Roblox
Roblox is an online video game and game creation system made by the Roblox Corporation.[1] It was created by David Baszucki and Erik Cassel in 2004 and released in 2006. The old name for Roblox was Dynablocks.[2]
| Roblox | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Roblox Corporation David Baszucki, Erik Cassel |
| Publisher(s) | Roblox Corporation  |
| Platform(s) | Phone (iOS, Android)
PC/Laptops (macOS, Windows, Linux, ChromeOS) Tablets (fireOS, iPadOS, etc) Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X |
| Release | September 1, 2006 |
| Genre(s) | Massively multiplayer online game massively multiplayer online role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Multiplayer single-player |
Roblox allows players to create games and play games created by others, with many different types of games available. Roblox can be used on most devices such as iOS, and XBOX, but it can't be played on a browser (Example: Google). Roblox itself is free to play, however, virtual accessories can be purchased in the store using "Robux",[3] a currency which costs real money to obtain but can also be earned by selling virtual items to other players.
Roblox has over 205 million monthly active players and began to grow fast in 2021, but slowed down and a small Increase In 2022. It has 55.1 million daily active users worldwide. This is an increase from 19.1 million daily active users by the end of 2019.[4]
History
1989
In 1989, Roblox was an interactive physics, a STEM physics software that was released by Knowledge Revolution, which was founded by David Baszucki and co-owned by his brother Greg Baszucki. Its purpose was to teach students about physics in a 2D space.
2004
In 2004, Roblox published its beta version to public, at that time Roblox was called Dynablocks. It was known as Dynablocks until 2006, and finally having the original Roblox name.
2006-2009
Roblox had a big change in 2006. In January 2006, Roblox removed their special points and made multiplayer, but the API was never used until March 2006. In February 2006, Roblox left beta and was made free for all players. In September 2006, Roblox made changes to the multiplayer API so that players could make their own multiplayer games for free instead of the Roblox developers making them.
In May 2007, the Roblox developers began making virtual items, and its first virtual item was a top hat. Roblox also started the Builders Club which is a paid membership.
Guest mode, which is for players that want to play Roblox without making an account, was introduced in 2008. Later, higher forms of the Builders Club (known as the Turbo Builders Club and the Outrageous Builders Club) were started in 2009.
2010
In 2010, Roblox Studio was changed so that game developers could understand its features easily.
2011
In 2011, Roblox released its first commercial. The commercial had the well-known quote, "IT'S FREE!"
2012
On 1 April 2012, Roblox was hacked, It caused the Roblox website to be shut down that day. On 2 April 2012, the website was recovered. The hacking incident is mostly known as the 'April Fools Hacking Incident'.
2013
In 2013, Roblox added dynamic lighting. Its purpose was to make more realistic lighting. This update would eventually receive more updates in the coming years.
2015-2016
In June 2015, Roblox released Smooth Terrain which made the terrain (such as sand, grass, water, etc.) more cooler looking.
On 14 April 2016, another currency on Roblox, Tix was removed.[5]
In September 2016, Roblox released R15 to the public.[5]
2017
In January 2017, Roblox changed their logo. The game's YouTube channel also released a music video[6] to showcase it.
In October 2017, Roblox removed Guest Mode.
2019
In 2019, Builders Club was replaced with Roblox Premium.[7]
2020
In December 2020, Roblox announced that players would soon no longer need Premium to upload clothing, but instead, pay a fee for 10 Robux per upload. The change was added in March 2021.[8]
2021
In May 2021, an unknown user filed a class action lawsuit against the Roblox Corporation for supposedly scamming players for not giving out refunds when banned items get deleted.[9] In June 2021, a group of music publishers sued the Roblox company for mass copyright infringement (using many copyrighted songs without being allowed to), with the publishers seeking 200 million US dollars from them.[10]
In August 2021, Roblox bought the development team of a communication app known as Guilded for 90 million USD.[11][12][13] In the same month, they chose some developers to test out voice chatting features.[14]
2022
In May 2022, Roblox was once again sued. The users of Roblox added copyrighted content which led to Roblox removing all user made audio longer than 6 seconds. Along with the update, they added more FX made by official developers as the community works towards getting audio and background music back. They also limited audio to 180 audio files a game.
Game creation
Roblox lets its players create their own games using its own separate app, Roblox Studio. Players can build anything they want by using the Studio, and then publish their game to the Roblox website for anyone to play.
Virtual items and currency
Players on Roblox can buy virtual items from the Catalog using virtual currency named 'Robux'. This currency is obtained initially by buying a Roblox Premium membership or from a gift card but can also be made by selling items like gamepasses, or accessories, which other players can buy with their own Robux. It can be used by players to buy accessories and items for their character, or in game benefits.
Another form of currency that was discontinued was the Tix, also known as Tickets. All players could get a few Tix each day they log into Roblox, and trade those Tix in to get Robux. Tix were removed from the game in March 2016.[15]
Membership
Builders Club was Roblox's first membership club which could only be used through a purchase. Builders Club gave its members more features in Roblox, such as earning its virtual currency called Robux, and the ability to trade items. Another thing players could do was sell Limited items (buy-able and sell-able items on the Avatar Shop). There were three types of Builders Club: Classic, Turbo, and Outrageous. Classic was the original Builders Club type and Outrageous was the newest. Players would either buy it monthly or annually.
In 2019, Builder's Club was removed and replaced with Premium. Premium is very much like the original Builders Club except it gives players Robux every month instead of daily. Premium players also get access to perks in select games and get discounts from User-generated content.
References
- Diaz, Ana (11 March 2021). "Why is everyone talking about Roblox?". Polygon. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
- "DynaBlocks". Roblox Wiki. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- Kunthara, Sophia (19 November 2020). "Roblox Had 'Rapid' Revenue Growth Due to COVID-19, Its IPO Filing Reveals, But Growing Losses Too". Crunchbase News. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
- Ruby, Daniel (15 October 2022). "How Many People Play Roblox (2022)". demandsage. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- "Saying Goodbye to Tickets". Roblox Blog. 15 March 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
- "Roblox Anthem Video". YouTube.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - "Introducing Roblox Premium". Roblox Blog. 23 September 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
- "Upcoming Changes to Avatar Catalog Upload Requirements". DevForum | Roblox. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
- "Roblox Accused in Suit of Cheating Kids With Bogus Purchases". Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg Business. 26 May 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - Needleman, Anne Steele and Sarah E. (9 June 2021). "WSJ News Exclusive | Music Publishers Sue Roblox for Letting Game Creators Use Unlicensed Songs". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
- "Joining Roblox". Guilded - Chat for Gaming Communities. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - Francis, Bryant (16 August 2021). "Roblox now owns online communications platform Guilded". gamasutra.com. Archived from the original on 16 August 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- "Form 10-Q" (PDF). 30 June 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - Peters, Jay (2 September 2021). "Roblox is getting voice chat, starting first with 'Spatial Voice'". The Verge. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
- Sidhwani, Priyansh (12 March 2021). "The History Of Roblox : From 2004 Until Now". TechStory. Retrieved 7 April 2021.