Is the next $500M entertainment franchise hiding inside a Roblox game your kids are already playing? In this Metavertising episode, Ely Santos sits down with James Purell — founder of Building Blocks, Roblox verified creator, and the mind behind one of the largest Roblox news accounts @RBXevents_ — to unpack how games like Steal a Brain Rot, Grow a Garden and Dress to Impress are quietly becoming the new Marvel-style IP factories.

They dive deep into what brands get wrong on Roblox, how UGC worlds beat traditional ad formats, and why the smartest move for IP owners might be to partner with fan-made games instead of shutting them down.

🔊 In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why James believes the next Marvel-level IP will emerge from UGC gaming—and why Roblox outpaces Minecraft and Fortnite for this.

• The Roblox numbers that matter: 112M+ DAU, record-shattering CCU peaks, and more players than all consoles combined.

• How a Roblox game can evolve into animated YouTube series, toys, plushies and eventually Netflix/Hulu deals—without starting with a massive budget.

• The “MVP startup way” to build IP: test fast with simple mechanics, AI-generated assets, then polish once the core loop and audience are proven.

• Why most brand-built Roblox worlds flop—and how to win instead by integrating into existing hits (think: Bridge Battles x Coca-Cola-style collabs).

• The simple core loop rule: how games like Plants vs Brain Rot remix proven mechanics instead of reinventing the wheel.

• Metrics that actually matter for brands: session time, engagement and brand interaction minutes, not just vanity visits or CCU spikes.

• How Adidas, Minions and Blue Lock became case studies in doing it right—by collaborating with creators, embracing culture, and even legitimizing “unofficial” fan games.

• Why Roblox is one of the only platforms where your brand can both advertise AND generate direct revenue from the experience itself.

Whether you’re a CMO thinking about Gen Alpha, a game studio eyeing transmedia IP, or a brand wondering if Roblox is “worth it,” this episode gives you a brutally honest, battle-tested playbook.

🔗 Connect with JamesLinkedIn: James PurellX / Twitter (Roblox news & events): @RBXevents_

🔗 Connect with ElyLinkedIn: Ely Santos

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Hit Follow, leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review, and share this episode with someone on your team who still thinks Roblox is “just a kids’ game.”

#Metavertising #Roblox #UGCgaming #GenAlpha #BrandIP #MetaverseMarketing

Meta Connect had hiccups—but did it just spark the mainstream AR era? XR developer Tom Krikorian (Studio 84) joins Ely Santos to unpack first impressions of Ray-Ban Display, why the EMG wristband is the real breakthrough, and what devs need before this market explodes. We get candid about Horizon Worlds, Meta’s SDK (or lack of it), and Apple’s tight ecosystem + on-device AI advantage.

In this episode:

• Hands-on with Ray-Ban Display: one-eye HUD, real-world navigation, where it shines—and where it strains.

• The wristband wow-factor: finger-level intent control that finally feels ready for prime time.

• Developer reality check: unstable stacks, shifting roadmaps, and why an SDK + clear monetization path are non-negotiable.

• Meta vs. Apple: open ambitions vs. end-to-end optimization (iPhone, processors, on-device AI). Who’s better positioned?

• Early use cases that actually stick: notifications without the phone, live captions, travel translation, and accessibility.

• The Horizon Worlds debate: chasing Roblox—or losing the VR plot?

  
  

Guest: Tom Krikorian — visionOS/XR developer, Studio 84;
Host: Ely Santos — Metavertising Podcast.

If you’re building for XR—or betting your brand on the next wave of consumer wearables—this is your field guide to what’s real, what’s hype, and what’s coming next.

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#AR #XR #AppleVisionPro #RayBanDisplay #Metavertising

🛠️ Design Like Tony Stark: XR, AI & the Industrial Metaverse with Siemens’ Ben Widdowson

Think Jarvis-style voice commands and holographic prototypes are still sci-fi? 🚀 In this episode, host Ely Santos sits down with Ben Widdowson—Head of Marketing for Immersive Engineering at Siemens—to break down how extended reality, real-time CAD, and AI copilots are already reshaping the way Sony and other manufacturers build the products you love.

🔊 Press play to learn:

• Why the “digital thread” matters—and how breaking it kills speed, quality, and sustainability.

• Sony’s secret weapon: a headset + software stack purpose-built for engineering, not gaming.

• 25 % productivity? Try weeks-to-minutes. Real-world wins in automotive, furniture, and consumer electronics.

• From desktop to design cave: what true-scale digital twins do that 2-D screens never can.

• Voice-controlled CAD & generative-AI prompts—how close we are to full Jarvis workflows.

• The hardware roadmap: smart glasses vs. “heavy-lift” headsets (and where each one wins).

Whether you’re a product designer, XR dev, or marketer chasing the next tech wave, this conversation is your cheat-code to the industrial metaverse.

Connect with Ben → LinkedIn @ Ben Widdowson
Follow Ely → LinkedIn @ Ely Santos

🎧 Enjoying Metavertising? Tap Follow, leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review, and share the episode with a friend who still thinks XR is “just for gamers.”

#IndustrialMetaverse #XR #AI #ProductDesign #Siemens #Sony #Metavertising