Review: SHEIN's Roblox Game Promises a Party, Leaves Users Disappointed

In October 2022, SHEIN teamed up with Klarna to host an event in NYC for influencers to promote their new SHEIN X program, which supposedly helps indie designers get recognized. After the success of this event, they decided to take the party to Roblox in their SHEIN x Klarna Wonderland game.

When you first load in, not only are you overwhelmed by the pastel color palette, but you’re guided by arrows to collect your first ticket. Tickets are used to unlock outfits, which you can equip and show off on the runway. Strutting the runway earns you ‘fame’ which is essentially how they measure experience levels. Like most games, the higher your level, the more you can unlock. After the beginning tutorial, it’s just rinse and repeat: collect tickets, buy clothing, strut the runway, repeat.

If you’re asking “is that it?”, unfortunately the answer is yes. While it’s more expansive than H&M’s Loooptopia, its very similar in it’s lack of content. Although, I liked how this game was a bit larger than some branded experiences I’ve played in the past, and I enjoyed the mini-game aspect of the runway. All in all, this game could’ve benefitted from more mini-games or just gamification in general.

After being released in December 2022, this game has accumulated over 9 million visits. Recently, the average player session length has been around 9 minutes, which is higher than I would have expected.

If you’re planning on creating a Roblox game for your brand, please keep in mind that users are there to play, not for your brand. Keep users engaged with varying and unique activities, and don’t forget to give them a reason to come back.