Not just for kids… Roblox is about to look a little more like “Grand Theft Auto.” The tween-favorite gaming platform said that, for the first time, it’ll let some users create mature content, including experiences featuring blood, alcohol, and (unplayable) casinos. The content will be restricted to users 17 and older, who’ll have to verify their age by uploading a selfie and ID.
Kidults: Until 2021, kids under 13 made up the majority of Roblox’s users. But that flipped this year, with Roblox notching a record number of daily users over 13 and saying 17- to 24-year-olds are now its fastest-growing demo.
Intentional: Roblox CEO David Baszucki shared a “vision for all ages” manifesto in May, outlining the platform’s plan to appeal to older users.
Problem child(s)… Roblox’s main moneymaker is its virtual currency, called Robux, which users are encouraged to buy (or ask their parents to buy) after seeing in-game ads for items and experiences. But after a watchdog group filed an FTC complaint about these ads being served to kids, Roblox wiped them from the under-13 experience. Branded Roblox experiences, like Nikeland and Froot Loops World, have come under scrutiny too. Last year it started adding in-game ads directly from brands but barred younger kids from seeing them.
It pays to grow up with your users… and Roblox is now 17. By appealing to non-tween audiences with more mature content like gory horror games and experiences like a Mariah Carey concert and a “Super NFL Tycoon” simulation, Roblox can make more $$ from more people. Now that it can’t serve ads to kids, older users are more important than ever — and they’re less likely to get grounded for buying too many Robux.