Dive Brief:
- Marking a new Roblox experience, Walmart has introduced Supercampus, a back-to-school-themed game, the retailer announced Wednesday.
- Players aged 13 and up can solve puzzles and play using supplies from Bic, Crayola, 3M and other popular back-to-school brands, the company said.
- The retailer designed its environment to follow Roblox’s latest rules for all ages, per the press release.
Dive Insight:
Walmart’s participation in the Roblox craze has ebbed and flowed this year. In March, the retailer ended its Universe of Play, a branded space it had on the platform for six months. Supercampus is a new effort in the Roblox space, aimed specifically at back-to-school.
“Walmart has always aimed to create engaging experiences for our customers and members; now, we’re continuing to explore how to do that in the virtual worlds where they are spending more of their time,” the company wrote in a blog post. “We’re proud to have created a one-of-a-kind virtual journey where players can showcase their talents and uncover hidden skills, perfectly timed for the back-to-school season.”
Shipt also recently released a back-to-school experience on Roblox, within the Driving Empire game, where gamers can act as Shipt shoppers and deliver back-to-school items. Over the past year, more brands and retailers have released Roblox experiences or partnered with the company in other ways. Forever21 introduced its F21 Metaverse Collection, a physical fashion collection based on its virtual experience, in December to celebrate its first year on Roblox. Pacsun debuted its “Pacsun Los Angeles Tycoon” experience on Roblox in February.
Though brands and retailers have flocked to Roblox, the gaming platform has faced lawsuits over its child users, including one that says it facilitated child gambling. Rachel Colvin and Danielle Sass, two parents whose children previously gambled on third-party sites using Roblox’s in-game currency, filed a class action lawsuit alleging that Roblox enables children and teens to play Blackjack, slots, roulette and other games using the platform’s currency.
