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- Roblox is creating summer blockbusters
Roblox is creating summer blockbusters
+ OneFootball launch loyalty program on Base, and Hamster Kombat is unwelcome in Iran
John Grabowski
June 25, 2024
It’s the 15th edition of The SEG3 Report, and it is SEG3 London Week this week!
A couple of web3 games are in the coverage today and our first story serves as evidence of some of the value being created at the heart of this industry. The family-feature Summer Blockbuster film release is back, and - according to some - Roblox deserves credit for the success of these animated family films.
So, here’s what you need to know this week:
Let’s get into it…
Roblox experiences create blockbuster films, growing evidence of the promotional benefits
Disney and Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” revitalized the summer box office, grossing over $150 million domestically in its opening weekend, and having a sensational second weekend. This success signals a strong comeback for animated family films, which was kick-started earlier in the year by “Kung Fu Panda 4.”
The successful return of animated films has been significantly bolstered by strategic promotional events on platforms like Roblox, which engage younger audiences more effectively than traditional advertising methods. The “Inside Out 2” Roblox experience was released in 2021, but was recently updated the game to support the new film.
The promotional strategy for “Kung Fu Panda 4” included creating an obby game on Roblox. This game, designed by Sawhorse Productions, allowed players to earn exclusive in-game items by completing the course, thereby increasing engagement and anticipation for the film’s release. This approach proved successful, with “Kung Fu Panda 4” grossing nearly $200 million domestically and $550 million globally.
Why you should care?
The success of these initiatives underscores the potential of gaming platforms like Roblox in reaching younger demographics, who are less likely to be influenced by traditional advertising. Universal Pictures and other studios have recognized the value of these platforms not just for kids but for adult audiences as well, as seen in past collaborations with Twitch and Meta Quest.
As animated films dominate the summer box office, with “Inside Out 2” leading the way, upcoming releases like “Despicable Me 4” are expected to benefit from similar promotional strategies, leveraging the synergy between gaming and content creation to drive movie attendance and engagement.
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OneFootball partners with Animoca Brands to reward fandom
OneFootball, the digital football platform, has launched the OneFootball Club (OFC) in collaboration with Animoca Brands, utilizing the Base blockchain to reward global fan loyalty.
This initiative aims to establish a digital football club that recognizes and rewards the most engaged football fans worldwide. The OFC will encourage fans to document, share, and showcase their football journeys within a safe community, evolving their profiles and allowing them to compete for exclusive rewards and achievements on global leaderboards.
The alpha version of the OFC, released in February 2024, saw significant engagement with over 300,000 participants. The next phase is set for July 2024. In a statement, OneFootball CEO Patrick Fischer highlighted the OFC's role in allowing fans to contribute to the value creation of their engagement, with ambitions to expand into other football experiences and offer unique opportunities for brands, clubs, and services. Yat Siu, Co-Founder of Animoca Brands, expressed excitement about the partnership's potential to reward football fans, while Jesse Pollak from Base emphasized the fan-first approach of OneFootball and the opportunities for fans to engage directly with their favourite teams and players.
Why you should care?
If they have ‘cracked’ the concept of rewarding fans for their commitment to the teams they love, this will be brilliant. Like a play-to-earn concept (more on that in a moment) for sports fans would be incredible, and likely to become a fan engagement mechanic that would be regularly repeated.
Animoca Brands and OneFootball previously launched a JV ‘OneFootball Labs’ in April 2022, which hit rocky waters, but these are clear signs that the once embattled digital platform is starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
This news follows the announcement earlier this year of the OneFootball and Yahoo Sports partnership to create a co-branded content hub focused on soccer in the United States and Canada, the Yahoo Sports-OneFootball hub.
Yahoo Sports views this partnership as a strategic move to grow its soccer content, especially with upcoming tournaments like Copa América 2024, FIFA Club World Cup 2025, and the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The partnership will support OneFootball's European partner clubs in accelerating their efforts to grow in the US market, and aims to unlock new advertising and sponsorship opportunities for brands interested in soccer content.
Both partnerships, with Animoca Brands and Yahoo, represent significant moves to capitalize on the growing interest in soccer in North America and a resurgent interest in web3 gaming platforms.
The Telegram-based crypto game Hamster Kombat has gained significant traction in Iran, while attracting 200 million players globally. The game, which features simple tap-to-earn mechanics and lets players act as a hamster CEO of a fictional crypto exchange, has seen a surge in popularity ahead of its token launch. This rise in interest is notable among Iran's population, who are drawn to the potential crypto rewards amid economic challenges.
Iranian government officials, however, view the game's popularity with suspicion. Rear Adm. Habibollah Sayyari, Iran’s deputy military chief, has labelled Hamster Kombat as part of a Western "soft war" aimed at distracting Iranians from the upcoming presidential election. State-run media have echoed this sentiment, criticizing the game for promoting a culture of easy wealth over hard work and entrepreneurship, which they argue undermines societal values.
The developers of Hamster Kombat plan to launch their token on The Open Network (TON) in July, following the model of a similar game, Notcoin, which saw substantial success and player engagement earlier this year. Despite the Iranian government's concerns, the game's widespread appeal and the growing user base on social media platforms suggest it is set to make a significant impact in the crypto gaming space.
Why you should care?
Naturally, the real story here is a reflection on the state of the Iranian economy, which is driving people to pursue such potential gains via games. However, that is one for a different newsletter…
For now, we prefer to reflect on the state of our world in 2024, in which a game with the tagline, “Make your way from the shaved hamster to the grandmaster CEO of the tier-1 crypto exchange” can reach 200M users and draw the ayre of a national government.
For reference, it took Facebook 5 years to reach 200M users, and they were pretty proud of that at the time!
In other news…
A quick round-up of other stories we found interesting this week!
Working on anything cool, or have a press release you would like us to cover? Send it in for the chance for it to be covered in next week’s edition!