Imagine disappearing inside a world of your own creation — a world you love, complete with all kinds of unique connections and creatures and then … picking up Wendy’s fries or a new soccer kit from Puma. 

Brand integrations on platforms like Roblox and Fortnite have become wildly successful, particularly with Gen Z.

According to GEEIQ’s (a data and analytics platform focused on brand activity across gaming and virtual worlds) annual State of Brands in Virtual Worlds 2026 report, brands are acknowledging this, as 88% of all brand activations now take place on just two platforms: Roblox and Fortnite. In fact, a single Roblox creator-built experience reached 26 million concurrent players — more than the top 100 Steam (a platform to preview and purchase games) games combined on the same day.

“Virtual worlds are no longer a test channel,” says Charles Hambro, CEO and Co-Founder of GEEIQ. “In 2026, marketers should be thinking audience-first rather than reach-first, planning integrations around community fit and engagement depth.”

Hambro also says that brands are putting real investment into gaming integrations, going deeper than a single campaign. 

“Studios are evolving from project-based builders into long-term operators of experiences, which creates new opportunities for brands willing to commit beyond one-off activations,” he says.

What’s Working in Virtual Worlds

Basket Entertainment, one of the largest user-generated content (UGC) gaming studios on Roblox, works with brands to build high-performing interactive experiences designed for developing long-term growth relationships with users as well as brand integrations. The group has worked with major companies such as Walmart, Barbie, CeraVe and Strawberry Shortcake (to name a few). 

Amy Zehren, CMO at Basket Entertainment, says what’s working in virtual worlds right now is integration, not isolation. 

“Brands that embed directly into core gameplay mechanics are outperforming those that build standalone destinations (brand-centered worlds),” Zehren says. “Players don’t want to visit an ad, they want something that enhances how they already play.”

The State of Brands in Virtual Worlds 2026 report supports this finding that 2025 marked the first year that brand integrations outnumbered brand-owned worlds.

The study also proves that brands are increasingly committed, with the average activations per brand rising to 1.8 in 2025, up from 1.4 in 2023.

“At Basket Entertainment, across our portfolio of 200-plus live Roblox experiences, we’ve consistently seen gameplay-first integrations drive significant lift in impressions and repeat engagement compared to standalone activations,” Zehren says. 

Zehren also noted a few best practices: 

• Design for repeatability, not one-off spectacle.
• Activate creators early to extend cultural relevance and measurable reach.
• Integrate into the core loop whenever possible — enhance progression, creativity or status.

Examples of Brand Success

From candy and sneakers to face cream, brand integrations in virtual worlds are extremely varied and creative. There’s something for every user’s interest. 

HI-CHEW, the fruity, chewy candy, partnered with Fortnite in 2023 to integrate their brand not just in digital scenes and backgrounds, but in the creation of three popular mini-games: Hiding Game, Lucky Blocks and Troll Free For All.

Teruhiro Kawabe (Terry), Chief Representative for the U.S.A. and President, CEO of Morinaga America, Inc. (parent company for HI-CHEW), said the opportunity presented a chance to connect with a prime audience. 

“With more than half of Fortnite’s audience falling into the Gen Z demographic, this integration allowed us to reach our target consumers in a more fun, engaging and meaningful way while they are consuming entertainment,” Kawabe says. “We’re excited to be able to bring a unique in-game experience to further brand awareness.”

Gamers could hide inside larger-than-life HI-CHEW packages, unlock HI-CHEW branded power blocks to receive a new item to help elevate game play, and engage with HI-CHEW’s branded pushcarts to interact and unlock a new power-up to help them stay in the game longer. 

PUMA has also partnered on interactions numerous times with Fortnite, and one of the most popular coincided with the real-life launch of a new 2024 kit collection for the Manchester City Football (soccer) Club. 

Players could find the digital kits in various Fortnite games including GO GOATED!, Atlas Hiding Game, 2v2 Realistics, Chess, Ultimate Hide and Seek and Easy Obby. At the time, it was a first-of-its-kind campaign. 

“It’s a really good way to test the waters and come to the platform in an organic way, where you’re introducing yourselves to existing audiences,” Michael Herriger, the CEO of Fortnite Creative studio Atlas Creative, told Digiday. 

Lighter weight pop-up modules (a temporary branded area within a game, similar to a digital pop up shop) allow brands to seamlessly enter high traffic environments and reach scale quickly without disrupting player behavior. 

CeraVe partnered with Basket Entertainment to execute its own pop up modules across select Roblox games, including Obby But You’re on a Bike and Skateboard Obby (we learned that “obby” is short for “obstacle course,” where players complete jumps and challenges). The geo-targeted activation introduced a branded mini game where players “fought” bacteria using CeraVe products to earn rewards like jetpacks and speed boosts.

Zehren says success comes from respecting the player experience.

“The most effective brand integrations are built into how players engage with the experience, not layered on top as traditional ads,” she says. “The integration was successful because it became part of the gameplay, not a separate advertisement.”

Nicole Schuman is Managing Editor at PRNEWS.