Are you one of the billions upon billions of people who's been clamoring for a Roblox Walmart crossover? If you are, then your lucky day has arrived. Walmart is launching two "immersive experiences" in Roblox, which the corporation describes as a "metaverse mega-platform". Oh, joy.
What's the deal with this Roblox Walmart crossover?
Here's how it shakes out. According to a press release, Walmart's two experiences will be called Walmart Land (yuck) and Walmart's Universe of Play (further yuck). Walmart Land will offer the chance to buy "verch", which is short for "virtual merchandise" and which is one of the worst abbreviations ever, as well as three "big experiences".
The first of these is Electric Island, which offers you the chance to walk along an "interactive piano walkway" and take on a Netflix trivia experience, among other things. House of Style, meanwhile, lets you browse products from major fashion houses, which is definitely an objective young kids should be happy to chase. Finally, there's Electric Fest, which is a mo-cap concert airing in October and featuring artists like Madison Beer and Yungblud.
Walmart's Universe of Play, meanwhile, will bring "the year's best toys" to Roblox. You can play games involving franchises like Jurassic World and Paw Patrol, and you can earn coins for "verch" (ugh). There will also be hoverboards and other "e-mobility" items on offer, so you can zip around the Walmart Universe of Play faster. Of course, the quit button is instant. Just saying.
Roblox is getting pretty friendly with brands
For a game (sorry, "metaverse mega-platform") ostensibly aimed at children, Roblox sure is courting the favor of a lot of brands. Famous companies like Gucci, Nike, and Tommy Hilfiger have created explorable spaces within Roblox, and other brand collabs range from food companies like Chipotle and Kellogg's all the way through to stores like Forever 21.
Some of these brands were reported to the FTC by advertising watchdog TINA.org for allegedly engaging in deceptive practices, including creating "advergames" which are "indistinguishable" from regular Roblox games. For a "metaverse mega-platform" with over 48 million daily players (most of whom are likely minors), effectively allowing brands to create insidious content like this, as Roblox has allegedly done, isn't a great look.
Elsewhere in the world of Roblox, the iconic "Oof" sound was recently dropped due to licensing issues, but it's not all bad news, especially if you're an employee. The Roblox Corporation also revealed in May that it would embrace flexible remote working, allowing employees to work from home if they choose to (albeit with some caveats, including a need to travel to the office at "key points throughout the year"). We'll bring you more on Roblox and its Walmart corporate dystopia as soon as we get it, including if they add some classic Walmart anti-union training seminars to the experience.
