Roblox Goes Public and Rockets Up!

Since its foundation in 2004, Roblox has become a powerful indie platform. But can it still be called indie after going public? The answer is equivocal: despite its independent appearance and openness to indie developers, Roblox has grown to a major size.

Let the numbers speak. As the company went public, its shares almost reached $70 mark the very first day. This means that the market capitalization of the company reached the incredible $45B! It has decreased a bit since the triumphant debut, but still, it’s over $37B. Imagine that: Roblox is more expensive than Take-Two, Ubisoft, and Square Enix put together.

The games on Roblox, though, don’t resemble AAA titles by these. They are Minecraft-rough, focused on gameplay rather than visuals, due to a developer-friendly editor and numerous templates. No wonder they often copy hits like Fortnite, Fall Guys, or The Sims. The lack of originality is recompensed by other games. What makes Roblox even more special is an integrated social network that forms a large gamer community.

Finally, it’s the place where it’s easier to transform from a gamer into a developer. You can compare it to Minecraft where you create worlds, but it’s a step further: you can create living worlds rather than static spots. It’s even more fascinating than Roblox’s success on the NY Stock Exchange.