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Roblox is the biggest game in the world, but is unprofitable

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Re: Roblox is the biggest game in the world, but is unprofitable

#561

Post by onemoresoop »

IG_Semmelweiss wrote: post #383
GNOMES wrote: post #312

My kiddo has easily spent 500+ on Roblox across birthday/Xmas gift cards/chores. I can't stand that almost all of the games seem to have a pay to win aspect, or are heavily advertising every chance they get. As a gamer dad, I try to show my kid better games to play, but because they aren't free, his friends can't play. Just drives him to keep playing and wanting more Robux. It's compounded when his favorite Youtubers…

Buy him DRM free games on GOG. I Do this for young relatives. Ive been shown WhatsApp threads of the young teens who play the DRM-free games i upload - my google drive ID is effectively referenced as some kind of deity lol Side benefit: No online play or interaction with the outside world, only with your own group (usually)

Or buy him a MiYoo/Ambernic and add Pico-8 games. Pico-8 is a great platform, games are free and short and sweet. In addition, you can pry under the hood and read the code, modify it freely, etc. It's a perfect on-ramp for programming.

I personally got a Miyoo for my kid but ended up getting one for myself. The fun and nostalgia are there.

Re: Roblox is the biggest game in the world, but is unprofitable

#562

Post by impulser_ »

modeless wrote: post #98
impulser_ wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They disclose risks under Risk Factors in their quarterly filings.

Obviously, like all public companies. But have they disclosed the specific risk that Apple might stop giving them special treatment and stop protecting them from competition or start enforcing the policies they violate? I believe I read their S-1 some time ago and didn't find any mention of special treatment from Apple. It's possible they started disclosing it later, but even that would still expose them to sharehold…

They don't have to disclose specific of a deal.

"We depend on effectively operating with third-party mobile operating systems, hardware, and networks that may make changes affecting our operating costs, as well as our ability to maintain our Platform which would hurt our ability to operate our business.

For the three months ended June 30, 2024, 30% of our revenue was attributable to Robux sales through the Apple App Store and 16% of our revenue was attributable to Robux sales through the Google Play Store. Because of the significant use of our Platform on mobile devices, our application must remain interoperable with these and other popular mobile app stores and platforms, and related hardware. We are subject to the standard policies and terms of service of these operating systems, as well as policies and terms of service of the various software application stores that make our application and experiences available to our developers, creators, and users. These policies and terms of service govern the availability, promotion, distribution, content, and operation of applications and experiences on such operating systems and stores. Each provider of these operating systems and stores has broad discretion to change and interpret its terms of service and policies with respect to our Platform and those changes may be unfavorable to us and our developers’, creators’, and users’ use of our Platform. If an operating system provider or application store limits or discontinues access to, or changes the terms governing, its operating system or store for any reason, it could adversely affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations."

Re: Roblox is the biggest game in the world, but is unprofitable

#563

Post by eru »

impulser_ wrote: post #562
modeless wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Obviously, like all public companies. But have they disclosed the specific risk that Apple might stop giving them special treatment and stop protecting them from competition or start enforcing the policies they violate? I believe I read their S-1 some time ago and didn't find any mention of special treatment from Apple. It's possible they started disclosing it later, but even that would still expose them to sharehold…

They don't have to disclose specific of a deal. "We depend on effectively operating with third-party mobile operating systems, hardware, and networks that may make changes affecting our operating costs, as well as our ability to maintain our Platform which would hurt our ability to operate our business. For the three months ended June 30, 2024, 30% of our revenue was attributable to Robux sales through the Apple App…

Thanks for actually digging up the relevant lines!

Re: Roblox is the biggest game in the world, but is unprofitable

#564

Post by eru »

jameshart wrote: post #297
modeless wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If there is any kind of undisclosed arrangement between Apple and Roblox then there's a clear case for securities fraud IMO. There's a huge risk to Roblox were any such deal to unravel, both from the threat of competition being allowed and from the possibility of Apple starting to enforce their published policies on Roblox. For public companies, risks like that must be disclosed.

Apple can and does change even the written terms of AppStore service on a whim without warning. The risk that Apple suddenly changes its unwritten enforcement policy to your detriment is not that much different than the risk that they just change their Ts and Cs entirely. Apple’s walled garden, Apple’s rules. ANY publicly traded company that relies on the Apple AppStore for a significant portion of its revenue has an…

And when they are subject to US regulations, they typically make that implicit caveat into explicit disclosure. See eg https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41303671

Re: Roblox is the biggest game in the world, but is unprofitable

#565

Post by stemlord »

mrmetanoia wrote: post #321
GNOMES wrote: post #312

My kiddo has easily spent 500+ on Roblox across birthday/Xmas gift cards/chores. I can't stand that almost all of the games seem to have a pay to win aspect, or are heavily advertising every chance they get. As a gamer dad, I try to show my kid better games to play, but because they aren't free, his friends can't play. Just drives him to keep playing and wanting more Robux. It's compounded when his favorite Youtubers…

I've mentioned this in other comments, but I sat in with my nephews on a Roblox session, then stayed after to check things out on my own. There's an astounding number of adults on that platform saying some of the most horrible things. The games are like you say, and there's some that are indeed the model of what I expected: games that kids and amateurs made with their tools. Car jump games. Simple platforming. Basic…

To be fair when I was <10 years old my siblings and I had a lot of fun in AOL chatrooms and various forums full of people of all ages saying all kinds of things. Not that it makes it okay but that particular aspect of roblox isn't really something new when it comes to kids exploring the web.

Re: Roblox is the biggest game in the world, but is unprofitable

#566

Post by doctorpangloss »

hipadev23 wrote: post #451
doctorpangloss wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You’re right. What else? Roblox games absolutely utterly suck. Little else matters.

> Roblox games absolutely utterly suck There are hundreds of millions of users a month who strongly disagree with you.

Are you one of those millions of users? No? Why don’t you play Roblox?

Re: Roblox is the biggest game in the world, but is unprofitable

#567

Post by mrmetanoia »

draebek wrote: post #414
mrmetanoia wrote: post #321

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've mentioned this in other comments, but I sat in with my nephews on a Roblox session, then stayed after to check things out on my own. There's an astounding number of adults on that platform saying some of the most horrible things. The games are like you say, and there's some that are indeed the model of what I expected: games that kids and amateurs made with their tools. Car jump games. Simple platforming. Basic…

I struggle to understand why people are so toxic with chat in video games. I don't go to the supermarket, or even the bar and hear people just casually chatting about "who hates [racial slur]?" There's John Gabriel's Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory, which says that if you give normal people anonymity and an audience then they become (let's call them) assholes. I feel that, in order to buy this, you must accept that t…

I struggle also. I love that PA comic! I often tell my wife when we get someone who starts throwing in Rocket League, "you wouldn't do this if you walked down to the park for a pickup game of basketball - nobody would ever play with you again. you would look like a moron." and maybe that's it. there's no meaningful consequence? It's sad though to think so many people are only being compelled to do the decent thing to avoid consequences and eschew decent behavior as soon as they enter a consequence free zone? Just breaks my heart really, because I thought we did these things for fun lol

Re: Roblox is the biggest game in the world, but is unprofitable

#568

Post by mrmetanoia »

akudha wrote: post #494
draebek wrote: post #414

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I struggle to understand why people are so toxic with chat in video games. I don't go to the supermarket, or even the bar and hear people just casually chatting about "who hates [racial slur]?" There's John Gabriel's Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory, which says that if you give normal people anonymity and an audience then they become (let's call them) assholes. I feel that, in order to buy this, you must accept that t…

One doesn't behave bad to someone stronger than them (or wealthier, or in a powerful position etc) because they know there will be consequences. One doesn't pick a fight in a bar or supermarket because they know there will be consequences. What consequence is there for saying crappy things online, in a video game, especially playing with kids? At best one would get banned? Then go to some other site/game and repeat t…

This really hurts to think - that so many people are only doing the decent thing because of consequence :(

Re: Roblox is the biggest game in the world, but is unprofitable

#569

Post by danans »

ChadNauseam wrote: post #397
danans wrote: post #389

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The more they smoke, the more the state gets. The state "gets" tobacco tax revenue to help pay for the burden of medical treatment for those with smoking related illnesses. Lung cancer isn't free to treat.

I've read that smoking related illnesses cost less money overall to treat than average. As an extreme example, if someone went around disintegrating people with an orbital laser, this would clearly reduce overall heathcare spending. So in this analogy, smoking is the equivalent of an orbital laser that (plausibly) causes people to die before they develop an even more expensive-to-treat healthcare situation.

> I've read that smoking related illnesses cost less money overall to treat than average.

If you've read it, then please provide the citation.

Smoking not only has its own direct impacts (lung cancer, emphysema), but it also makes many other conditions far worse than they would be without smoking, and therefore more expensive to treat.

Re: Roblox is the biggest game in the world, but is unprofitable

#570

Post by danans »

xhkkffbf wrote: post #553
danans wrote: post #389

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The more they smoke, the more the state gets. The state "gets" tobacco tax revenue to help pay for the burden of medical treatment for those with smoking related illnesses. Lung cancer isn't free to treat.

They have to treat them any way because of Medicare, Medicaid and Obamacare. So it's all about tax revenue to defer this cost.

The alternative is to deny medical care to smokers. That would at the very least violate medical ethics, and possibly the law.
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