Roblox (EN)
When was Roblox Made?
Roblox officially launched in September of 2006. It may come as a surprise to many that Roblox is older than Snapchat, Discord, and even Instagram! That’s because the platform took much longer to gain steam.
While Roblox co-founders David Baszucki and Erik Cassel officially debuted the platform over 15 years ago, it didn’t start to gain traction until about a decade in. And it really exploded in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, when its daily active user count surged by 40 percent.
How many people play Roblox?
The company reports that over 52 million people play Roblox online each day, up by 21% compared to last year.
What is Roblox?
Roblox is an app that allows users to play a wide variety of games, create games, and chat with others online. It combines gaming, social media, and social commerce. Billing itself as the “ultimate virtual universe,” Roblox experiences are places where users can socialize, build their own spaces, and even earn and spend virtual money.
Games on Roblox are officially called “experiences” which fall into a variety of genres. Users can dabble in games tagged as roleplay, adventure, fighting, obby (obstacle courses), tycoon, simulator, and more.
Many of the most popular games on the app, including Adopt Me! And Brookhaven RP, fall into the roleplay category. These are less games and more virtual hangouts. Millennials, think of them like Gen Z’s version of Club Penguin. Other categories focus more on agility, strategy, or skill.
Though the platform itself is free, users can make purchases within each experience. A portion of the sales (about 28 cents per dollar spent) goes back to the game’s creator. That means brands and makers of all ages can earn money if the games they build become popular. It really takes user-generated content to a whole new level.
Need proof? Jailbreak, one of the platform’s most popular games, was built by teenager Alex Balfanz, who paid for his college degree entirely with his Roblox earnings. Serial game developer Alex Hicks earned over $1 million per year creating games for the platform, all before his 25th birthday.
Still not sure what Roblox actually does? If you don’t have a preteen around to guide you, we’d recommend giving it a try yourself. To get started, first create an account and then download the app on your phone or computer. Once you’re in, you’ll have access to millions of user-generated games.
If you want to make your own games, you’ll have to download Roblox Studio, the “immersive creative engine” that allows users to create their own games.
