Roblox has launched a new feature in its mobile application that utilizes artificial intelligence to facilitate game creation. This move aligns the platform with industry giants like Google, Microsoft, and Tencent, which have introduced similar AI-driven tools. However, the shift toward AI-powered game generation has sparked concerns among developers and gamers alike. Critics argue that allowing the creation of games through simple text prompts could result in a surge of low-quality and repetitive games, intensifying competition on the platform. Creators may now find themselves competing not only with other developers but also with AI-generated content that can be produced at a much faster pace.
These apprehensions are echoed in the findings from this year’s Game Developers Conference State of the Game Industry survey, revealing that 52% of industry professionals view generative AI as having a detrimental effect on the gaming sector.
In response to these concerns, Roblox plans to implement a ranking system for AI-generated games based on player retention. This system is similar to the one currently used for other games on the platform. Games that fail to attract players will not receive high visibility.
“Our discovery systems are designed to highlight games with long-term retention, which doesn’t include AI slop. The quality of games on the homepage isn’t changing: If no one plays it — no one can find it. The goal across these new tools is to continue to accelerate creation across all experience levels,” the company stated.
The Build feature is set to enter public alpha testing on July 28, targeting users in New Zealand aged nine and older who have verified their age. Users aged 16 and above will be able to publish their creations for a global audience. A free basic version will be available alongside paid options.
In addition to the Build feature, Roblox is also developing AI agents designed to assist creators in playtesting and providing analytics. These enhancements are expected to be rolled out in the coming months.
This new feature underscores Roblox’s ongoing commitment to artificial intelligence, which includes an AI foundation model for generating 3D game assets and an AI chatbot to aid developers throughout the game-building process. Furthermore, Roblox is working on a “new scene-generation model” capable of creating entire editable and playable 3D scenes from a single text prompt.
The announcement of the Build feature follows Roblox’s recent decision to phase out the “Roblox Connect” feature, a video-calling service for avatars that was introduced earlier in 2023.
