Marsh
Mallow, our media agency just pitched us "you can now run ads on Roblox." But Roblox ads existed before, right? What actually changed?
Mallow
They existed, but running them required "build a custom 3D experience for Roblox" — six months from brief to launch. The Google × Roblox integration expansion announced at CES 2026 (January) cleared a route to convert existing video creative into 3D experience ads. Agency pitches started landing this spring as the rollout matured — that's the "now you can do Roblox" you're hearing.
Marsh
Video, auto-converted into 3D… what does that actually look like for the user?
Mallow
When the user encounters your ad inside Roblox, a small 3D space opens up with your video playing in the background. Picture a snack brand: a room where the product is floating, the user steps in, and the video plays alongside.
Marsh
Huh. And we don't need to rebuild anything for Roblox?
Mallow
Not in the baseline path. Google handles the conversion to a 3D environment automatically. Of course, if you want it crafted tightly to your brand world, custom production is still on the table. But the floor is: reuse what you already have. That's a big deal.
Marsh
And I heard there's a new homepage slot too?
Mallow
Homepage Feature. The screen users see the moment they open Roblox — your brand can sit there. Roblox daily active users sit around 132M as of Q1 2026 (peak was 152M in Q3 2025). At that scale, the reach profile is closer to TV-CM than typical display.
Marsh
100M+ daily is wild. But most of them are kids, aren't they? I'm a bit nervous about target fit.
Mallow
Depends on the product. If your core is teens, slam dunk. If you're after 20s–30s, you need to back it up with data showing "Roblox isn't only Gen Z anymore." The average age has been climbing, and the 20+ segment is now a substantial share of the player base. When an agency pitches you, demand the age-distribution data.
Marsh
The phrase "programmatic buying" came up. What's that?
Mallow
Machine-driven auction for ad slots. From Amazon DSP or Liftoff, you can bid "I want to reach Roblox users aged X, into genre Y, at this CPM." Until now, Roblox inventory was mostly direct-sold, so this opening up is real.
Marsh
Meaning, from the same ad ops tools we already use, we can now buy Roblox inventory?
Mallow
Yes. From the ad ops team's seat, it's not "a new platform," it's "new inventory inside the existing workflow." That's the integration story.
Marsh
So as a brand, where do we start?
Mallow
Three steps. (1) Inventory your 15-second and 30-second video assets. Ask the agency to evaluate which ones convert well to 3D. (2) The homepage slot is a premium-priced unit, so earmark budget around a new-product launch or awareness campaign. (3) Run a small programmatic test for one or two months to feel out CPM and CTR against your target audience.
Marsh
What should we watch out for?
Mallow
Auto-conversion is convenient, but "does it match the brand world" needs human review or you'll have accidents. Mismatches between your video's mood and Roblox's texture happen routinely, so have your internal design team approve the test creative before scaling. Also, user reactions inside Roblox — comments, stamps — read differently from traditional ads. Get used to reading that signal.
Marsh
…So, the executive summary?
Mallow
(1) Running existing video assets on Roblox no longer requires custom production. (2) Premium homepage placement is now buyable. (3) Standard DSPs can purchase the inventory, so it folds into ad ops cleanly. Now is the moment to consider adding Roblox as a budget line.
Marsh
I can already picture the slide: "TV CM · YouTube · Roblox" sitting side by side. That deck is coming soon.
