Walmart Releases Virtual Experiences on Roblox as Metaverse Testing Ground

Credit: Walmart

Walmart barges into the metaverse by releasing two immersive experiences on the gaming platform Roblox. Walmart Land is centered on fashion, beauty, and entertainment and offers mini-games, challenges, and live events like concerts. Meanwhile, Universe of Play revolves around immersive games, toys, and fun challenges. Both games are targeted toward younger shoppers and gamers but also carry features designed to attract adults. This is the retail giant’s means of attracting Gen Z and Generation Alpha shoppers while showcasing its technological capabilities.

While Roblox is not the metaverse billed as the ‘future of the internet,’ it serves as a pocket metaverse that can be viewed as a preview of things to come. Walmart knows this full well as its Chief Marketing Officer, William White, has stated that the gaming platform is a testing ground for what it has in store for the upcoming metaverse. And the retailer’s two new virtual experiences show a lot of promise.

When Walmart announced the release of Walmart Land and the Universe of Play, the shares of Roblox traded 5.11% higher. The two games’ depth and unique interactive content have caused excitement among Roblox’s investors. For Walmart’s part, it is launching innovative retail and gaming solutions on a platform that has historically attracted kids, teens, and young adults with over 52 million daily active users globally. The company is geared to start a new retail trend with this venture.

So, what exactly do Walmart’s immersive experiences bring to the table?

Walmart Land

Walmart Land comes as an island that’s shaped like the company’s logo with an expansive amusement park. On the island lie six isles, four of which are still under development. Even though there are only two isles available, the number of things players can do is already impressive.

Players can visit Electric Island to watch live concerts, compete in dance-offs, and participate in a Netflix trivia game hosted by Noah Schnapp, who plays Will on Stranger Things. The artists who will perform live in October include Madison Beer, YUNGBLUD, and Kane Brown. This digital zone carries features comparable to Roblox’s Spotify Land.

Another feature of interest is the DJ Booth Remix. It enables players to create their own tunes using several instruments, including a digital keyboard. They can also drop by the House of Style, which hosts several activities like a manicure challenge and trying out different outfits. In addition, the realm has a place in which players can redeem tokens for merchandise. The carried brands include Skullcandy and toy company L.O.L. Surprise.

Universe of Play

If Walmart Land is aimed at teens and young adults, Universe of Play caters to kids. The game showcases a quirky realm of mixed periods, with a medieval castle and areas with modern architecture. Players are treated to an assortment of games, virtual rides, and cutesy fashion shows. What’s more, Universe of Play is packed with toys sprinkled throughout the realm. It’s something out of a kid’s digital fantasy.

A New Standard for Retailers

Walmart’s immersive experiences put the retailer ahead of the pack by offering metaverse-related shopping and entertainment. While the retail giant currently does not earn off of the games, it intends to leverage these for online shopping as well as a means of driving in-store sales in the near future. Moreover, both realms are far from being fully developed, so more areas and features will appear soon.

Should the games gain traction from Roblox’s growing user base, these are likely to spark a new trend among retailers to digitize and expand brand experiences virtually even before the metaverse is developed. This potentially gives Walmart and other early adopters a huge advantage since they will have already captured a significant share of the virtual shopping and gaming markets by the time they migrate to the metaverse.