• by Colin Kirkland , Yesterday

Roblox creators and brands can now sell physical real-world products directly to users playing the game.

The long-awaited commerce feature is powered by Shopify and was announced alongside brand partner Fenty Beauty’s new virtual in-game experience.

“This functionality is made possible by Roblox’s new commerce APIs and our launch partner Shopify,” said Roblox’s Vice President of Global Brand Partnerships and Advertising Stephanie Latham in a LinkedIn post. “For the first time all brands can sell physical products directly inside immersive 3D experiences.”

Creators can now accrue revenue beyond the sale of virtual goods or single-issue fees for exclusive in-game experiences, furthering Roblox’s long-term goal of offering brands a seamless shopping experience for new and existing audiences. 

The virtual gaming platform has been testing the sale of physical goods over the past year.

Roblox expanded its e.l.f. Beauty partnership last July, with Walmart powering the beauty brand’s virtual kiosk, where gamers based in the U.S. could purchase a physical hoodie highlighting the brand’s cruelty-free products. 

A year ago, the company’s Vice President of Economy Enrico D’Angelo said Roblox wants “to become a platform where brands can run their core business,” adding that “if you sell shoes or movie tickets or food, we want you to be able to sell them on Roblox.”

The company continued to test physical sales in August with Warner Bros. and Fandango to sell real movie tickets to the “Beetlejuice” sequel, setting up a virtual box-office.

But Grammy-winning artist Rhianna’s beauty brand Fenty has become the first brand to kick off Roblox’s full ecommerce offerings. The plan is to launch a shoppable world within the game where players can purchase an exclusive Gloss Bomb shade deemed “Grape Splash.”

This opportunity is now available to all eligible creators and brands, allowing them to sell products to U.S. users age 13 and up across all experiences.

Looking forward, Roblox will add additional partners and markets.