Roblox is going to let creators sell physical items from their games. The company has been testing its tools to do so since last year, but today, it’s announcing that it’s opening up its Commerce APIs to eligible Roblox creators. Shopify is the first “integrated partner” for the APIs, and if a creator or brand is a Shopify merchant, they can start selling physical goods inside their experiences.
You can see how it works in a video from Roblox. In one experience’s “premium shop,” there’s a merch section where you can browse things like hoodies or T-shirts. Click on the one you’re interested in and a page will pop up with additional details about the item and begin the checkout process.
Fenty Beauty is one brand that is already offering stuff to buy through an in-Roblox experience, including a shade of lip gloss that’s exclusively only in that experience. Hopefully experiences that incorporate shopping are more interesting than my dreary time at Metaverse Fashion Week.
Roblox is also launching an initiative that works the other way around. Through the company’s new Approved Merchandiser Program, you’ll be able to buy physical goods in the real world that give you digital items in experiences.
