The news: The gaming industry is doubling down on handheld consoles. Nintendo’s Switch 2 shattered single-day sales records with an estimated 3 million units sold at launch, outpacing the Sony PS4’s historic numbers. Meanwhile, Microsoft announced its first handhelds—the ROG Xbox Ally and the ROG Xbox Ally X—partnering with Asus to blend Xbox and PC gaming in a portable format. They’re expected to launch during the holidays. Our take: As cloud and console experiences merge into portable form, game design and ad models are set to evolve fast—opening up fresh real estate for marketers, game studios, and tech platforms alike.

The news: Roblox’s lack of third-party measurement tools is becoming a hurdle for advertisers. The platform has minimal independent insights into standard metrics like reach and performance outcomes, per Digiday. As a result, potential customers are hesitant to start investing in ads on Roblox, which could dampen company growth. Our take: Roblox commands enormous engagement, especially with younger users, and it has a wealth of assets to attract advertisers and bolster its revenue. However, without accessible measurement offerings that meet industry standards, Roblox’s growth as a major ad channel may remain limited.

AR/VR continues to evolve as a tool for marketers and retailers to develop deeper consumer engagement. Long-term growth will be helped by AI integrations and demographic shifts. And while gaming is still the top use case, smart glasses are on the rise.

This could give Chime access to more Gen Alpha and Gen Z customers.

With video ad completion rates topping 80% and new measurement partners onboard, Roblox is positioning itself as a premium ad platform for younger audiences.

Roblox has been popular with young game players for years. It brings in tens of millions of players every day. As more marketers explore activations on the platform, best practices are starting to take shape.

Despite new restrictions and parental tools, the platform couldn’t block off-platform contact attempts, spotlighting its challenges in protecting underage users.

Their ROOST initiative could pressure platforms to adopt stronger protections, reshaping digital safety and providing brand-safe environments for advertisers.

From avatars to real-life purchases: Roblox’s branded worlds deliver deeper consumer interaction and emerging 3D ad standards for marketers.

Nearly three-quarters of Gen Alphas (ages 1 to 12) are online. This means they will likely be more adept than their predecessors at navigating digital spaces and using tech.

Infinite Reality’s latest move suggests the metaverse isn’t done just yet: The company is buying virtual shopping platform Obsess in a move aimed at reimagining how brands connect with consumers online.

Beauty’s run of strong retail sales growth is winding down, but new audiences and sales channels will offer opportunities for savvy brands and retailers to regain momentum.

In 2024, some of our newsletter team’s predictions included that attention metrics would gain more momentum in measurement, and Gen Alpha would steal some of Gen Z’s appeal among marketers. This year, we’re expecting a surge in AI ethics campaigns, email marketing troubles, rising browser competition, as well as some innovation in the world of gaming. Our analysts have already shared many of their predictions for 2025, but here are a few more from our newsletter team.

Though beauty is a crowded category,11:11 Beauty is hoping Paris Hilton’s multigenerational appeal could help it break through the noise, and power a content flywheel.

Messaging restrictions and content labels aim to tackle predator risks while building a family-friendly platform for brands

Roblox soars in Q3 despite critical reports: The company saw significant user and revenue growth and restated its commitment to child safety.

Roblox takes steps to address child safety: New parental control features come after critical reports that could stifle advertising efforts.

Roblox faces renewed child safety concerns: A report from a short-selling firm claims Roblox is exposing children to predators and vastly inflating user metrics.

Walmart’s adaptive retail strategy is heavy on genAI, AR: The retailer is relying on the technologies to deliver personalized experiences, engage Gen Z, and improve customer service.

Roblox could kick down the door to an in-game advertising boom: The gaming and metaverse platform is deepening ties to the ad industry and hiring for ad tech roles.