More than just free online video games, Roblox or Fortnite have become with the pandemic entertainment “platforms” popular with brands where players can lead a parallel life, to the point of shaking up the hegemony of social networks.
Beyond the fact of having conquered hundreds of millions of children and teenagers around the world, what is the common point between Roblox, “sandbox” where you can build your own mini-games, and Fortnite, “battle royale” where you have to eliminate other players with weapons in hand to win?
“It’s the metaverse”, explains to AFP Julien Pillot, teacher-researcher at Inseec, specialist in digital technology and cultural industries: concept developed in 1992 by Neal Stephenson in the science fiction novel “The Virtual Samurai “, it is a cyberspace parallel to physical reality where a community of users in the form of avatars can interact, discuss or even be entertained.
The most striking example: the series of five virtual concerts at the end of last April, in full confinement, of the American rapper Travis Scott, appeared as an avatar on Fortnite, which were followed by more than 12 million players. Never seen.
Building on this success, the game which brings together 350 million “gamers” mainly aged 14 to 24, has also launched a film festival called “Short Nite” or “Party Royale”, a giant virtual party hosted by DJs renowned.
“Especially in times like now, where getting together physically is more difficult, it is extremely important to have these virtual experiences. We really think of Fortnite as a platform for connected social experiences and not just as a game,” explained to AFP Nate Nanzer, an executive of Epic Games, the publisher of Fortnite.
– “Metaverse”, Absolute Grail –
If succeeding in building a “metaverse” is a form of “Holy Grail” in the video game industry, it is not an unprecedented attempt, according to expert Charles-Louis Planade, who notably cites the example. of the World of Warcraft game released in the 2000s.
“What is new is that these video games have almost become a + hub + where playing is one of the activities offered, but not the only one,” said the financial analyst at TP ICAP. “This is a strong trend accentuated by the pandemic”.
For Fortnite, Roblox and others, what is the goal? Win the battle for attention and retain their players at all costs by constantly creating the event, while they are paid mainly through microtransactions carried out inside their game.
Another objective: to monetize their audience – 150 million monthly players on Roblox – by offering brands incomparable visibility with the “young” target without having “the intrusive side of traditional advertising”, underlines Julien Pillot.
– “Everyone will play” –
From Nike to Disney, which had promoted the last episode of Star Wars on Roblox in late 2019, many advertisers have already taken the plunge.
An original economic model that has already attracted investors, like Roblox, valued at $ 46 billion just after its IPO on the New York Stock Exchange in early March. That is four times the capitalization of the French publisher Ubisoft!
Enough to upset the codes of social networks and eventually compete with the giants of the sector like Facebook / Instagram, TikTok or Snapchat?
“The key to a game like Fortnite is that you are + gamer +. On the mass of advertising contracts, you will never beat a Facebook (2.8 billion users) that caters to everyone. world, to young and old, to CSP + and CSP-. You cannot compete on the same audience level, “says Julien Pillot.
“We are going in the middle of a straight line”, forecasts analyst Charles-Louis Planade on the other hand, citing the sudden disappearance of MySpace, the flagship social network of the 2000s, as an example. “Video games are experiencing an acceleration of their democratization phenomenon. Tomorrow everyone will be playing video games. “
yk / ak / cal
ICAP
THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY
NIKE
UBISOFT ENTERTAINMENT
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