Roblox Expands AI Game Creation and Cross-Platform Publishing at Developer Conference

The feature called Build, first announced in July, lets Roblox users create games using natural language prompts. It was initially available only in New Zealand. Roblox is now expanding it to Serbia and Singapore. Build is also gaining desktop access for big-screen creation, a new asset library and iterative control. Later this year, it will add a prompt-based scene generation feature that will also extend to Roblox Studio.

Roblox said creators will soon be able to make their games available as separate apps on mobile, PC and consoles, with Roblox serving as the game engine behind them. By the end of the year, players will be able to join a game in a browser through a link. The company framed the changes as expanding the reach of what developers build, rather than only bringing people into Roblox.

Beyond creation tools, Roblox is adding new NPC capabilities. Later this year, some NPCs will be able to playtest a game. Creators will also be able to add an offline mode so players can continue playing in areas with weak network connections. Players are getting a new Friends chat tab that moves across the game with them and supports voice typing.

An improved discovery algorithm will suggest shorter-format games to younger users and games with longer playtime to older users. Through its game engine, Roblox is debuting the ability to create 2D games with an orthographic camera, animated image containers and direct sprite-sheet import for animation. Within its Moments vertical feed, players will soon be able to tap on any avatar in a clip and purchase items.

Roblox also introduced financial products for creators. It said game makers have earned more than $5 billion on the platform since 2013, with earnings over the last 12 months reaching $1.7 billion. The first product is a Roblox Wallet, which will let creators get paid in real money by the end of each business day and transfer money to other bank accounts. Roblox is partnering with Airwallex to provide wallet services to U.S. users aged 18 and older, with plans for future global expansion.

The company also teased a Roblox Card, launching next year, that will let users spend their earnings at places that accept the card. Founder and CEO David Baszucki said that in the last quarter, players spent more than 29 billion hours cumulatively across 180 countries.

Editor's Summary Roblox used its annual developer conference to expand generative AI game creation and allow games built on its platform to be published outside Roblox, according to TechCrunch. It also added NPC playtesting, offline play, creator payment tools and 2D game features. Roblox said creators have earned more than $5 billion since 2013, including $1.7 billion in the past 12 months.