Roblox has turned from a game platform and creation service into a true virtual community. Today, the company held its annual developer conference, RDC 2023, and announced a number of new apps and tools designed to help its users create more content.
In a blog post, Roblox revealed that as of the end of June 2023, 65.5 million users were playing Roblox games every day, with an average time of 2.3 hours daily. Soom, thanks to an upcoming mobile app, Roblox Connect, those used can chat with each other in the real world, but using their Roblox avatar. The company stated:
Launching later this year, Connect will enable people to call a friend from their Roblox friends list using their real name and facial expressions—conveying nuance with their own body language—and be transported to a shared immersive space on Roblox for their conversation, sitting together by a campfire or standing beside a waterfall. Behind the scenes, we’re essentially packaging a Hollywood-style motion capture studio into something that runs on a mobile phone or laptop—without the need for equipment or motion-tracking dots. The device’s camera is all that’s needed to capture motion and translate it in real time.
Roblox says that the app was developed using public platform APIs and it will be open source software after its launch, which means anyone could expand its features.
The company is also working on ways for creators to make content faster and easier. For example, it is developing a way to make an avatar just by using an image and typing in a few text prompts. This will allow avatar creation to take just minutes instead of days.
Roblox also confirmed that the service will be widely available for Meta Quest virtual reality headsets later in September. It also announced improvements to the current Xbox app version, including " a new look, frequent updates (with access to the latest features), improved content recommendations, and an improved user experience."
Also, Roblox will finally be added to Sony"s PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 consoles sometime this October. That will likely mean a huge new audience will be introduced to the service.