and features like genre targeting, brand suitability and an audience estimator,” the company says, adding that it has also partnered with Integral Ad Science and Kantar to offer analytics and optimization for brand partners.

Video ads are available now on Roblox's self-serve Ads Manager, but will soon be available via programmatic media buying. The company recently announced a partnership with supply-side platform PubMatic, which will be enabling the programmatic media buying option for Roblox's video ads inventory

“We want Roblox to become a platform where brands can run their core business,” Roblox's Vice President of Economy Enrico D'Angelo told Venture Beat. “If you sell shoes or movie tickets or food, we want you to be able to sell them on Roblox. In the long-term, we want Roblox to be that platform where you are running your business, the same way you would on an app or a website.”

To become eligible for Roblox video ads, publishers must be 18+ ID verified or maintain a certain monthly unique visitor minimum threshold, while also complying with the company’s Community Standards.