Vans is working on a second virtual release on the games and metaverse platform Roblox, following up Vans World with Vans Word 2, according to Marketing Dive.
Users of the platform will have a first look at the Mixxa, the first shoe the brand will have released before sales begin in stores. The date for that in-store release is July 18.
The original Vans World made its debut in 2021 and was a “skatepark experience” – that is, “a persistent 3D space where fans can practice their ollies and kickflips with friends, and try-on and acquire exclusive Vans gear.” It was set in a virtual Southern California. Last year, according to Marketing Dive’s account, Vans World had 100 million visits. It is unclear, though, whether the term visit is being used in its technical sense rather than as a synonym for “hit” (server request for any element of a webpage) or “view” (page seen during a visit).
Vans World 2 is set in virtual versions of Paris (where skateboarding will soon become an Olympic discipline), Tokyo and Los Angeles.
