Roblox also added clearer guidelines on how gamers should identify what is sponsored content. Developers must use “simple and understandable language” to indicate an ad, such as “ad”, “paid” or “sponsored.” Merely referencing the name of an advertiser is no longer enough.
Numerous brands could be in violation of these new rules, as pointed out by the watchdog organization Truth in Advertising (TINA). Netflix, for example, launched a “Stranger Things” experience on Roblox whose only indicator that it was a sponsored game was the statement, “By Netflix.” Nike’s popular world, “Nikeland,” which has been visited millions of times, also displays inadequate disclosures, according to TINA. Netflix declined to comment, and Nike did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
One brand that has activated on Roblox said on background that its temporary experience last year was based on a previous policy of the platform.
More broadly, Roblox’s new Advertising Standards provide guidelines on how advertisers should appear on the platform. This new section in Roblox’s rule book outlines advertiser and publisher integrity, such as more details on ad transparency, as well as prohibited advertising content. Cryptocurrency and NFTs, for example, cannot be promoted, nor can multi-level marketing organizations, financial services, online dating services, politics and more. Many of these types of content were not previously outlined as prohibited in Roblox’s rule book.
Clarification is also provided on how marketers should work with Roblox’s new Immersive Ad units, which the platform rolled out last September. For example, portal ads transport users to other Roblox experiences, but these portals cannot mislead users about that destination, the platform states.
