While most gamers know about Roblox, they may not know the history behind the platform, and what brought everything to life for this blocky world. While it may not have started development under the name we know and love now, it’s interesting to see how much it’s taken off since the early days of its development.
But, who created Roblox, and what made it grow as big as it did, as quickly as it has? Let’s dive right in and find out everything gamers interested in the history of the company want to know and see what has changed along the way.
2004 to 2023 – The History Of Roblox
Brought to life by the idea of two developers, David Baszucki and Erik Cassel, GoBlocks, later called DynaBlocks, was meant to be a social game for players of all ages. They wanted to create a safe space for children and adults to be social, have fun, and play games. While the original launch of Roblox looks nothing like what we know now, the character designs and ideas were put into place.
Starting in 2006, the ROBLOX Points system was put into play, where players could earn points by participating in different games and earn special items by purchasing items with them. This program was replaced by ROBUX in 2007.
As the game continued to grow and evolve, adopting many of the traits that players still know today, it may be surprising to hear that the first mobile device that was able to access Roblox would have been the iPhone 5. With mobile support officially added in 2012, players were able to take their Roblox experience on the go for the first time, without needing a laptop or other device to make this happen. In 2012, Roblox had a total player base of around 100,000 players, so the word was starting to spread.
Unfortunately, Erik Cassel passed away in 2013 after a battle with cancer, leaving David Baszucki as the sole CEO of the Roblox Corporation. There are still items on the Roblox Marketplace to pay tribute to him and the work that he did for the company.
Adding And Removing Features & More Players Joining
While plenty of new features were added, plenty of older features that fans loved since the beginning, such as Tickets, were starting to be phased out. Roblox was starting to become more polished, and players were able to start creating their own experiences to get to know the platform from the inside out. Alongside all of the changes, the Community Sift service was added in 2016 to allow gamers under 13 to access their favorite platform, with pre-written messages and moderation controls.
However, the popularity of Roblox started to reach a critical mass during the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Players were stuck in their homes, and what else is there to do than play some video games, or experiment with new products? In 2016, Roblox had a typical player base of around 14 million players, and this skyrocketed up to 43 million players in 2022.
As more experiences are added to the platform, and more restrictions are being lifted from it, player counts are expected to continuously grow. The appeal is there for plenty of reasons, no matter if gamers are hoping to learn how to create their own games, or if they’re planning on trying to earn some Robux in the virtual market, there’s plenty to enjoy for everyone.
Roblox is available now on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Mobile Devices, and PC.
