Ah, the metaverse, a buzzword that had everyone scrambling for VR headsets and dreaming of digital fortunes. Deep down, we all knew it was never gonna live up to the hype…
But while Meta was burning billions on avatars with no legs, Roblox was quietly perfecting its formula: an accessible platform where literally anyone can create, play, and profit.
Most virtual worlds are still not worth a Robux, but if you know where to look, you can turn a pixel playground into a payday. Here’s our guide for how you can MONIIFY it:
- Pick your playground 🎡
Roblox isn’t a metaverse wannabe — it’s the real deal. With around 89 million daily active users, it has serious money-making opportunities for creators. Fortnite is another game that boasts millions of active users. Both have loyal players who come back day after day and spend real-world cash in their virtual world.
Takeaway: Choose a metaverse with a large, loyal customer base and a proven monetization strategy, or all your hard work will go to waste.
- Create 🔥 products … for avatars
In Roblox and Fortnite, players spend real money on in-game currencies to buy outfits, hairstyles and accessories (aka skins) and other products in the virtual marketplace. Creators get paid when users purchase their products. Those who crack the code are making six or even seven figures annually. But don’t panic, you don’t need to be a coding wizard; there are tutorials to get you started.
The formula: Design products that players can’t resist, market them inside your chosen virtual world, and cash in. If you’re lucky, your creations might even get advertised for free by influencers, says Zack Letter, co-founder and CEO of Wonder World Studios.
Read more: Roblox: The unreality of a Nasdaq 100 company
- Build new games🎮
The virtual worlds that have taken off when others have fizzled are based around gaming. Players enter a metaverse where they can go from one game or challenger or experience to another, all within the same ecosystem. Build a game and you can get paid more the longer users spend immersed in your experience. You can also earn money from in-experience subscriptions and purchases of special game passes or event tickets.
The video start program and the creator-affiliate program are two ways creators can cash in on Roblox, Aliana Miller, director of influencer marketing at Roblox, tells the 1 Billion Followers Summit in Dubai, including giving creators a cut for every new user they bring to the platform. Fortine also has a solid creator program which means you can get paid for your games and virtual creations when players buy them.
Key takeaway: Figure out which affiliate programs work for you and how to make the most of them with.
- Work smart and collab 🤜🤛
There are so many ins and outs to creating games, from scripting and modeling to animations and UI design. So, unless you’re some kind of scripting-building-modeling-animating superhuman (and if you are, congrats 👏 ), chances are you’re going to need help. On Roblox, you can use Team Create to work with friends or hire pros from the developer marketplace to handle the stuff you can’t. Needless to say, you pay them in Robux, Shabir Momin, managing director of New Media Holding, tells MONIIFY.
Key takeaway: Collaboration isn’t just cutesy and kind — it’s a shortcut to creating faster, better games and cashing in.
Read more: #HotStox: Why Roblox is only for the brave
- Get friendly with a big brand or influencer
Teaming up with famous brands is the ultimate power move for new creators looking to level up. It’s not just about the fame (that’s a bonus tho); it’s about tapping into a massive audience that already trusts the brand, Cathy Hackl, a tech futurist and founder of Future Dynamics (aka Godmother of the Metaverse), tells MONIIFY. While discoverability is hard to crack for new creators on Roblox, Hackl says partnering with brands gets your work in front of more eyeballs. And that is the key to boosting your earnings.
Key takeaway: If you want to go big, skip the small talk and head straight for the virtual VIP lounge.
Edited by Lin Noueihed and Azar Zaidi. If you have any tips, ideas or feedback, please get in touch: talk-to-us@moniify.com
