Albane Prioux is on vacation this week, so Lee Kebler (TechMagic Podcast) jumps in as co-host to join Nic Hill on Episode 29 of Brands In Play.

At the heart of the show is Alex Wechsler, Head of Studios at 100 Thieves. Alex lays out how 100 Thieves went from “just another esports org” to a cultural brand that moves like Supreme but competes like the Lakers. He talks candidly about the esports bubble, the grind of keeping players, brands, and fans happy at the same time, and how live content is becoming the new frontier for sponsorships.

Before diving into our conversation with Alex, we tackled the week’s biggest stories, from serious questions around child safety on Roblox, to Reese’s smart move riding Taylor Swift’s new album announcement wave! This one is for the Swifties. We also tackle Meta’s surprising win with Ray-Ban smart glasses, and yes… even scratch-and-sniff billboards. 

And because no episode is complete without it, Nic jumps into the Real Time Review with a first-hand look at Hi-Chew’s latest Fortnite activation. From vibrant worlds to branded wearables, it’s proof that candy companies can play (and win) in UGC gaming.

Watch the full episode  

And hit follow on Brands in Play for weekly insights

Follow Alex - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-wechsler-a3984146/

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https://www.youtube.com/@100Thieves
https://www.linkedin.com/company/100thieves/posts/?feedView=all

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Nic Hill -   https://www.linkedin.com/in/nic-hill-6553873/
Albane Prioux -   https://www.linkedin.com/in/albaneprioux/
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#BrandsInPlay #100Thieves #TechMagic

McDonaldland is so back! This time inside Fortnite, as part of a global campaign spanning TV, influencers, and immersive worlds.

On Episode 28 of Brands In Play, we’re joined by Ryan Norrington, Creative Director at Metavision, to talk about what it takes to bring a campaign of this scale into Fortnite and why the platform was the right fit for McDonald’s.

We also dive into the week’s news with Lady Gaga on Roblox, Tim Sweeney clapping back at the Wall Street Journal, Meta Horizon’s big shift, and anime hitting Delta flights. All this before Albane takes us inside McDonaldland on Fortnite herself for a real-time review.

Vote for the Sawhorse SXSW Panel: https://participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sxsw26/community-voting-sxsw-auth/page/community-voting/session/1752521122603001ycxd

Watch the full episode  on YouTube and Spotify

Episode 28 is now live.

And hit follow on Brands in Play for weekly insights

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#brandsinplay  #metavision  #mcdonalds #mcdonaldland 

Episode 27 of Brands In Play, Albane Prioux sits down with Annette Lee, Head of Global Business Development at Zepeto, to unpack how the platform’s avatar-first model has created a global audience that’s majority Gen Z female. Annette breaks down the four creator types driving the economy and how each opens up a different path for brand activations. 

She explains why Hyundai, a car brand, has unexpectedly become one of Zepeto’s top-selling “fashion” labels, and how features like outlinking to real-world sites give the platform a conversion advantage most virtual worlds can’t match. 
Before the interview, Nic Hill and Albane break down a big week in immersive marketing:

• GTA and Battlefield sending strong signals toward UGC integrations
• Panda Express launching across Roblox and Fortnite simultaneously
• Snapchat, WPP & Lumen measuring attention on ad formats
• Netflix House bringing IP into permanent immersive venues in Philadelphia and Dallas

Before shifting into a real-time review where Nic explores Hyundai’s IONIQ 6 activation, jumping into custom photo and video booths, picking up branded wearables, exploring the Planet Hyundai 3D world, and testing out a mobile-friendly racing mini-game.

Watch the full episode  
#BrandsInPlay #Zepeto

Episode 27 is now live.

And hit follow on Brands in Play for weekly insights

Follow Annette Lee - https://www.linkedin.com/in/annette-lee-%EC%9D%B4%EC%98%88%EC%A0%84-6896b330/

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#BrandsInPlay #Zepeto

What are the key strategies for successful media buying in gaming?

This week on Brands In Play, Albane Prioux and Nic Hill are joined by Claire Nance from Activision Blizzard Media to talk about what makes an ad campaign effective inside games. We’ll explore how to build campaigns that players actually love, focusing on mobile's unique challenges and opportunities.

We also dive into a bunch of other cool topics, like the rise of anime-inspired ad campaigns, Roblox hitting over 100 million daily users, and why new data from PwC means marketers should rethink their strategies.

And for our Real-Time Review, we're looking at the awesome move the UEFA Women’s Championship made by turning match highlights into an immersive experience inside Roblox.

Watch the full episode 

Episode 26 is now live.

And hit follow on Brands in Play for weekly insights

Follow Claire Nance - https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairemnance/

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Nic Hill -   https://www.linkedin.com/in/nic-hill-6553873/
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#brandsinplay #ActivisionBlizzard #MobileGaming

We’ve teamed up with the Kids Media Club podcast to explore one of the strangest and most viral trends in UGC culture: Italian Brain Rot. Together with Jo, Emily, and Andy, we unpack how a chaotic wave of AI-generated characters and in-jokes became a cultural flashpoint across Roblox and Fortnite, sparking games, fandoms, and serious revenue. 

In the news:
 – Bob Ross quietly makes his Fortnite debut
 – Travis Kelce surprises fans inside Roblox
 – A Fortnite map sells to a publisher for millions
 – Meta reveals a wristband that reads micro-movements straight from your wrist

And in this week’s Real Time Review, Nic reports from Comic Con, where Supercell transformed the San Diego Bay into a life-sized version of Brawl Stars’ Star Park. From LED-rigged monorails to MrBeast x Brawl Stars chocolate bars, it’s one of the boldest immersive campaigns we’ve seen all year.

Watch the full episode  [Link In Comments]

#BrandsInPlay #KidsMediaClubPodcast #ItalianBrainrot #MemeCulture

Charles Hambro built GEEIQ before Meta even had the name. In this episode, he joins us to talk about what brand success in virtual worlds actually looks like, why Roblox shouldn’t be treated as an “innovation play” anymore, and how campaign-based activations are overtaking persistent worlds. It’s the kind of conversation that is data-backed, no fluff, and long overdue.

We also talk about Fortnite's algorithm shift to favor non-shooter creators, Roblox’s IP licensing model and its creative tradeoffs, and why Call of Duty players are rejecting cartoon cameos like American Dad.
Plus, Nic jumps into Venmo’s new Roblox game for a real-time review. It’s slick, smart, and surprisingly generous, but is that enough?

Subscribe, listen, and let us know: what questions should we deep dive into next? 

Episode 24 is now live.

And hit follow on Brands in Play for weekly insights

Follow Charles - https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-hambro/
Follow GEEIQ - https://www.linkedin.com/company/getgeeiq/product/

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Nic Hill -   https://www.linkedin.com/in/nic-hill-6553873/
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#brandsinplay #GEEIQ #ImmersiveMarketing #UGCgaming #marketingpodcast 

What platforms make sense for your brand? In this special deep dive episode of Brands In Play, Nic Hill (Sawhorse) and Albane Prioux (GEEIQ) answer the top questions brands keep asking about gaming, virtual worlds, and virtual identity.

On this episode they explore the challenges brands are facing with fragmented audiences in gaming and provide insights on how brands can best plan their strategy to only reach audiences that are relevant to them with content that is relevant to each platform.

They also discuss some most recent case studies from Maybelline’s Roblox experience powered by Amazon Anywhere API., Unilever and Minecraft ice cream partnership. Swarovski’s crystal Minecraft collectibles, and Warner Bros' Superman skin in Fortnite.

Plus, in our Real-Time Review, Nic and Albane compete in an AI-powered ad challenge using Veo 3, creating a fictional KFC x F1 campaign in under 5 min. It’s chaotic, creative, and a sign of how fast content production is changing.

Subscribe, listen, and let us know: what questions should we deep dive into next? 

Episode 23 is now live.

And hit follow on Brands in Play for weekly insights

Follow Us:

Nic Hill -   https://www.linkedin.com/in/nic-hill-6553873/
Albane Prioux -   https://www.linkedin.com/in/albaneprioux/
Edward Regue -   https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-regue-%C2%A9-44b0421b2/

#brandsinplay  

This week, Nic Hill and Albane Prioux are joined by Joe Pace, VP of ASICS Ventures, to unpack how the legacy fitness brand is building an entirely new virtual sport, from scratch. DISC is now live on MetaQuest, and it's not a one-off campaign, it’s a long-term strategy rooted in movement, community, and real brand equity.

We explore what it means to build a branded game with long-term goals: not just awareness, but community, revenue, and cultural credibility. Joe shares how ASICS involved real players in development from day one through Discord, why DISC fills a gap in the fitness-meets-gaming market, and how the brand aligned innovation with brand authenticity every step of the way.

Plus, we break down the latest moves from YouTube’s AI content crackdown, Meta’s investment in Luxottica, the rise of streamer-led brand identities, and the launch of GodMode, a cosmetic brand targeting female gamers.

And for our Real-Time Review, Nic jumps into the ASICS DISC game to battle renowned capture artist Keric Warton in a live VR face-off. What starts as a friendly match quickly turns into a full-on showdown, highlighting just how competitive and physically demanding this new eSport really is. With Nic out for redemption and Keric bringing pro-level precision, it’s a firsthand look at DISC’s gameplay, intensity, and potential as a real sport in the immersive space.

Episode 22 is now live.

Try DISC on MetaQuest now
And hit follow on Brands in Play for weekly insights

Follow Joe - https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephpace/

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Nic Hill -   https://www.linkedin.com/in/nic-hill-6553873/
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#BrandsInPlay #MetaQuest #ASICS #Disc

In episode 21 of Brands In Play Albane Prioux & Nic Hill put the spotlight on Nate Spell, founder and CEO of Barrier Four. His team rebuilt the entire Squid Game Season 3 recap video inside Roblox shot-for-shot. Every dorm bunk, every merry-go-round frame, every contestant mask, using the platform’s own animation tools. Nate explains why they insist on filming inside the engine, how DevCam and frame-by-frame motion keep trailers honest, and what happens when you give the Roblox audience something that actually looks and feels like the games they play every day.

Nate recalls the staged police chase that made a Roblox trailer go viral and ultimately launched his studio, shares numbers from a Care Bears booth drop that cleared twenty-thousand dollars in its first week, and lays out simple rules for any brand thinking about native content: stay in-platform, respect the blocky aesthetic, and never promise visuals you can’t deliver in-game.

This week’s news roundup kicks off with Puma entering Fortnite with the nostalgic SpeedCat shoe, an iconic silhouette now finding new Gen Z love. KreekCraft, one of Roblox’s biggest influencers, launched IRL plushie merch through Catalog Avatar Creator, backed by Shopify and Lootbloc.

IAB’s new gaming measurement framework also dropped, and we break down why it’s finally giving marketers the KPIs they need to trust platforms like Roblox, Fortnite, and Bitmoji. Oh, and Coca-Cola and Star Wars launched a fan campaign with scannable cans. With an Interesting immersive twist.  

And for our Real-Time Review, Nic and Albane jump into the Squid Game: Final Game Roblox experience, developed by The Gang as a nod to the episode’s guest and a hands-on look at how cinematic and gameplay activations are starting to meet. 

Episode 21 is now live.

Follow Nate - https://www.linkedin.com/in/spelled/

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Nic Hill -   https://www.linkedin.com/in/nic-hill-6553873/
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#brandsinplay  #BarrierFour #netflix #squidgame #squidgame2 #squidgame3 #marketingpodcast #marketingdigital #roblox #trailers

In episode 20 of Brands In Play, Nic Hill and Albane Prioux sit down with Gino Roy, Art Director at Sawhorse. He’s behind the visual direction of some of the best-looking branded games on Roblox like Beetlejuice, Wicked, Kung Fu Panda, Tommy Play, and most recently, How to Train Your Dragon. But this conversation goes deeper than art.

We get into how to make cinematic worlds that actually run well on Roblox’s engine across all devices, why performance budgets matter more than showy assets, and what it means to design for “fun” instead of “friction.”

Gino also talks about the jump from traditional visual effects and animation design to interactive gamified design, and what it’s like experiencing your own work in VR.

This one’s packed. Twitch makes a rare move by partnering with Dress to Impress on Roblox. Fortnite quietly dropped Blitz Royale, a new mode designed entirely for mobile players. And then Squid Game. We talk about how Netflix and The Gang dropped the official Roblox experience just as Season 3 arrives. There’s a surprising amount of in-game marketing across UGC gaming platforms like Roblox and Fortnite. We barely saw anything off-platform.

𝗟𝗲𝘁'𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 SIDE 𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸. We jump into Universal’s new “How to Train Your Dragon” game on Roblox to experience flying dragons, dodging obstacles mid-air, and spotting where the cinematic world-building really lands. 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘀𝗲𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗡𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗹𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁.

So how did they make a Roblox game look like a AAA game? Watch on YouTube and Spotify or listen on your favorite podcast app. 

Follow Gino: 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gino-roy-254b0bb/

Follow Us:

Nic Hill -   https://www.linkedin.com/in/nic-hill-6553873/
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#brandsinplay  #roblox  #howtotrainyourdragon