"Roblox" rewards players for enduring advertising

The development team behind the social gaming platform “Roblox” has announced a new advertising format designed to incentivize players to watch. So-called Rewarded Video Ads are advertising videos that you can watch voluntarily. The highlight: if you watch the full length of the video, you can be rewarded with in-game benefits.

The new advertising format was announced by the “Roblox” team in a blog post. The responsibility for implementing the rewarded video ads lies with the developer of the respective “Roblox” game. “Roblox” is a kind of creative development platform made up of numerous game creations from professional developers and the community. The new advertising format is a way for these developers to earn money with their products.

According to the “Roblox” team, rewarded video ads can be up to 30 seconds long and are displayed in full-screen mode. Those who see through them receive customized in-game benefits, for which the developers of the respective “Roblox” game are also responsible. Early tests have shown that over 80 percent of players watch this type of advertising in full.

In the case of particularly advantageous rewards, this figure has even risen to 90 percent, writes the “Roblox” team. It cites power-ups or in-game currency as examples of such rewards.

Gen Z target group

“Roblox” games are played by over 80 million people every day. The “Roblox” team considers tens of millions of users to belong to Gen Z, the main target group for rewarded video ads. “We continue to break down barriers for brands and agencies who are quickly recognizing the enormous potential of immersive gaming platforms like 'Roblox', where Generation Z is increasingly spending their time,” comments “Roblox” advertising manager Stephanie Latham on the announcement. The “Roblox” team is working together with Google to display the advertising videos. Users must be over 13 years old to see the ads.

“Roblox” has been repeatedly criticized in recent years, particularly because of its treatment of young people. Last year, the stock analysis firm Hindenburg Research wrote that children were exposed to violent content, pornography, and insults on “Roblox”. Children were also confronted with right-wing extremism on the platform. “Roblox” was also the target of multiple malware attacks.

(dahe)