Roblox is making it easier to build games with AI — and play them outside Roblox | TechCrunch

At its annual Roblox Developer Conference (RDC), the company behind the popular gaming platform announced several new features, including new game-creation tools, expanded NPC (non-player character) capabilities, and the ability to make games available across platforms, including the web. The company is also launching a dedicated Roblox Card and Roblox Wallet for creators.

In addition, Roblox is rolling out its generative AI game creation more broadly. First announced in July, the feature called “Build ” lets Roblox users create games using natural language prompts. Initially, it was available only in New Zealand. Now the company is expanding it to Serbia and Singapore. Build is also gaining desktop access for big-screen creation, a new asset library, and iterative control. Later this year, it will also get a new prompt-based scene-generation feature, which will extend to Roblox Studio.

The gaming platform is making sure that all these newly created games are available to play in more places. The company said creators will soon be able to make their games available as separate apps on mobile, PC, and consoles, with Roblox being the game engine behind that. By year-end, players will be able to join a game in-browser through a link.

The announcements indicate Roblox is now focused not only on bringing people to Roblox, but also on expanding the reach of what developers build, while also making building easier and more accessible.

Besides the new creation tools, the company is adding new capabilities to NPCs, including ones that can playtest a game, later this year. Creators will also be able to add an offline mode in their games, allowing people to continue playing when they’re in an area with a weak network connection.

In addition, players will get a new Friends chat tab that moves across the game with them, with voice typing support.

Meanwhile, an improved discovery algorithm will suggest shorter-format games to younger users and games with a longer playtime to older users.

Through its game engine, Roblox is also debuting the ability to create 2D games with an orthographic camera, animated image containers, and direct sprite-sheet import for animation. It also added that within its Moments vertical feed , players can soon tap on any avatar in a clip and purchase items.

Roblox said that since 2013, game makers have earned more than $5 billion on the platform, with earnings for the last 12 months reaching $1.7 billion. Now the company is launching financial products to let creators have different tools to use their earnings.

First is a Roblox Wallet where creators can get paid in real money by the end of each business day. Users can also transfer their money to other bank accounts. The company is partnering with Airwallex to provide wallet services to U.S. users aged 18 and older, with plans for future global expansion.

The gaming service also teased a Roblox Card, launching next year, that would let users spend their earnings at places that accept the card.

Roblox is looking to drum up engagement time on its platform and beyond. The company’s founder and CEO, David Baszucki, said that in the last quarter, players spent over 29 billion hours cumulatively across 180 countries.