Roblox Studio

Last updated

Roblox Studio
Developer(s) Roblox Corporation
Initial releaseSeptember 1, 2006;18 years ago (2006-09-01) [1]
Stable release
639 / August 22, 2024;31 days ago (2024-08-22) [2]
Written in
Platform Windows, macOS
Type Game creation system
License Proprietary software

Roblox Studio is a game creation system developed by Roblox Corporation. It allows users to create and publish Roblox games, which can then be played by other users. [3] Games, officially referred to as "experiences" on the platform, [4] [5] are made with Luau, a derivative of the programming language Lua. [6] [7] Users are able to create purchasable content through one-time purchases, known as "game passes", as well as microtransactions which can be purchased more than once, known as "developer products" or "products". [8] [9] The majority of games produced using Roblox Studio are developed by minors, and a total of 20 million games per year are produced using it. [10] [11]

Contents

History

Roblox Studio logo - 2017-2021.svg
Roblox Studio logo 2021 present.svg
The logo used from 2017 to 2021 (left), and the logo used from 2021 to 2022 (right).

Roblox Studio was officially launched alongside Roblox on September 1, 2006. [1]

On October 1, 2013, Roblox released its Developer Exchange program, allowing developers to exchange virtual currencies earned from their games into real-world currencies. [12] On May 31, 2015, a feature called Smooth Terrain was added, increasing the graphical fidelity of in-game terrain and changing the Roblox physics engine from a block-oriented style to a smoother and more realistic one. [13] On November 20, Roblox Studio began rolling out support for the publishing of Xbox One games, subject to an approval process based on Entertainment Software Rating Board standards. [14] [15]

In March 2024, two generative artificial intelligence tools were introduced to Roblox Studio in an effort to speed up content creation: automatic avatar customization and a texture generator. The avatar customization feature automatically converts three-dimensional body meshes into live-animated avatars, and the texture generator allows users to create textures of objects using text descriptions through a text-to-image model. [16] [17]

Features

Scripting

The Luau logo Luau Logo.png
The Luau logo
Screenshot of Luau source code Luau Syntax.jpg
Screenshot of Luau source code

Roblox Studio uses Luau, a dialect of the language Lua, for scripting. A derivative of Lua 5.1, Luau supports gradual typing and is designed to maximize performance. [18] [6] [7] [19] In November 2021, Roblox Corporation released Luau under the MIT License. [20]

Roblox Studio also uses C++ for background processes such as memory management. [21] [22]

Templates

Roblox Studio provides multiple premade game templates. [7] [19]

Toolbox

The Toolbox feature allows access to the Roblox Marketplace from within Roblox Studio. The Marketplace provides user-created models, plugins, audio, images, meshes, video, and fonts. [23] [24]

Plugins

The Plugins mechanic of Roblox Studio allows users to install additional features into their workspaces. Plugins are user-created and listed on the Roblox Creator Store for free or for money (via Stripe). Formerly, plugins could be bought with Robux, Roblox's virtual currency. However, on April 10, 2024, Roblox announced that plugins would be purchased exclusively with real money, and that purchasing with Robux would be deprecated, effective immediately. [24]

Usage

All Roblox games are produced with Roblox Studio. [7] [19] As of 2020, Roblox reported that more than 2 million developers used Roblox Studio to create more than 20 million games per year. A majority of developers were minors, and roughly 345,000 earned money through Roblox's Developer Exchange program. [10] [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lua (programming language)</span> Lightweight programming language

Lua is a lightweight, high-level, multi-paradigm programming language designed mainly for embedded use in applications. Lua is cross-platform software, since the interpreter of compiled bytecode is written in ANSI C, and Lua has a relatively simple C application programming interface (API) to embed it into applications.

Bethesda Softworks LLC is an American video game publisher based in Rockville, Maryland. The company was founded by Christopher Weaver in 1986 as a division of Media Technology Limited. In 1999, it became a subsidiary of ZeniMax Media. In its first 15 years, it was a video game developer and self-published its titles. In 2001, Bethesda spun off its in-house development team into Bethesda Game Studios, leaving Bethesda Softworks to focus on publishing operations.

GameMaker is a series of cross-platform game engines created by Mark Overmars in 1999 and developed by YoYo Games since 2007. The latest iteration of GameMaker was released in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avatar (computing)</span> Graphical representation of a user or a users alter ego or character

In computing, an avatar is a graphical representation of a user, the user's character, or persona. Avatars can be two-dimensional icons in Internet forums and other online communities, where they are also known as profile pictures, userpics, or formerly picons. Alternatively, an avatar can take the form of a three-dimensional model, as used in online worlds and video games, or an imaginary character with no graphical appearance, as in text-based games or worlds such as MUDs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unity (game engine)</span> Cross-platform video game and simulation engine

Unity is a cross-platform game engine developed by Unity Technologies, first announced and released in June 2005 at Apple Worldwide Developers Conference as a Mac OS X game engine. The engine has since been gradually extended to support a variety of desktop, mobile, console, augmented reality, and virtual reality platforms. It is particularly popular for iOS and Android mobile game development, is considered easy to use for beginner developers, and is popular for indie game development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roblox</span> Multiplayer game creation platform

Roblox is an online game platform and game creation system developed by Roblox Corporation that allows users to program and play games created by themselves or other users. Created by David Baszucki and Erik Cassel in 2004 and released in 2006, the platform hosts user-created games of multiple genres coded in the programming language Lua. Early in Roblox's history, it was relatively small, both as a platform and as a company. Roblox began to grow rapidly in the second half of the 2010s, and this growth was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asobo Studio</span> French video game developer

Asobo Studio SAS is a French video game developer based in Bordeaux and founded in 2002. The studio is most known for developing video game adaptations of several Pixar movies, A Plague Tale: Innocence, and the 2020 and 2024 versions of Microsoft Flight Simulator. To develop most of their games, they use their own game engine called Zouna, which was originally developed in the 1990s by some of their own employees who used to work at Kalisto Entertainment. It was later further developed by Asobo. The studio's name is derived from the Japanese word "asobō" (遊ぼう) that means "let's play".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roblox Corporation</span> American video game developer

Roblox Corporation is an American video game developer based in San Mateo, California. Founded in 2004 by David Baszucki and Erik Cassel, the company is the developer of Roblox, which was released in 2006. As of December 31, 2023, the company employs over 2,400 people.

Autodesk Stingray, formerly known as Bitsquid, is a discontinued 3D game engine with support for Linux, Windows, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox Series X and Series S, Xbox 360, Android and iOS. It uses the Lua scripting language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Discord</span> Online communication software

Discord is an instant messaging and VoIP social platform which allows communication through voice calls, video calls, text messaging, and media. Communication can be private or take place in virtual communities called "servers". A server is a collection of persistent chat rooms and voice channels which can be accessed via invite links. Discord runs on Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, iPadOS, Linux, and in web browsers. As of 2024, the service has about 150 million monthly active users and 19 million weekly active servers. It is primarily used by gamers, although the share of users interested in other topics is growing. As of March 2024, Discord is the 30th most visited website in the world with 22.98% of its traffic coming from the United States. As of March 2022, Discord employs 600 people globally.

A Minecraft mod is a mod that changes aspects of the sandbox game Minecraft. Minecraft mods can add additional content to the game, make tweaks to specific features, and optimize performance. Thousands of mods for the game have been created, with some mods even generating an income for their authors. While Mojang Studios does not provide an API for modding, community tools exist to help developers create and distribute mods. The popularity of Minecraft mods has been credited for helping Minecraft become one of the best-selling video games of all time.

<i>Minetest</i> 2010 open source video game

Minetest is a free and open-source voxel game creation system. It is written primarily in C++ and makes use of the Irrlicht Engine. Minetest provides a Lua API allowing users to write their own games and mods. It is cross-platform, being available for Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, some BSD descendants, some GNU variants and Android.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xbox Series X and Series S</span> Home video game consoles developed by Microsoft

The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are the fourth generation of consoles in the Xbox series. Released on November 10, 2020, the higher-end Xbox Series X and lower-end Xbox Series S are part of the ninth generation of video game consoles, which also includes Sony's PlayStation 5, released the same month. Both superseded the Xbox One.

Adopt Me! is a massively multiplayer online video game developed by Uplift Games on the gaming and game development platform Roblox. The original focus of the game was a role-play wherein players pretended to be either a parent adopting a child, or a child getting adopted, but as the game was developed, its focus shifted to adopting and caring for virtual pets, which can be traded with other players. Uplift Games, the independent studio behind the game, employs roughly 40 people and earns 60 million dollars a year, mostly from microtransactions. The game was averaging 160,000 concurrent players as of September 2022, making it one of the most popular and successful games on Roblox. As of November 2022, Adopt Me! has reached 30.8 billion visits and still has one of the highest concurrent number of players, their record being with the "Dress Your Pets" update, with over 1.6 million concurrent players.

<i>Epic Games v. Apple</i> 2020 U.S. lawsuit

Epic Games, Inc. v. Apple Inc. was a lawsuit brought by Epic Games against Apple in August 2020 in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, related to Apple's practices in the iOS App Store. Epic Games specifically had challenged Apple's restrictions on apps from having other in-app purchasing methods outside of the one offered by the App Store. Epic Games's founder Tim Sweeney had previously challenged the 30% revenue cut that Apple takes on each purchase made in the App Store, and with their game Fortnite, wanted to either bypass Apple or have Apple take less of a cut. Epic implemented changes in Fortnite intentionally on August 13, 2020, to bypass the App Store payment system, prompting Apple to block the game from the App Store and leading to Epic filing its lawsuit. Apple filed a countersuit, asserting Epic purposely breached its terms of contract with Apple to goad it into action, and defended itself from Epic's suit.

<i>Core</i> (video game) Online video game

Core is a free-to-play online video game platform with an integrated game creation system, developed by Manticore Games. It was released as an open alpha version on March 16, 2020, and became available as Early Access on April 15, 2021. Core hosts user-generated games that are designed for an older teen and adult audience. Core's game creation system is designed to simplify video game creation in order to allow more individuals to develop games. Manticore Games, the developer of Core, was co-founded by Frederic Descamps and Jordan Maynard in 2016 and is based in San Mateo, California. Core is based on a similar concept as other gaming platforms for user-generated games such as Roblox.

Gamefam Studios is an American video game company. It primarily utilizes Roblox as a video game development platform, while also using Fortnite Creative and Minecraft as engines to create maps and minigames. It has produced content for brands such as Sonic the Hedgehog, the National Football League, Hot Wheels, Doctor Strange, Kung Fu Panda, Samsung, and Puma and staged virtual concerts for musicians such as The Chainsmokers and Saweetie.

<i>People Make Games</i> Video game journalism YouTube channel

People Make Games (PMG) is a British investigative video game journalism YouTube channel. The channel focuses on the developers and people who make video games. People Make Games has reported on topics such as video game crunch, outsourcing, and worker exploitation.

References

  1. 1 2 Yaden, Joseph (May 4, 2020). "What is Roblox?". Digital Trends . Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Latest Updates/Release Notes topics". Roblox Developer Forum. Archived from the original on August 23, 2024. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  3. ↑ Dredge, Stuart (September 29, 2019). "All you need to know about Roblox". The Guardian . Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  4. ↑ Robertson, Adi (May 14, 2021). "Apple said Roblox developers don't make games, and now Roblox agrees". The Verge . Archived from the original on September 3, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  5. ↑ Peterson, Mike (May 14, 2021). "Roblox rebrands as 'experience' creation platform amid Epic Games v. Apple trial". AppleInsider . Archived from the original on August 23, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  6. 1 2 Vanbrocklin, Tyler (December 26, 2012). "How to Learn Roblox and Roblox Studio". Game Development Envato Tuts+. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Haskins, Heath (September 16, 2021). "Roblox 101: How to Make Your First Game". PCMag. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
  8. ↑ Carter, Marcus; Mavoa, Jane (March 17, 2021). "Why is kids' video game Roblox worth $38 billion and what do parents need to know?". The Conversation . Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  9. ↑ Cao, Jing (March 14, 2017). "Roblox Unearths $92 Million to Challenge Microsoft's Minecraft". Bloomberg News . Archived from the original on August 21, 2018. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  10. 1 2 Douthwaite, Andrew; Warneford, Matthew; Pierce, Matt (2020). "Dubit Guide to Roblox for Brands". DocSend. Dubit Limited. p. 5. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  11. 1 2 Browning, Kellen (August 16, 2020). "You May Not Know This Pandemic Winner, but Your Tween Probably Does" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on August 16, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  12. ↑ Grubb, Jeff (June 6, 2014). "Roblox is gaming's quiet giant – and it's only getting bigger". VentureBeat . Archived from the original on November 29, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  13. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (June 1, 2015). "Roblox user-generated world moves from blocky terrain to smooth 3D". VentureBeat . Archived from the original on November 29, 2018. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  14. ↑ Grubb, Jeff (September 24, 2015). "Roblox comes to Xbox One, joins Minecraft in the growing player-made content space on consoles". VentureBeat . Archived from the original on November 30, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  15. ↑ Grubb, Jeff (January 27, 2016). "Roblox launches on Xbox One with 15 player-created games – watch us play them". VentureBeat . Archived from the original on November 30, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  16. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (March 20, 2024). "Roblox unveils new AI-powered creation tools". Games Industry. Archived from the original on March 20, 2024. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  17. ↑ Irwin, Kate (March 18, 2024). "Roblox Launches New Generative AI Texture and Avatar Tools for Creators". PCMag . Archived from the original on March 19, 2024. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  18. ↑ "Why Luau?". Luau. Retrieved August 3, 2024. All of these motivated us to start reshaping Lua 5.1 that we started from into a new, derivative language that we call Luau. Our focus is on making the language more performant and feature-rich, and make it easier to write robust code through a combination of linting and type checking using a gradual type system.
  19. 1 2 3 Leroux, Faith (January 11, 2024). "What is Roblox? Navigate the popular game creation platform with ease". Android Police. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
  20. ↑ "Luau Goes Open-Source". Luau. November 3, 2021. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  21. ↑ Wirtz, Bryan (September 29, 2023). "Getting Started With Roblox Scripting". GameDesigning. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
  22. ↑ "What Code Does Roblox Use? (Lua, C++, Java, or Python)". FunTechBlog. June 27, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
  23. ↑ Jagneaux, David (January 1, 2018). The Ultimate Roblox Book: An Unofficial Guide: Learn How to Build Your Own Worlds, Customize Your Games, and So Much More!. Simon & Schuster. p. 240. ISBN   978-1507205334. LCCN   2017040387.
  24. 1 2 "Roblox Toolbox Full Guide". Learn. Build. Play. July 31, 2023. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.