Roblox expands tools to help creators build, distribute games

The company announced a new ad format and a partnership with Google to grow its nascent ad business, and also allow creators to boost their earnings. (Image: Reuters)

Roblox plans to let creators distribute their games as standalone apps across mobile, PC and consoles, the company said at its developers conference on Friday, as it seeks to make games easier to access beyond the Roblox app.

The gaming platform ⁠will ​provide the underlying technology and services for the standalone apps. By the end of the year, players will also be able to ​join ​games in Chrome from ⁠a game’s Experience Details page without downloading an app, with additional browsers to ‌follow.

Roblox will also allow creators to combine online and offline modes in one game, enabling single-player campaigns and play without a network connection.

The company is also expanding its AI tools for game creation, ⁠including Build, ⁠Scene Generator and new non-player character features.

Roblox introduced Build in July, ⁠allowing ‌users to create, test and publish ​a playable game from a ‌text prompt within its app. The company said users have published about ‌9,000 games with ​Build, and ​71% ​of those who created a game with the tool had not ​previously used Roblox Studio.

Scene Generator, ⁠due later this year, will let creators use a text prompt and reference image ‌to create ⁠a functional game layout. Roblox also plans to add non-player characters ​that can playtest games.