Gamefam announced today that founding CEO Joe Ferencz is moving to a new role and exec Ricardo Briceno is the new CEO.
It’s a new chapter of growth for the maker of Roblox games. Ferencz will transition to the role of founder, executive adviser and strategic growth. He will focus on innovation, creator partnership and building the next wave of viral gaming hits.
Over the past several years as chief business officer, Briceno built GameFam’s advertising network and brand partnerships business from the ground up and has been instrumental in scaling Gamefam into the leader it is today.
Seven years ago, Ferencz founded Gamefam with a bold belief in where Roblox – and the future of gaming and media – was headed. Since then, he’s built Gamefam into the leader in live ops and brand partnerships – 50+ game portfolio, 37 billion+ visits, 150+ brand campaigns and various awards.
This moment is about sustaining and accelerating our momentum, the company said.
In his own LinkedIn post, Ferencz said, “Seven years ago, I founded Gamefam with a thesis that Roblox was going to be the next big disruption in gaming and media. I’m not a business psychic, but I am a futurist with a passion for data and logic. I had been watching Roblox’s growth in both DAU and revenue per quarter since 2016 and I could see the games becoming something incredible.”
He saw Roblox grow from 30 million monthly active users in 2016 to 120 million in 2019, with nearly ten times the revenue. That’s why he started Gamefam in 2019.
And from 2019 to 2026, Roblox exploded from a niche online community into the center of Gen Z and Gen Alpha internet culture, now paying out over $1 billion per year to the creator community, Ferencz said.
“During those years, Gamefam didn’t just make Roblox games; we pioneered live ops, investment strategies, the brand integration business, and helped hype and socialize Roblox to the world,” he said.
He added, “We were the world’s first professionalized UGC studio, and today we have over 37 billion visits and recorded nine figures in cumulative revenue, with one of the leading game portfolios on Roblox and the biggest and best Roblox advertising network.”
The company’s top games and products include the No. 1 military game – War Tycoon, the No. 1 all-time Roblox IP game, Sonic Speed Simulator, the official FIFA game, and RoMonitor, the segment’s go-to data aggregator.
He said the leading advertising and brand partnership platform on Roblox, features partners across industries with LEGO, Mattel, Paramount, Sony Pictures, the NFL, FIFA, Adidas, Old Navy, and more — bringing some of the world’s most iconic brands to the platform.
“As Gamefam accelerates into its next phase of growth, the company’s business model is evolving to focus more on Advertising & Brand partnerships expansion. This is a massive opportunity where Gamefam has a suite of competitive advantages, by design,” he said. “To best execute on that potential, I believe the company requires a dedicated, brand and media centric C-suite. In support of this strategy, I made the decision to transition from CEO to Founder & Executive Advisor, Strategic Growth.”
Regarding Briceno, he said, “I couldn’t be more confident in his leadership, vision, and execution. The company and our stakeholders are fortunate to have such a deeply experienced and passionate operator, strategist, and innovator to seamlessly transition to CEO.”
Briceno has been at Gamefam for four years as chief business officer.
“The vision was big – to reshape media, culture and how brands connect with the next generation,” Briceno said in his own post. “Together with an incredible team, we’ve built Gamefam into a category-defining company.”
He added, “Joe is a rare kind of founder – visionary, analytical, creator-first – and I’m deeply grateful for his trust, partnership and friendship over the past decade-plus. As Gamefam accelerates into our next chapter of growth, I’m honored that he is passing the touch to me to lead Gamefam as CEO.”
And he said, “I’m especially excited that I won’t be doing this alone. I’ll continue working closely with Joe as he transitions into a new role focusing on what he loves most: innovation, game development and empowering native creators.”
Gamefam’s next chapter is about scaling our advertising and brand partnerships platform and continuing to lead at the intersection of gaming, media and culture, Briceno said.