At its annual developer conference Friday, Roblox announced plans to roll the ads out next year, signaling a potential business model shift from relying on sales of virtual currency.

Roblox has hired former Roku executive Louqman Parampath to help build out its advertising business, as the video-game platform bets on its lucrative young user base to draw marketing dollars.

Millions of Canadian kids play Roblox, where they can develop games and earn cash. But that is not as easy as it looks.