Brands In Play – Details, episodes & analysis

This week on Brands In Play, Nic Hill and Albane Prioux sit down with Karl Stewart, SVP of Marketing & Head of the Imagine AI platform at IGN, to unpack how 30 years of gaming data is reshaping brand strategy: from Batman, Tomb Raider and Marvel to Roblox, Fortnite and Gen Alpha. 

In the news, Netflix moves to acquire Warner Bros. film, streaming and games business, immersive OOH billboards steal attention, Meta signs multi-year AI content licensing deals with major news publishers, and Roblox launches its own YouTube series?!

For our Real-Time Review, Albane jumps into Crocs Quest on Roblox! Digging into what the experience nails, where it wobbles, and what brands can learn from how it’s built.

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[NEW EPISODE ALERT] 

Episode 44 of Brands In Play Nic Hill and Albane Prioux are joined by Joe Condon, founder of SEG3, where we dig into how sports, entertainment, and gaming collide around next-gen fan experiences. Joe walks through why he built SEG3, how the conference connects IP owners, brands, and developers in the same room, and the three big trends he’s watching across UGC IP, licensing, and fandom-driven ecosystems going into 2026.

In the news this week: Samsung launches its new “Game Break” ad model for connected TVs, Epic introduces a new IP approach on Fortnite, Meta’s stock climbs on reports of major metaverse cuts, and Discord rolls out in-game commerce inside official game servers.

For our Real-Time Review, Nic heads to the SEG3 conference in Los Angeles, sharing takeaways from the show floor IRL!

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This week on Brands In Play, Albane Prioux and Nic Hill sit down with Christian Lau, Chief Technology Officer at Los Angeles Football Club. Christian takes us inside LAFC’s tech playbook, from autonomous retail and face-based ticketing for faster beer pours, to a full network overhaul ensuring fans can stream, share, and connect without friction. He also breaks down why gaming activations only work when teams commit to maintaining them and when resources truly match ambition.

In the news, Fortnite launches K-Pop Demon Hunter with lightning speed. Meta, OpenAI, and Google DeepMind debut Gen-AI social apps across Vibes, Sora, and YouTube Shorts. Netflix reopens its gaming ambitions with an interesting job posting. And Meta doubles down on automating the advertising industry with new Business AI and Advantage+ tools.

Finally, in our Real Time Review, The Great British Bake Off comes to Roblox! A perfectly replicated tent, chaotic mini-games, and a tidy voting loop.
Watch the full episode  [Link In Comments]

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#brandsinplay  #lafc  

On Episode 34 of Brands In Play, Nic and Albane are joined by Matt Edelman, CEO of Super League. Drawing on decades of experience at Marvel, Endeavor, and Super League’s own NASDAQ journey, Matt breaks down the rise of playable media, why brands need to understand the “state of play,” and what it will take for immersive activations to shift from experimental budgets into the core media mix.

News headlines this week: Fortnite x Daft Punk • AI companies turning to traditional advertising • EA accepts $55B private buyout • Meta Labs retail expansion

Real-Time Review: LEGO’s Expedition Antarctica activation on Roblox. We talk seamless integration, sharp brand alignment, and key lessons in attribution.

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#brandsinplay #superleague #roblox #lego

This week on Brands In Play, Nic Hill and Albane Prioux sit down with Brendan Stock, CEO and Co-Founder of Chartis, one of the top UEFN creator networks. Brendan shares how his team helps creators scale from hobbyists to professionals, why brands should think twice before building their own island, and what really makes Fortnite a premium platform for marketers.

In the news, Fortnite fires back at Roblox with a huge update. Creators can now sell items directly inside their own islands (keeping 100% of revenue through 2026), plus sponsored tiles for discovery and new community tools. We also cover Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy IP heading to Netflix, The Conjuring’s holographic OOH ads, and Amazon x Netflix’s surprise advertising alliance.

And in our Real Time Review, we take you inside Meta Connect, where Meta laid out its Horizon roadmap, new glasses, and bold AI experiments.

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#brandsinplay #meta  #fortnite #uefn  

This week Albane Prioux and Nic Hill break down the latest in immersive marketing, from Meta’s push into AI-powered smart glasses to Kai Cenat’s Fortnite takeover, Nintendo’s unexpected Virtual Boy revival, and Guinness stepping into Netflix with House of Guinness.

The Real Time Review puts Crocs’ branded Roblox world under the microscope, where scavenger hunts, Jibbitz charms, and player surveys blur product marketing with gameplay.

And in our Deep Dive: LEGO’s entertainment empire. From Star Wars sets saving the company to billion-dollar bets with Epic Games, we unpack how the Danish brickmaker became a master of transmedia strategy across film, streaming, and UGC gaming.

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#brandsinplay  #lego

Back from RDC with the stories you can’t miss. In episode 31 of Brands In Play, Nic and Albane discuss what stood out in the room. DevEx rates finally shifted, Roblox’s engine upgrades edging toward AAA, the Kodansha licensing deal, native avatar makeup, and “Moments,” the new in-game social feed that could redefine discovery. 

Albane puts Moments under the microscope with a sharp real-time review: what excites, what’s missing, and where creators still need support.

And the highlight, our live RDC interview with Roblox VP of Product, Ads & Commerce, Louqman Parampath. Hear firsthand how Roblox is rolling out immersive ads and balancing safety and monetization. 

Plus, Hollywood sets its sights on games with Life Is Strange Series and Call of Duty Movie, and lastly, Creator Games lines up investment for 200 Roblox titles over three years.

Tune in now, join the conversation, and tell us what RDC update caught your eye.
Watch the full episode  and hit follow on Brands in Play for weekly insights.

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#brandsinplay  #rdc  #roblox #robloxdevelopers 

In Episode 30 of Brands In Play Colton Dunn pulls no punches. The Superstore star and longtime gamer joins Nic Hill and Albane Prioux to swap stories from Halo nights to Ninja Turtle skins, and to share his take on how brands fit, or don’t in the games we play.

This week’s news spans Balenciaga’s return to Fortnite, Activision turning to Giphy for Call of Duty, “Steal a Brain Rot” breaking records on Fortnite, and SpongeBob opening its IP to UEFN creators.

Finally, we have Colton stepping into our Real Time Review to test AirAsia’s Roblox world firsthand before finishing with Albane’s hit, miss and bet! Do not miss it!

Watch the full episode 

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#brandsinplay  #ColtonDunn 

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.

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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.

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Watch the full episode  on YouTube and Spotify

Episode 28 is now live.

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