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.[2] Games, officially referred to as "experiences" on the platform,[3][4] are made with Luau, a derivative of the programming language Lua.[5][6] 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".[7][8] 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.[9][10]

Roblox Studio
Developer(s)Roblox Corporation
Initial releaseSeptember 1, 2006; 17 years ago (2006-09-01)[1]
Written in
PlatformWindows, macOS
TypeGame creation system
LicenseProprietary software

History

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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.[11] 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.[12] 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.[13][14]

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.[15][16]

Features

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Scripting

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The Luau logo

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.[17][5][6][18] In November 2021, Roblox Corporation released Luau under the MIT License.[19]

Roblox Studio also uses C++ for background processes such as memory management.[20][21]

Templates

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Roblox Studio provides multiple premade game templates.[6][18]

Toolbox

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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.[22][23]

Plugins

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The Plugins mechanic of Roblox Studio allows users to install additional features into their workspaces. Plugins are user-created, listed on the Roblox Marketplace for free or for money. Formerly, plugins could be bought with Robux, Roblox's virtual currency. However, on April 10, 2024, Roblox announced that plugins would be purchased with real money, and that purchasing with Robux would be deprecated, effective immediately.[23]

Usage

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All Roblox games are produced with Roblox Studio.[6][18] 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.[9][10]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Yaden, Joseph (May 4, 2020). "What is Roblox?". Digital Trends. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  2. ^ Dredge, Stuart (September 29, 2019). "All you need to know about Roblox". The Guardian. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ a b Vanbrocklin, Tyler (December 26, 2012). "How to Learn Roblox and Roblox Studio". Game Development Envato Tuts+. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d Haskins, Heath (September 16, 2021). "Roblox 101: How to Make Your First Game". PCMag. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ a b Douthwaite, Andrew; Warneford, Matthew; Pierce, Matt (2020). "Dubit Guide to Roblox for Brands". DocSend. Dubit Limited. p. 5. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  10. ^ a b 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.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ "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.
  18. ^ a b c Leroux, Faith (January 11, 2024). "What is Roblox? Navigate the popular game creation platform with ease". Android Police. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
  19. ^ "Luau Goes Open-Source". Luau. November 3, 2021. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  20. ^ Wirtz, Bryan (September 29, 2023). "Getting Started With Roblox Scripting". GameDesigning. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
  21. ^ "What Code Does Roblox Use? (Lua, C++, Java, or Python)". FunTechBlog. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
  22. ^ 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.
  23. ^ a b "Roblox Toolbox Full Guide". Learn. Build. Play. July 31, 2023. Retrieved August 7, 2024.