5 mistakes creators make building new games on roblox

Understanding Success Factors on the Roblox Platform

Roblox’s recent substantial initial public offering has sparked considerable interest among game developers, brands, and investors. A key question arises: what elements contribute to the breakout success of games on this $47 billion platform, given the vast number of user-created projects?

Roblox’s S-1 filing reveals that approximately 250 developers and creators generated earnings of $100,000 or more in Robux during the year ending September 2020. This figure represents a small fraction of the nearly 1 million creators actively present on the platform.

Lessons Learned from Experience

Our team at Gamefam gained valuable insights through practical experience. Initially, our first game peaked at just 25 concurrent players. However, through iterative development and attentive listening to the Roblox community, our portfolio now receives 2 to 3 million daily visits.

This growth was achieved by embracing the unique gamer culture and language prevalent within the Roblox ecosystem.

Common Pitfalls for New Developers

For entrepreneurs embarking on Roblox game development, it’s crucial to be aware of common mistakes. These are frequently observed among gaming professionals, including those with prior experience.

Key Mistakes to Avoid

Here's a breakdown of frequently encountered errors:

• Ignoring Community Feedback: Failing to actively solicit and incorporate player suggestions can significantly hinder a game’s potential.
• Lack of Consistent Updates: Games requiring regular content additions and bug fixes to maintain player engagement.
• Poor Monetization Strategies: Implementing intrusive or unbalanced monetization methods can alienate players.
• Underestimating the Importance of Social Features: Roblox is inherently a social platform; games lacking robust social interaction often struggle.

The Importance of Iteration and Listening

Successful Roblox development necessitates a continuous cycle of iteration and attentive listening. Understanding the nuances of the Roblox community is paramount.

By avoiding these common mistakes and prioritizing community engagement, developers can significantly increase their chances of creating a thriving and successful game on the Roblox platform.

Leveraging Free-to-Play Mobile Game Principles

The free-to-play (F2P) mobile gaming landscape relies heavily on intricate, layered game loops. Players engage in matches, enhance their characters with resources earned, acquire additional characters for merging, and unlock new challenges to gain further rewards – a cycle that continues indefinitely.

These systems typically necessitate extensive player tutorials spanning numerous hours of gameplay. However, these mechanics often prove ineffective within the Roblox environment, as players prioritize instant and engaging experiences.

The Contrast Between Platforms

A comprehensive onboarding tutorial is frequently a substantial developmental investment in the mobile F2P market. Yet, with our Roblox game, Speed Run Simulator (averaging over 400,000 daily visits), we observed a notable improvement in Day 1 retention after completely eliminating the tutorial.

Instead, we allowed experienced players to organically assist newcomers in understanding the game's mechanics. This highlights that the distinctions between Roblox and mobile F2P are not merely numerous, but can also be surprisingly counterintuitive.

Key Differences in Player Expectations

Players entering a Roblox game generally expect immediate gratification. A lengthy tutorial can disrupt this expectation and lead to early abandonment.

In contrast, mobile F2P games often require players to invest time and effort to understand the core loops. This difference in expectation is crucial when adapting game design principles between the two platforms.

• Roblox: Prioritizes immediate fun and player-driven discovery.
• Mobile F2P: Often relies on structured tutorials and gradual progression.

Therefore, successful game development on Roblox necessitates a different approach to onboarding and player guidance than is typical in the mobile F2P space.

Maximizing Revenue Through Engagement with High-Value Players

Players on Roblox are motivated to spend when they receive something desirable in return. Unlike mobile games that often employ tactics to restrict progress unless in-app purchases are made – as seen in titles like Candy Crush – Roblox users are not easily pressured or forced into spending.

Attempts to replicate the common mobile gaming strategy of centering a business model around "whales" – those exceptional users who contribute a disproportionately large amount of revenue in a short period – have consistently failed to gain significant momentum within the Roblox ecosystem.

Our testing has revealed that the most effective methods for increasing revenue involve broadening appeal to the overall player base.

For example, a redesign of the VIP package in our Little World game resulted in a more than 25% increase in revenue per visit. This improvement stemmed from offering an immediate opportunity to achieve enhanced social status within the multiplayer environment.

This demonstrates that focusing on community-wide enhancements yields greater returns than targeting isolated high-spending individuals.

Understanding the Roblox Spending Dynamic

The Roblox platform fosters a different spending behavior than many other gaming platforms. Players are driven by intrinsic desires for customization, social interaction, and unique experiences.

Consequently, monetization strategies must align with these motivations rather than relying on manipulative techniques.

• Players spend to acquire items they genuinely want.
• Progress is not artificially gated by paywalls.
• Community-focused improvements drive revenue growth.

Successfully monetizing on Roblox requires a deep understanding of player psychology and a commitment to providing value that resonates with the broader community.

Developing Games for Roblox: Avoiding Common Pitfalls

Roblox represents a unique gaming landscape, characterized by its user-generated content and a strong emphasis on creative expression. The platform’s culture is largely shaped by developers aged 15 to 25, and maintaining authenticity and fostering a sense of community are paramount for success.

Attempts to directly compete with established popular games by simply offering incremental improvements are often unsuccessful. Roblox users demonstrate significant loyalty to existing titles, making it difficult to attract an audience through imitation.

The Importance of Originality

To cultivate a lasting player base, developers must present genuinely novel experiences. Instead of replicating successful formulas, innovation is key. When embarking on the development of a new shooter game, observing the popularity of titles such as Arsenal and Counter-Blox prompted a strategic decision to pursue a distinct path.

This led to the creation of Polybattle, which achieved 200,000 daily active users. The game’s success stemmed from introducing class-based team play and destructible vehicles, features that differentiated it within the shooter genre and resonated with players.

The introduction of these elements fostered a highly engaged community and a dedicated following of superfans. This demonstrates that offering something truly different is crucial for standing out on the Roblox platform.

The Role of Graphics in Roblox Game Success

The success of Roblox games isn't fundamentally tied to advanced graphical fidelity. Indeed, Roblox's very existence demonstrates this point; it thrived despite lacking the high-end visuals common in AAA titles.

AAA console and PC games often leverage superior graphics as a key differentiator, offering players a visually immersive experience. However, Roblox prioritized real-time multiplayer functionality and accessibility over pixel-perfect rendering.

Roblox's Unique Aesthetic

While Roblox continually enhances its graphical capabilities, improved visuals haven't historically been the defining factor for a game's popularity on the platform. The platform’s community actively embraces its distinctive, blocky aesthetic – often referred to as “bloxiness.”

This unique visual style is celebrated within Roblox culture, and represents a core part of the platform’s identity. The focus remains on gameplay and social interaction, rather than photorealistic graphics.

• Accessibility: Roblox prioritizes broad accessibility over graphical power.
• Multiplayer Focus: Real-time multiplayer experiences are central to the platform.
• Community Embrace: The "bloxiness" of the graphics is a celebrated aspect of Roblox.

Therefore, developers shouldn't necessarily prioritize cutting-edge graphics when creating experiences for Roblox. Focusing on engaging gameplay and a strong social component will likely yield greater success.

Creating a Roblox Game Without Extensive Prior Experience

For over fifteen years, Roblox has existed as a unique gaming environment. The platform’s evolution has been shaped by its own internal dynamics and a distinct social language amongst its players. Even seasoned game developers with backgrounds in the free-to-play mobile sector often struggle to identify the elements that truly resonate with the Roblox community.

Upon our company’s founding in 2019, we encountered frequent setbacks despite considerable Roblox playtime. The subtleties of even seemingly simple games consistently surprised us. It’s a far more complex undertaking than it initially appears. Consequently, we prioritized hiring developers with native Roblox experience – individuals who have actively used the platform since their teenage years. Consider the challenge of launching a consumer product in a country with which you are unfamiliar; a deep cultural understanding is essential to effectively serve your target audience.

As Roblox matures alongside its user base and offers increasingly advanced tools to its developers, we anticipate that the platform’s distinctive conventions will become even more pronounced. These conventions may eventually extend to other areas of the gaming industry. Considering that a majority of Americans under the age of 16 are Roblox users, the platform’s norms are poised to significantly influence digital entertainment as this demographic gains purchasing power.

This shift could challenge established expectations within the gaming industry and redefine the very concept of what constitutes a “game.”