Roblox is a widely used online gaming platform with over 200 million monthly users. The company makes a lot of money, and young developers can also earn from it. However, some people are concerned about how the company shares its revenue, saying it might be unfair. A Roblox Studio boss spoke with Eurogamer about this.
At the center of the discussion is how Roblox uses an in-game money called Robux. Game creators get Robux when players use them in their games. However, when creators want to change Robux into real money, they get much less than what players pay to get Robux. According to Bloomberg, the payoff is $0.0035 for every $0.012475 spent on their games, which is 28 cents for every dollar spent on Robux. This difference has caused claims of unfair treatment, especially regarding the platform’s many young creators.
Roblox Studio head Stefano Corazza has stressed the potential for economic opportunities for young people globally through the platform. He argues that teens, including those in disadvantaged circumstances, can earn money using Roblox’s game development tools. Corazza highlights the distribution of earnings to creators and the acquisition of valuable coding skills while using the platform.
“I don’t know, you can say this for a lot of things, right? Like, you can say, ‘Okay, we are exploiting, you know, child labor,’ right? Or, you can say: we are offering people anywhere in the world the capability to get a job, and even like an income. So, I can be like 15 years old, in Indonesia, living in a slum, and then now, with just a laptop, I can create something, make money, and then sustain my life.”
Stefano Corazza
The company states that most of the developers making money on Roblox are over 18. However, they also recognize the existence of successful teenage earners, and Roblox shares stories of young people who see the platform as empowering and financially impactful.
I don’t believe that at face value because Corazza chose an example from India. The cost of living in India is $345.40 a month (70% lower than in the USA), according to Numbeo. So, an Indian wouldn’t need to make as much as an American or someone from the UK to sustain their lives. Corazza chose a community that needs to spend significantly less to sustain itself.
Despite a positive view, there are concerns about fairness and transparency. Critics argue that Roblox’s revenue-sharing model lacks clarity and may not fairly compensate young developers for their work. However, it still gives them experience, and Roblox does not have to pay anything; it chooses to so it can get more games. For now, Roblox seems happy with how its developers earn money.
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