History of Roblox in Timeline
Roblox is an online game platform and game creation system developed by Roblox Corporation. Founded by David Baszucki and Erik Cassel, it was released in 2006 and allows users to create and play games. The platform boasts a large user base, reporting 85.3 million daily active users as of February 2025, and including a significant portion of American children under 16.
2 days ago : Roblox Implements Age Checks for Communication Amid Child Safety Concerns and CEO Tensions.
Roblox faced scrutiny over child safety, leading to tense exchanges with its CEO. The platform now requires age verification for communication, blocking children from chatting with adult strangers. This update sets a new safety standard for the platform.
1984: Promotion of Wonder Woman 1984
Roblox occasionally engages in events to promote films, such as ones held to promote Wonder Woman 1984.
2000: "Oof" Sound Effect Produced
Roblox's original sound effect for when a character died, the "oof" sound effect, was originally produced in 2000 for the video game Messiah.
2004: Roblox Creation
In 2004, David Baszucki and Erik Cassel created Roblox, initially known as Dynablocks, after leaving Knowledge Revolution.
September 1, 2006: Official Release of Roblox
On September 1, 2006, Roblox was officially released along with Roblox Studio, allowing community members to create various experiences.
2006: Public Release
In 2006, Roblox was released to the public, marking the beginning of its accessibility to a wider audience.
2006: Early Roblox Development
In mid-2006, Roblox hired its first two employees (Matt Dusek and John Shedletsky) who were not Cassel or Baszucki to work on the platform's other features.
2007: Builders Club Launch
In 2007, Roblox introduced the "Builders Club" membership subscription, allowing users to create more games and gain Robux daily.
2008: Shift to User-Created Games
In 2008, the Roblox Corporation stopped actively creating their own games, becoming entirely reliant on user-created games to demonstrate the platform's capabilities.
2010: Growth Throughout 2010
Roblox's growth continued throughout 2010, setting the stage for further expansion in the following years.
June 2011: Fundraiser
In June 2011, Roblox held a fundraiser that raised over $4 million.
August 2011: Active User Milestone
By August 2011, Roblox had about 6.8 million active users monthly, becoming the second-most popular kids entertainment site.
August 2011: First Roblox Rally
In August 2011, the first in-person convention centered around Roblox, known as the Roblox Rally, was held in San Francisco and was attended by over 1,000 people.
2012: Mobile Development
Throughout 2012, versions of Roblox for mobile devices were developed, beginning with a stripped-down iOS version.
2013: Development Tool Updates
From 2013 to 2014, Roblox released several updates to their development tools, adding new features like the Developer Exchange program.
2013: Cassel's Death
In 2013, Roblox's co-founder Erik Cassel died from cancer, marking a significant loss for the company.
January 2014: Player Count Increase
By January 2014, the platform's monthly player count had increased to 10 to 12 million, although a majority played as guests.
July 16, 2014: Android Version Release
On July 16, 2014, a version of Roblox for Android devices was released, expanding the platform's accessibility.
2014: Development Tool Updates
From 2013 to 2014, Roblox released several updates to their development tools, adding new features, support for character animations, Roblox Studio plugins, and Developer Stats.
May 2015: Physics Engine and Terrain Update
In May 2015, Roblox released an update that adjusted its physics engine and introduced Smooth Terrain, enhancing the game's graphics and realism.
September 2015: Xbox One Version Announcement
In September 2015, a version of Roblox for Xbox One was announced, signaling the platform's expansion into video game consoles.
April 2016: Roblox on Oculus Rift
In April 2016, Roblox became available for Oculus Rift, with quality-of-life features made for the platform. The company expressed interest in porting Roblox to other VR devices.
December 2016: Monthly Active Users Milestone
By December 2016, the Roblox platform had about 30 million monthly active users, indicating significant growth.
2016: Tickets Discontinued
In 2016, Roblox discontinued its secondary currency, "Tickets", making Robux the platform's only currency, due to the company believing newer players would get confused by the presence of two separate currencies.
January 2017: Licensed Toy Minifigures Produced
In January 2017, toy fabricator Jazwares began producing licensed toy minifigures based on the Roblox platform.
October 2017: Guest Play Removed
In October 2017, Roblox removed the ability for people to play as a "guest", which allowed users to play games on the platform without having to use an account.
2017: Plans to Comply with Chinese Censorship Laws
Documents leaked from as early as 2017 revealed that the Roblox Corporation was planning to make changes to comply with Chinese internet censorship laws.
2017: Roblox Developers Earn $30 Million
In 2017, at the Roblox Developers Conference, it was announced that the approximately 1.7 million creators on the game platform collectively earned at least $30 million during the year.
2018: Roblox Banned in the United Arab Emirates
In 2018, Roblox was banned in the United Arab Emirates.
April 2019: Monthly Active Users Increase
By April 2019, the platform's monthly active users had increased to 90 million, demonstrating substantial growth.
August 2019: User-Uploaded Accessories
In August 2019, Roblox began allowing select users to upload their own accessories.
November 2019: Roblox iOS Version Passes $1 Billion in Revenue
In November 2019, the iOS version of the mobile-app Roblox surpassed $1 billion in lifetime revenue.
2019: Roblox Premium Released
In 2019, Roblox released Roblox Premium, which replaced its previous Builders Club memberships.
2019: User-Generated Content Expansion
Since 2019, select users gained the ability to publish avatar accessories, animations, bundles, and more on Roblox, expanding the scope of user-generated content.
June 2020: Roblox iOS Version Reaches $1.5 Billion in Lifetime Revenue
In June 2020, the iOS version of the mobile-app Roblox reached $1.5 billion in lifetime revenue.
July 2020: Game Popularity
By July 2020, at least 20 games on Roblox had been played more than one billion times, and at least 5,000 had been played more than one million times, indicating the platform's success.
July 2020: Roblox Announces Metaverse Plans
In July 2020, Roblox formally announced plans to build a "metaverse", which refers to interconnected virtual worlds, and new features to give creators more freedom and make collaboration easier, such as Developer Events for in-game events and a partnership with Monstercat to use their catalog in games.
October 2020: Roblox iOS Version Surpasses $2 Billion in Lifetime Revenue
In October 2020, the iOS version of the mobile-app Roblox surpassed $2 billion in lifetime revenue, making it the second highest-grossing iOS app.
December 3, 2020: Roblox Released in China
On December 3, 2020, Roblox was given permission to release in China.
2020: Prevalence of Sexual Content on Roblox
A 2020 investigation by Fast Company found that sexual content was very prevalent on Roblox and likened attempts to remove the material to whack-a-mole.
2020: Roblox Given Permission to Release in China
After being given permission in late 2020, Roblox released in China in July 2021.
2020: Developer Count
As of 2020, Roblox reported that more than 2 million developers used Roblox Studio to create more than 20 million games per year. A majority of the developers were minors.
2020: Game Popularity Milestone
By 2020, over 5,000 games on Roblox had been played over a million times, and over 20 had been played over one billion times, demonstrating the platform's widespread appeal.
2020: Virtual Bloxy Awards
The 2020 edition of the Bloxy Awards, held virtually on the platform, drew 600,000 viewers.
2020: Increase in Daily Active Users
Throughout 2021, Roblox averaged 45.5 million daily active users, a 40% increase from the end of 2020.
March 2021: Distinct Game Design
In March 2021, TechCrunch noted that Roblox games are largely distinct from established traditions in free-to-play video games. Successful Roblox games were geared towards immediate satisfaction.
March 2021: Roblox Corporation Goes Public
In March 2021, the Roblox Corporation went public, and became valued at $45 billion.
April 2021: Hasbro Releases Roblox-Themed Products
In April 2021, Hasbro released Roblox-themed Nerf blasters and a Roblox-themed version of Monopoly.
October 2021: Partnership with Chipotle
In October 2021, Roblox partnered with Chipotle Mexican Grill to give $1 million of burritos away as a part of Chipotle's "Halloween Boorito" promotion.
November 2021: Luau Open Sourced
In November 2021, the Luau programming language used by Roblox Studio was open-sourced under the MIT License, promoting community involvement and development.
2021: Baszucki Details Roblox's Metaverse Vision
In 2021, Baszucki further detailed the companies vision for Roblox to become a metaverse, highlighting "eight different characteristics" that the platform would strive to accommodate for.
2021: Guatemala Issues Warning to Parents Regarding Roblox
In 2021, Guatemala issued a warning to parents regarding the platform due to similar reasons to those from other regions.
2021: Ban Lifted in the United Arab Emirates
In 2021, the ban on Roblox was lifted in the United Arab Emirates. The ban was in effect since 2018.
2021: Experiences
In 2021, user-created games on Roblox were officially referred to as "experiences", reflecting a shift in terminology.
January 2022: LuoBu Shutdown
In January 2022, LuoBu was shut down, with Roblox stating that they were going to redevelop the release, and that LuoBu was only ever intended to be a test version.
April 2022: Complaint Filed Against Roblox for False Advertising
In April 2022, Truth in Advertising filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission against Roblox. The complaint alleged false advertising, specifically citing the failure to properly disclose when advertising is present within the platform, such as with advergames and brand ambassadors.
2022: Bloxy Awards Rebranded
In 2022, "Bloxy Awards" got rebranded into the "Roblox Innovation Awards".
2022: Age Ratings for Games Announced
In 2022, Roblox announced age ratings for games, to increase the platform's appeal to the young adult audience by allowing for more mature experiences.
2022: Facial Animations Announced
In 2022, facial animations based on real-world motion tracking of the players face was announced, later released in 2023.
2022: "Oof" Sound Effect Replaced
The "oof" sound effect was replaced in 2022 after Roblox and the sound's producer entered a copyright dispute.
March 2023: Roblox Hides Advertisements From Younger Users
In March 2023, Roblox responded to criticisms of its advertising practices by hiding advertisements from users under the age of 13. However, this restriction did not include advergames, which led to further criticism.
June 2023: 17+ Age Rating Introduced
In June 2023, Roblox introduced a 17+ rating that would permit games to feature more graphic violence, romantic themes and alcohol usage.
2023: Roblox on Quest and PlayStation
In 2023, Roblox released public beta versions for Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro on July 27, with full versions released in September. At the same time, a port of Roblox to the PlayStation 4 were announced, and later released on October 10.
2023: Facial Animations Released
In 2023, facial animations based on real-world motion tracking of the players face was released, after being announced in 2022.
March 2024: AI Tools Added to Roblox Studio
In March 2024, two generative artificial intelligence tools were added to Roblox Studio in an effort to speed up content creation, for automatic avatar customization and texture generation.
November 2024: Parental Controls Revamped
In November 2024, Roblox revamped its parental controls system, adding new safety measures for users under the age of 13, such as screen time and whether or not the child can exchange private messages with other users.
2024: Bloomberg Businessweek Report on Sexual Predation
A 2024 Bloomberg Businessweek report attributed sexual predation on child players to insufficient moderation, which has been viewed as overly reliant on artificial intelligence, and also due to how users on the platform are anonymous.
January 2025: Arrests Related to Sexual Exploitation on Roblox
Since January 2025, United States police have arrested at least six people alleged to have used Roblox to find and sexually exploit children, including "coercing minors into making pornography".
February 2025: Roblox Reports 85.3 Million Daily Active Users
As of February 2025, Roblox reported over 85.3 million daily active users.
February 2025: Active User Report
In February 2025, Roblox reported an average of 85.3 million daily active users, showcasing its continued popularity.
July 2025: "Oof" Sound Effect Reinstated
In July 2025, the "oof" sound effect was officially reinstated back to Roblox, after Roblox gained the rights to use the audio.
August 2025: Cease and Desist to YouTuber
In August 2025, Roblox sent a cease and desist to a YouTuber alleging that he had been involved with vigilantism, leading to widespread criticism towards the company.
September 2025: Nuevo León Issues Warning to Parents About Roblox Safety
In September 2025, the government of the Mexican state of Nuevo León issued a public warning to parents, stating that Roblox was not a safe platform for children due to concerns about online predators.
October 2025: Kuwait Lifts Roblox Ban After Agreement on Restrictions
In October 2025, Kuwait lifted its ban on Roblox after the platform agreed to implement new safety and content restrictions requested by Kuwaiti authorities. The ban had been in place since August 2025.
2025: Connections System Update
In 2025, Roblox updated its friend system, officially known as "connections", introducing a "Trusted Connections" tier for verified users over 13.
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