‘Masters of the Universe’ on Roblox

Over the years, our Roblox travels have taken us to some interesting places. Recently, we came across this “Masters of the Universe” banner ad on the homepage with the description “Power your Eternian adventure!”

Expecting to be transported to Eternia, home of He-Man and his arch-nemesis Skeletor, in a “Masters of the Universe”-themed Roblox game, we clicked “join.” Instead, it took us to an ad for toys and action figures “inspired by the movie” that was released this year (power sword sold separately):

In response to a request for comment, Roblox said the “join” button in the banner ad is “a standard call-to-action” for ads like the video promoting the toys, which it referred to as an “enhanced video experience.” (Our take? It’s just an ad.)

Adding insult to injury, we were able to access the ad with a five-year-old child account. (Curiously, according to Mattel, five-year-olds may be a tad too young for the advertised toys and action figures as its website states they are recommended for ages 6 and up.)

With the same five-year-old account, we were also able to enter the “Masters of the Universe”-themed Roblox game Battle for Grayskull by Mattel. This, despite a new Roblox policy prohibiting ads that “depict or promote” PG-13 movies (like “Masters of the Universe”) when the audience includes users ages 5-8.

Roblox did not respond to a question asking why five-year-olds are able to access Battle of Grayskull given the platform’s PG-13 movie promotion ban for children that age.

Mattel did not respond to a request for comment.

The bottom line

Roblox touts that its policies “are stricter than many other platforms.” Whether this advertising reflects that standard is something readers can judge for themselves.

Find more of our coverage on Roblox.