Toymaker Mattel launches a new game studio with a focus on Roblox and Fortnite that could signal a growing shift in where studios spend money
Overview & Key Takeaways
In chasing the money, Mattel Game Studios doesn't seem particularly interested in Steam or consoles.
10 billion hours in RobloxToy company Mattel is getting into the videogame business with the launch of Mattel Game Studios, which it says "will develop, publish, and operate original interactive experiences inspired by Mattel’s portfolio of iconic brands." But the approach it's taking to that task is rather different from what we've seen in the past.
The launch of the new division actually arises from a previous enterprise, Mattel163, a joint venture with NetEase that Mattel took full control of earlier this year. Founded in 2019, Mattel163 published a handful of digital card games for mobile devices including Phase 10: World Tour, Skip-Bo, and of course, Uno.
Mattel's acquisition of the company "advances Mattel’s vision to extend physical play to the virtual world by creating digital games and experiences that drive sustained engagement for fans of all ages," a line from the press blast (via Game Developer) I include just because I think we should all have the opportunity to enjoy it.
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Anyway, you can expect games of that sort to continue. Another Uno-based game, Uno Wild, is now in soft launch for mobile devices, and Mattel Game Studios is also working on a new game based on Hot Wheels. But Mattel Game Studios is moving beyond mobile development, and this is the part I find interesting: The company says it also plans to release "original experiences on creator platforms such as Roblox and Fortnite."
That's a reflection of the state of mainstream gaming, and where at least some of it is headed. We've seen heavyweights like Amazon and Hasbro try to elbow their way onto the mainstream gaming scene to mixed results; at the same time, Roblox players spent more than 10 billion hours in Roblox every month in 2025—more than player hours spent on Steam, PlayStation, and Fortnite combined—while Fortnite, underpinned by the Unreal Engine, is attracting crossover deals with some of the most massive media companies on the planet, and actively pursuing an entirely new development ecosystem built on its technology.
So maybe you're not interested in a Poochie Pals extraction shooter (or whatever) but the odds are good you're also probably not interested in Brainrot. Lots of other people (mostly kids) are, though, and guess where they're getting it? In a way, Mattel's approach echoes that of Amazon and Hasbro, but without the millions of dollars sunk into chasing conventional markets.
And Brainrot may be where it starts, but not necessarily where it ends. Writing about the Ready or Not-inspired shooter TTK on Roblox, PC Gamer's Morgan Park said it's a reminder "that Roblox games don't have to be terrible." Not that TTK is an especially outstanding experience, but as Morgan wrote, "it's fine, it's free, but it's also about as good as a number of Steam shooters that release regularly." I have no doubt that for a lot of companies whose primary concern is leveraging new markets, that'll be plenty good enough.
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If it works—and I have no reason to doubt—then I wouldn't be surprised to see other companies opting to pursue gamers not on Steam or game consoles, but on platforms like Roblox. And not just companies who aren't traditionally into videogames: Less than a year after announcing an all-in effort to salvage Payday 3, after all, Starbreeze seems to be focused primarily on bringing the property to—you guessed it—Roblox and Fortnite.
