At the recent Roblox Developer Conference (RDC), Roblox unveiled a series of innovative features aimed at streamlining game development and expanding player accessibility. Among the highlights were advanced game creation tools, improved capabilities for non-player characters (NPCs), and the introduction of cross-platform game availability, including on the web. Additionally, the company announced the launch of the Roblox Card and Roblox Wallet, designed specifically for content creators.
Roblox is also expanding its generative AI game creation tool, initially introduced in July, known as “Build.” This feature allows users to create games using natural language prompts and was previously limited to New Zealand. The rollout will now extend to Serbia and Singapore, with desktop access being introduced for more extensive game creation. A new asset library and iterative controls will accompany this feature, alongside a forthcoming prompt-based scene generation capability for Roblox Studio later this year.
To ensure greater accessibility, Roblox has announced that creators will soon be able to launch their games as standalone applications across various platforms, including mobile devices, PCs, and consoles. By the end of the year, players will have the option to enter games directly through a browser link.
These announcements signify Roblox’s commitment to not only attracting users to its platform but also enhancing the reach of developers’ creations and simplifying the game-building process.
In addition to the creation tools, new features for NPCs are on the way, including the ability for NPCs to playtest games. Creators will also be able to incorporate an offline mode in their games, allowing players to continue enjoying content even in areas with poor network connectivity.
Players will benefit from a new Friends chat tab that remains accessible while navigating through games and will include support for voice typing.
Roblox is enhancing its discovery algorithm, which will recommend shorter games to younger audiences and longer games to older players, thus tailoring experiences to user preferences.
The gaming platform is also introducing tools for creating 2D games with features like an orthographic camera, animated image containers, and direct sprite-sheet imports for animation. Players will soon be able to tap on any avatar within game clips to purchase items directly from the Moments vertical feed.
Since its inception in 2013, Roblox has generated over $5 billion for game developers on its platform, with earnings reaching $1.7 billion in the past year alone. As part of its new initiatives, the company is introducing financial products aimed at providing creators with various tools to manage their earnings.
The newly announced Roblox Wallet will allow creators to receive payments in real money by the end of each business day and transfer funds to other bank accounts. Roblox has partnered with Airwallex to offer wallet services to U.S. users aged 18 and older, with plans for future expansion to other countries.
Additionally, Roblox teased the upcoming launch of the Roblox Card, set to debut next year, enabling users to spend their earnings at locations that accept the card.
Roblox aims to enhance user engagement both on its platform and beyond. The company’s founder and CEO, David Baszucki, reported that in the last quarter, players collectively spent over 29 billion hours across 180 countries.
