On April 23, 2026, 260 creators, studio leaders, brand executives, and investors gathered at The London West Hollywood for the very first WorldBuilder Summit, the inaugural in-person conference dedicated entirely to the builders shaping UGC worlds across Roblox, Fortnite and beyond.
Meta4 Interactive and PowerUP were proud founding sponsors, and we were in the room for all of it. What we heard confirmed what we’ve been building toward: brands inside UGC worlds are not a future trend. They are a present-tense imperative.
Taking the Stage: Integrating IP and Brands in Worlds
Our very own Michael Zaidan, VP Creator Partnerships, joined one of the day’s most anticipated panels, Integrating IP and Brands in Worlds, moderated by Alexander Lee, GamesBeat’s lead news writer and one of the sharpest voices covering the UGC economy.
Alongside Michael on stage were Cody Flaherty, COO of Atlas Creative, and Erika N. Ewing, Creative Lead at Lionsgate Interactive Ventures & Games.
Together, the panel gave the room a rare 360-degree view of the same challenge from different angles: how do brands show up in these worlds in a way that actually works?
What Resonated with the Room
Three ideas kept surfacing across the panel and the conversations that followed:
1. Don’t interrupt the world. Become part of it.
The strongest brand integrations are not overlays, billboards, or one-off stunts. They are experiences that respect the way players already behave. The brand has to earn its place inside the loop. It has to give players something to do, use, unlock, share, or care about.
2. IP needs translation, not decoration.
A brand or entertainment property cannot simply be dropped into Roblox or Fortnite and expected to work. Cody and Erika both spoke to the importance of understanding the platform, the audience, and the creative language of these worlds. The best integrations do not just recreate an IP. They turn it into mechanics, rewards, challenges, and social moments that feel native to the platform
3. Play is the new media format.
This is where PowerUP’s Native Playable Experience approach connected directly with the room. The opportunity is not just to put brands in front of players. It is to let players interact with the brand in a way that creates measurable engagement, emotional connection, and real participation. In UGC worlds, attention is earned through play.
The Real Signal: What the Room Was Ready For
The WorldBuilder Summit was not just a conference. It was a signal. With 380 million monthly active users on Roblox and 110 million on Fortnite, the scale of these platforms is impossible to ignore. What has changed is the mindset in the room.
The conversations after the panel were less about whether brands should be in UGC worlds and more about how to do it properly. People were asking the right questions: How do we make this feel native? How do we work with creators? How do we measure success beyond impressions? How do we avoid building something beautiful that nobody plays?
That shift matters. It means the market is catching up to what creators and players already know: these platforms are not side channels anymore. They are living entertainment ecosystems.
Continuing the Conversation
We left West Hollywood more energized than ever about where this is heading. Brands, studios, and creators are building the spaces where the next generation already lives. We’re grateful to have been a founding part of that conversation.
If you’re ready to turn your brand story into a Native Playable Experience, let’s talk. Reach out to explore what’s possible.
