If you were to try and define a simple reason why Roblox is so popular, it’s because there have been creators within the platform for years who have done nothing but make unique games and worlds for players to enjoy. There are even levels to this kind of creation, too, as there are “creator studios’ that work with the game and even outside brands and partners to create very specific game experiences and worlds. These teams are highly valued and can be paid a good chunk of money to make worlds. Now, though, they are being hit by a frustrating in-game element: ads.
This reveal comes from Digiday, who talked with numerous creator studios that felt the game’s overlords were trying to use ads and other tactics to get a bigger chunk of the revenue from the creator studios’ efforts. That’s a huge shift from how it used to be when the game would help line up deals between creator studios and brands. Naturally, a spokesperson for the company tried to paint this in a “good light” and not one that is hurting creators:
“As we continue growing our in-house partnerships team and advertising business, our focus is on building tools and solutions that benefit and delight our community of creators, users, and brands. We are also expanding our partner ecosystem and connecting creators aligned with this mission with brands for impactful collaborations. We look to creator studios as primarily our strategic creative partners that we bring into the vast majority of brand conversations.”
The ads in question are limiting or straight-up stopping collaboration between the game’s main team and the creator studios. Naturally, that means lost revenue and opportunities to create something else within the game world. One anonymous creator studio noted:
“There are limited introductions to studios, unless it’s in Roblox’s best interest. I can tell you that we certainly see a dramatically lower volume of brand introductions than what we were used to in the past.”
Many of the studios point to the game’s team wanting not just the “majority of the profits,” but trying to build upon the profits they’ve been making in recent years. While that’s not exactly a “bad thing,” it is a troubling trend that has been the focus of much heartache over the years, where profit is more important than creativity.
There are teams that count on referrals or introductions to brands to make consistent money, and if the Roblox dev team isn’t providing that as much in service to their own ads, that will affect many people’s lives.