Roblox recently gained one of the biggest franchises of the gaming metaverse. We are talking about the Shrek series. More precisely, a Roblox game called Shrek Swamp Tycoon. Players will gain access to one of the most common sub-genres in this gaming space - the so-called obby (The word “Obby” means Obstacle). They will also have access to many more experiences in the Shrek comedic fantasy space.
On its own, the Roblox game is nothing special, but it does show that the struggle for the ultimate winner in the gaming metaverse is far from over. While Epic Games might have had the best start of 2024 in terms of brand collaboration, striking a deal with intellectual property like Shrek shows that Roblox is more than capable of attracting big pop culture franchises.
The key gameplay mechanic behind Shrek Swamp Tycoon is a well-known sub-genre in Roblox, which is an obstacle course, or "obby". The Shrek game combines elements of an obby with a tycoon-like simulation, where players need to collect resources and gather materials to advance further.
The game takes place in the iconic Shrek swamp, interacting with many famous characters from the animated films, like Donkey, Princess Fiona, and Gingerbread Man. The game also offers elements of user-generated content, in the form of allowing players to collect coins and then construct their own experiences in Shrek Swamp Tycoon, including rebuilding some crucial locations like Gingy's Gingerbread House. Due to the constraints of the IP, the UGC options are not huge or expansive. However, their very presence shows that all companies involved understand the value of allowing players to create their own experiences, at least to some degree. Also, the Roblox map offers a lot of collectible elements, like the heads of key characters, offering a form of in-game economy that might grow in the coming months.
There's another interesting aspect for Roblox in its most recent franchise-based game. Shrek Swamp Tycoon came about as a collaboration between three different companies. Besides Roblox, that includes DreamWorks as the creators of the franchise and Universal Studios as its present owner. Bill Kispert, an SVP and GM from Universal Products & Experiences, stated that both his company and DreamWorks were excited to offer Roblox players their much-beloved franchise. With the game, players can, according to Kispert, experience thrilling action and Shrek humor in a unified gaming blend. These experiences are created to be played but also shared in a collective manner. This also points towards the ultimate goal of any big IP entering the UGC metaspace like Roblox: introducing new customers to their brands.
The baseline potential of Shrek Swamp Tycoon is not incredibly big and all those involved in the project likely understand this. The possibility of the game becoming a mega-hit, even on Roblox services, is limited. However, its sheer presence there, as well as a high production standard for its creation, show the trust that both DreamWorks and Universal Studios have in this ecosystem. With Disney laying claim on Epic and Fortnite, many other companies like Universal want to test out the potential of their IPs in user-generated gaming content space as well.
With its presence on Roblox, the Shrek brand is at least partially revitalized for those generations that never knew the original movie. After all, the last official Shrek film - "Scared Shrekless" - came out as a 26-minute special nearly 15 years ago. Having a presence on UGC platforms offers Universal a way to keep the brand alive, while Roblox can build trust and experience for further pop-culture franchise collaboration. Having in mind how aggressively Fortnite is pursuing these, Roblox cannot risk lagging behind in this marketplace.
