To coincide with the second season launch of Macy Murdoch, Shaftesbury brought the show’s 1910 world to life on Roblox. The five-week activation took place within the Teamwork Puzzles 2 game, where players were transported into the universe of the series.
Produced by Shaftesbury, in association with CBC, the series is a spin-off of the popular Murdoch Mysteries series, following the adventures of teen detective Macy Murdoch (William Murdoch’s great-great-great-granddaughter) as she travels back to 1910 to find the real perpetrator of a crime.
In the game, players step into a modern high school portal, only to be whisked away to 1910 Toronto via a malfunctioning time machine. Teaming up with Macy and detective Murdoch, players must repair the time machine to find their way back home.
Completing the objective earns users a Macy Murdoch-inspired collectable, while in-game components tie into the series, such as crucial plot points, interactions with the main characters, and even a live-action in-game video message from Macy.
Since the launch of the integration during the first week of April, it has seen more than 42,000 hours played and 128 million impressions with more than eight minutes of session time.
Jay Bennett, producer of Macy Roblox and senior strategic consultant at Shaftesbury, tells MiC that the team sought to break away from conventional advertising methods to boost visibility for the second season and introduce the show’s universe to a younger audience, targeting kids age 8 to 12 and beyond.
“Instead of hoping kids watch a six-second pre-roll, we invited them to actively play in the Macy Murdoch world for over eight minutes per session. That level of immersion makes a lasting impact,” he says.
With a large and growing fanbase, including a wave of younger viewers discovering the show on CBC’s new FAST channels dedicated to the franchise, the goal was to engage this audience in a fresh way, he notes.
According to Bennett, discovering new series and movies is still a huge barrier for digital entertainment, especially in Canada, where marketing budgets are limited and consumer attention is dispersed. Based on that, the team looked to invest in a popular channel among its target audience, with Roblox reporting more than 70 million daily users.
He adds that while building a custom Roblox game from scratch would have been complex and costly in terms of timeline, developer coordination and budget, partnering with an existing game for an in-game activation was an effective solution that didn’t break the bank. “We [also] chose this developer because their gameplay naturally aligns with the show’s themes – teamwork, problem-solving and discovery.”
Bennett says the Roblox activation also showcases Murdoch Mysteries as a family-friendly franchise that seamlessly adapts across formats and generations. Strategically, it supports the IP’s evolution into a dynamic, multi-platform brand that grows alongside its audience. This approach also unlocks opportunities for marketing, licensing, and integrations, further expanding the brand’s presence.
“This is Shaftesbury’s first foray into Roblox. I’ve had the chance to lead other successful Roblox experiences for brands, including Twilight Daycare: The Series and the toy brand JunkBots, and was brought in to guide this project and help the company break new ground,” he says. “Given the success of this launch, I’d be surprised if it’s the last time Shaftesbury explores the platform.”
Season two of Macy Murdoch premiered on March 31 on CBC Gem and YouTube.
