Dive Brief:

• Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures are leaning into gamification on Roblox to promote “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” which hits theaters March 29, per details shared with Marketing Dive. 
• The studios teamed with developer The Gang to create Roblox’s first “immersive trailer.” Players who stop to watch a traditional teaser for the upcoming blockbuster in the online game will be pulled into a virtual recreation of the film’s Hollow Earth environment by Kong to participate in challenges and collect crystal tokens.
• Once the gauntlet is completed, fans can socialize, claim pictures with snapshots from their experience and access the full movie trailer. The crystals they earned can also be put toward limited-edition “Godzilla x Kong” digital items that will land on Roblox in the coming weeks.  

Dive Insight:

Movie studios for years have been leveraging popular platforms like Roblox and Fortnite to promote their films, dropping trailers — and, in some cases, full movies — that can be watched virtually. They view gaming as an important bridge to connect with Gen Z and Gen Alpha, young audiences that have largely spurned traditional media. Virtual experiences of this stripe also tend to be associated with the metaverse, a term that has lost much of its steam but remains valued by some marketers for its potential to bridge online interactions with real-world results, in this case, the hope of driving ticket sales.

Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures, working with assistance from gaming specialist The Gang, aim to take the in-game trailer concept to the next level and better leverage the interactive capabilities of the channel with the activation dubbed “Godzilla x Kong Obby” (Obby is Roblox shorthand for obstacle course).

“It’s been fantastic working with The Gang on the ‘Godzilla x Kong Obby,’ an activation that pushes the boundaries of what’s possible in the immersive media space,” said Cameron Curtis, executive vice president of global digital marketing at Warner Bros. Pictures, in a press statement. 

“Godzilla x Kong Obby” functions similarly to a “4D” amusement park viewing experience. Players who park themselves for a conventional trailer for “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” will be swept into a Roblox facsimile of the Hollow Earth, a jungle-like subterranean realm teeming with oversized monsters. There, they can race to complete Roblox obstacle course challenges accompanied by Suko, the Mini-Kong, a character introduced in the latest installment in the Monsterverse franchise. The final stretch is a sprint through a cave as Godzilla and Kong prepare to battle the Scar King, the movie’s simian antagonist. 

To encourage participation, “Godzilla x Kong Obby” dishes out collectibles that can be redeemed for exclusive Roblox gear, including Godzilla’s tail and head and Kong’s head and axe. The Gang, a developer focused on user-generated content, believes the effort could help set the standard for future immersive movie campaigns.

Studios are coming off a year that saw production halted and schedules rejiggered due to dual writers and actors strikes. “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” arrives during a dry stretch at the box office, with “Dune: Part Two” —also a Warner release — among the only certified hits of 2024 so far.