Roblox Strategy Fundamental to Starting Conversations with Fans Under 20

Roblox Strategy Fundamental to Starting Conversations with Fans Under 20

Young people today consume media and engage with sport differently than previous generations (think: less full games, more social-first fandom, fantasy sports/sports betting, podcasts). 

However, “many rights owners are still relying on live broadcast consumption to cultivate next gen fandom,” Jo Redfern (founder, Futrhood Media) said.

They should be developing a coherent strategy that leverages both YouTube and Roblox alongside established distribution channels.

While the former has become Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha’s first port of call for video and fandom, the latter is increasingly serving as an on ramp to sport. And the expectation is its role in developing new fans will only grow in the years ahead. 

“Roblox is, or will be, as fundamental to teams and leagues reaching fans under the age of 20 as having a YouTube channel,” Redfern said. “That’s where rights owners are going to start their fan relationships. A young person will find a new sporting game or experience on Roblox and immediately go to YouTube to see what related content is there.”

Establishing an effective transmedia storytelling approach can help turn new eyeballs into lifelong fans.

Think of Roblox as a digital playground or social gaming space. 90 million next-gen kids ‘hang out’ there.

To be clear, it is not a competitive gaming platform. 

Young people are going “there to play, shop, compete, design, build, role-play and more, all with friends and other users,” Redfern said.

There are 5.5 million active ‘experiences’ on Roblox. They’re called experiences because not all are games. Some are simply spaces to congregate. Often, they will mirror IRL locations (think: retail stores or a sports stadium).

Roblox’s vast optionality makes it the ‘YouTube of gaming’. And like with YouTube, young Americans are spending inordinate amounts of time on the platform (think: 2.5 hours/day). 

“That’s deep engagement,” Redfern said.

Much of the total time spent on the online gaming platform is with ‘trend driven’ or ‘hyper casual’ experiences (think: Dress to Impress, which sees upwards of 10 million visits/day).

“But users, particularly those a bit older, love to play sports games on Roblox too,” Redfern said. 

The average age of those engaging with sports-related games is 18.

A volleyball experience known as Volleyball Legends regularly draws 50,000+ concurrent users. And Blue Lock Rivals, an anime-themed soccer game, sees 15 million visits daily. On average, each last for 12 minutes.

“That’s longer than those individuals are likely to spend on their favorite team or many leagues’ YouTube Channel,” Redfern said. 

The problem is that the most popular sports games on Roblox are ‘unofficial’. They were created by fan developers as opposed to the leading pro league or federation.

As a result, the rights owners and sponsors associated with sport are missing out on much of the engagement and the opportunity to turn those users into lifelong fans.

The reason why ‘unofficial games’ have taken off is that the licensed ones on the platform are limited by existing rights deals.

“You often can’t play a game of football in many of the club or leagues’ experiences because their existing gaming partner won’t allow it,” Redfern said.

Logic would suggest a carveout could have existed had organizations understood Roblox’s place in the ecosystem and knew to push for it. The young, casual, and almost half female demo in its experiences is not same group playing more traditional video games (think: older, largely male).

Similarly, IP owners can run up to 60 seconds of video inside of a Roblox experience. And users are increasingly seeking out video content on the platform when not gaming or dual screening while playing.  

So, logic would suggest sports properties should be able to get young fans to consume game highlights (think: modern SportsCenter) or engage with a live event (think: Wimbledon) there. 

“Rewards are [also] a big thing on the platform,” Redfern said. “For example, if a user watches a known ‘rewarded video’, perhaps a movie trailer, he or she might get a new item for their avatar.”

But because those rights belong to traditional broadcast partners, most don’t utilize video properly and thus have a less compelling experience for the user. 

Of course, the Roblox audience is unlikely to subscribe to the established pay TV bundle, and young people indulge their fandom across multiple screens, anyway.

The rights owner opportunity on Roblox extends beyond introducing new fans to a given sport.

“When you have seasons, you have moments,” Redfern said. “Taking soccer for example, there are transfer windows, end of season run-ins, The Champions League, things a sports property can build up to.”

Those with a sticky Roblox experience can leverage the platform as a year-round hub to engage young supporters and maintain consistent conversation around tentpole moments.

Roblox can also drive merchandise and apparel sales. 

“There is a ton of signaling occurring on the platform with regards to sports fashion and the outfits young fans would wear,” Redfern said. 

Later this year, Roblox plans to integrate with Shopify.

Sports fans “will be able to put an item in their cart and have the real thing arrive at their door,” Redfern said. In most cases, likely “courtesy of mom or dad’s credit card.”

But nearly all rights owners would be best served by focusing on delivering an authentic branded experience designed to fill the top of the fan funnel first.

Most Roblox experiences aren’t going to organically generate enough revenue to move the needle for a sports franchise in the short-term. And the optics of constructing a game loop focused on extracting cash from fans isn’t in their best long-term interests, either.

“But start a fan conversation, demonstrate that you’re showing up for them, and the rewards can be big,” Redfern said.

While established sports properties now need a coherent Roblox strategy alongside their YouTube approach to effectively reach young fans, don’t be surprised if the next ‘big’ league emerges from the popular online gaming platform.

“Much like Baller League and these sport evolutions driven by YouTube-first consumption, there will be a new property, or a new evolution of an existing sport, born out of online play that scales to a point it is then played in real life,” Redfern said.

Time will tell if YouTube and Roblox are still the dominant entertainment platforms for young fans when that time arrives.

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