I’m really eager to make a horror game. However, I see a bunch of problems with how the platform is right now.
As child audience kept growing on Roblox, indie-horror games were kept pushing back, bringing better marketed games like Simulators, Anime Games, Sport-Based Anime Games and others which are more appealing to the younger audience.
Horror games like DOORS, Rainbow Friends, Spider did show massive success however I’m seeing it is short lived when I compare their current player-base with the top games on Roblox.
What I have been meaning to ask is; “Is there still potential for a horror game to go actually big considering the current audience of Roblox?”.
fs. You just have to make it more child-oriented if ur goal is to maximize player count. Games like Doors and Rainbow Friends fell off because they took a long time to update. (Though the updates were large, many players had already moved on.) Idk about Spider, I played it once but that was like 2 years ago. I am not a marketing expert, but I was a kid (and still am, granted, older), so I know that they love when stuff changes and new stuff is presented.
Basically, if ur game is good (and not too scary as to not scare off children) and updates frequently (even if the update are small), you should be able to maintain a relatively consistent player base and attract new ones, even kids.
From what I’ve seen over the years and also just general common Roblox advice is to make it Multiplayer.
A lot of the horror games i’ve seen are amazing and designed beautifully but… they are single player. I instantly leave. The Roblox market is tough and players will switch games instantly if it’s single player.
Also have you realised how a lot of the top games have no loading screen (or it’s super short) and they rarely have a main menu or intro cutscene. I mean this is changing at the moment but still the majority don’t. A lot of horror games I have played have some form of narrative intro cutscene. This is great but kids will turn their brain off and move on. You really have to throw in players in media res nowadays.
I think that is one of the main reasons why horror games struggle on Roblox at the moment, they take too long to get players gripped. Horrors need a tension build but players nowadays need quick feedback or feeling of fun/progression.
Horror games are definetly doable, you just need to consider how you can mould the horror game staples into the fast paced Roblox environment
I have to admit this is the most well-written answer I’ve ever gotten. Especially the last part.
Thank you.
Also, any tips to recategorize my horror game in the aspects you’ve given? Banana Eats is a really good example for this in my opinion. However, even in such a game I observed players and noticed some leaving. That’s what this post was intended for. I’m really afraid of a similar ending for my game.