Roblox Vs Zuckerberg! Big Battle in the Metaverse World!
It looks like war flags are about to be raised in the world of the Metaverse. The two giant productions seem ready to take action to take on each other.
Roblox Corporation is trying to expand their thinking about the metaverse. While striving for all this, it has more than 2 million active players in Russia alone. Some new offerings will include metaverse ads from high-profile partners like Gucci, Ralph Lauren, and Chipotle.
Developers will be able to add ads and receive some of the ad revenue through interactive billboards, taxi roofs, posters or other areas. There will also be in-game 3D portals that can take players to new experiences like Gucci Town or Chipotle’s virtual restaurants.
Brave Move from Roblox
Roblox has grown its user base in Russia with the withdrawal of major gaming companies from the region in order to punish after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Electronic Arts, Ubisoft Entertainment SA, and Nintendo Co. Stopping or reducing the sales of heavy artillery such as Roblox to Russia paved the way for Roblox to accept its existence. The game has about 11 million active users in the US.
During its recent developer conference, Roblox announced that it will be cautious when deciding which brands can build real estate in the metaverse. The immersive ads will target players aged 13 and over and will comply with the new age guidelines the company will publish.
With the big brands already occupying Roblox’s real estate, where is Meta Platforms (aka Facebook) heading towards becoming the commercial hub of the metaverse?
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has positioned the company’s metaverse as a versatile environment that offers the opportunity to hold virtual meetings, socialize, shop, learn and play. And so far, the company has targeted training as a tool to familiarize developers of virtual worlds with the work required to build the metaverse .
Oculus Quest VR headsets also pioneered Horizon Worlds VR, a virtual reality experience available to users, which one expert says is a testing ground for commercial opportunities, a litmus test of what people are willing to pay for in the metaverse.
Until now, the creators of Roblox have used a virtual currency called Robux to buy ad space, specifically to entice players to play their games. Players also use Robux to shop on the metaverse, and a portion of the proceeds goes to Roblox.
Meta has not disclosed whether it will use cryptocurrencies as a form of payment on the metaverse. Its attempt to create its own virtual currency had failed, with significant backlash from regulators. But earlier this year, it announced the launch of a cryptocurrency targeting a small group of developers to get paid for VIP access and items like jewellery. It is unclear whether this new currency will form the basis of a metaverse economy.
Which Will Be Successful?
Who will manage to monetize the Metaverse? While Roblox seems to be moving through the as-yet-untested waters of metaverse advertising, it originally started life as a physics simulation engine, not a company that relies on advertising for revenue. However, unlike the major PR scandals that have plagued Meta in recent years, it highlights optimism and kindness as key components of player engagement.
Still, given Zuckerberg’s unbridled ambition and Meta’s history of playing hard, it’s not hard to see him making some serious play for a billion-dollar slice of metaverse revenue. But there are some things to catch up on.
