So, you’ve decided to and/or are considering developing on Roblox. That’s great! You can theoretically make anything you put your mind to. BUT! Before you go all in, you should be made aware of the good, the bad, and the ugly.
THE GOOD
Resources
Assuming you have a decent amount of software knowledge, you’ll find that the Roblox Docs and YouTube will become your best friends. I find Roblox Docs tutorials to be a little lacking and even disagree with some of their code, which is why YouTube is an extremely useful resource as other developers take time to upload their own scripts and implementation of certain concepts. The DevForum is actually very useful for resolving bugs or issues that you just can’t figure out. Most of the folks on here are reasonable and happy to help.
All About The Money
Getting paid on Roblox is genuinely straightforward. Players buy Robux with real money, spend it in your game on game passes, developer products, subscriptions, or private servers, and you keep 70% after Roblox’s 30% marketplace fee. When you’re ready you cash out with the Developer Exchange (DevEx). It’ll convert your earned Robux into real dollars at $0.0038 per Robux. Roblox also pays 42% more on Robux earned from age-checked U.S. players that are 18+ ($0.0054 instead of $0.0038). It’s only eligible to those who use R15 avatars in their games, but it’s worth considering.
THE BAD
Moderation
It’s no surprise to any Robloxian that moderation is at the top of the list, but those coming from outside of Roblox’s ecosystem may be unaware. Moderation is the bane of all devs on the platform. The most innocent texture or asset can get your account suspended/terminated if their AI wrongly flags it. And, if you’re unlucky (which most users are), your appeal will be auto-denied by that same AI. To avoid this, I suggest making alt accounts specifically for asset uploading. It’s unfortunate but once a decision’s been made, there’s no real recourse. People will tell you repeatedly appeal a decision, but once the AI starts its auto-rejection loop, you’re done for.
Age Locked
Your game will start in a trial phase meaning it will only be visible to age-checked 16+ users. It’s supposedly refunded after 90 days but only if your game isn’t moderated or taken down in that window. So, the same AI that flags innocent textures and auto-denies appeals is now standing between you and your deposit. Get falsely flagged and you’ll lose the game and the 1,000 Robux you paid to publish it. Spoooky. Now, if you want to get your game out to players of all ages you need to either get 500 CCU (concurrent [active] users) or fork over (wait for it) 100,000 Robux! Not to worry though, this will be refunded if you don’t reach 500 concurrent users (and your game is not moderated).
THE UGLY
The Algorithm
Building a game is maybe 40% of the job. The other 60% is fighting for a spot on the chart which is largely dominated by a handful of titles. Roblox’s algorithm favors playtime and retention which makes a chicken and egg problem. You need players to prove your game is good, but you need to prove your game is good to get players. Most new devs launch to an audience between 5 and 10 and never recover. Try to budget for ads and sponsorships or invest in on marketing off-platform (TikTok, YT shorts) from day one.
Attack of the Clones
Your reward for an original idea succeeding is seeing it get cloned within 12 hours. Most of the time, this will be done by teams with more marketing money than you. If you care about originality, this may hurt your feelings but you have to get over it. Build fast, ship faster, and don’t devote your heart and soul to a single project.
FINAL NOTES
I’ve been on the platform since 2012 and seen it change in good and bad ways. It’s current state is…something, that’s for sure. But I still believe that if you come on here with a plan and a good game concept, you can be successful. And to my fellow Robloxians, if there’s anything I missed/you think new/potential devs should know, please let me know!