Roblox Studio: Difference between revisions

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{{Afd-merge#REDIRECT to|[[Roblox|#Roblox Studio|26 Augustand 2024}}game design]]

{{Short description|Game creation system for Roblox}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2024}}

{{Notability|1=Products|date=August 2024}}

{{Infobox software

| name = Roblox Studio

| logo = Roblox Studio logo - 2022.svg

| logo_size = 200px

| logo_caption = Logo since 2022

| logo_alt = Two blue polygons with a gap in between them.

| screenshot = File:Roblox Studio New UI.png

| caption = The Roblox Studio interface as of August 2024

| developer = [[Roblox Corporation]]

| released = {{Start date and age|2006|09|01}}<ref name="is">{{Cite web |last=Yaden |first=Joseph |date=May 4, 2020 |title=What is Roblox? |url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/what-is-roblox/ |access-date=June 1, 2020 |website=[[Digital Trends]]}}</ref>

| latest_release_version = 639

| latest_release_date = {{Start date and age|2024|08|22}}<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://devforum.roblox.com/c/updates/release-notes/62 |title=Latest Updates/Release Notes topics |website=Roblox Developer Forum |access-date=August 23, 2024 |archive-date=August 23, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240823191259/https://devforum.roblox.com/c/updates/release-notes/62 |url-status=live }}</ref>

| programming language = {{Unbulleted list|[[C++]]|[[#Scripting|Lua''u'']]}}

| platform = [[Windows]], [[macOS]]

| genre = [[Game creation system]]

| license = [[Proprietary software]]

| website = {{Official URL}}

}}

'''Roblox Studio''' is a [[game creation system]] developed by [[Roblox Corporation]]. It allows users to create and publish [[Roblox]] games, which can then be played by other users.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dredge |first=Stuart |date=September 29, 2019 |title=All you need to know about Roblox |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/games/2019/sep/28/roblox-guide-children-gaming-platform-developer-minecraft-fortnite |access-date=April 21, 2020}}</ref> Games, officially referred to as "experiences" on the platform,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Robertson |first=Adi |date=May 14, 2021 |title=Apple said Roblox developers don't make games, and now Roblox agrees |url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/5/14/22436014/apple-roblox-epic-fortnite-trial-what-is-game-name-change |url-status=live |access-date=December 21, 2021 |website=[[The Verge]] |archive-date=September 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210903170009/https://www.theverge.com/2021/5/14/22436014/apple-roblox-epic-fortnite-trial-what-is-game-name-change }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Peterson |first=Mike |date=May 14, 2021 |title=Roblox rebrands as 'experience' creation platform amid Epic Games v. Apple trial |url=https://appleinsider.com/articles/21/05/14/roblox-rebrands-as-experience-creation-platform-amid-epic-games-v-apple-trial |url-status=live |access-date=December 21, 2021 |website=[[AppleInsider]] |archive-date=August 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210823200633/https://appleinsider.com/articles/21/05/14/roblox-rebrands-as-experience-creation-platform-amid-epic-games-v-apple-trial }}</ref> are made with [[#Scripting|Lua''u'']], a derivative of the [[programming language]] [[Lua (programming language)|Lua]].<ref name="How">{{Cite web |last=Vanbrocklin |first=Tyler |date=December 26, 2012 |title=How to Learn Roblox and Roblox Studio |url=https://gamedevelopment.tutsplus.com/articles/how-to-learn-roblox-and-roblox-studio--gamedev-2304 |access-date=June 7, 2020 |website=Game Development Envato Tuts+}}</ref><ref name=":101">{{Cite web |last=Haskins |first=Heath |date=September 16, 2021 |title=Roblox 101: How to Make Your First Game |url=https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/roblox-101-how-to-make-your-first-game |access-date=August 4, 2024 |website=PCMag}}</ref> Users are able to create purchasable content through one-time purchases, known as "game passes", as well as [[microtransaction]]s which can be purchased more than once, known as "developer products" or "products".<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Carter |first1=Marcus |last2=Mavoa |first2=Jane |date=March 17, 2021 |title=Why is kids' video game Roblox worth $38 billion and what do parents need to know? |url=https://theconversation.com/why-is-kids-video-game-roblox-worth-38-billion-and-what-do-parents-need-to-know-157133 |access-date=March 28, 2021 |website=[[The Conversation (website)|The Conversation]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Cao |first=Jing |date=March 14, 2017 |title=Roblox Unearths $92 Million to Challenge Microsoft's Minecraft |work=[[Bloomberg News]] |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-14/roblox-unearths-92-million-to-challenge-microsoft-s-minecraft |url-status=live |access-date=February 6, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180821093935/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-14/roblox-unearths-92-million-to-challenge-microsoft-s-minecraft |archive-date=August 21, 2018}}</ref> The majority of games produced using Roblox Studio are developed by minors, and a total of 20 million games per year are produced using it.<ref name="Study">{{Cite web |last1=Douthwaite |first1=Andrew |last2=Warneford |first2=Matthew |last3=Pierce |first3=Matt |year=2020 |title=Dubit Guide to Roblox for Brands |url=https://docsend.com/view/yytafca42a83pbgq |access-date=July 10, 2020 |website=DocSend |publisher=[[Dubit Limited]] |page=5}}</ref><ref name="NYTimes">{{Cite news |last=Browning |first=Kellen |date=August 16, 2020 |title=You May Not Know This Pandemic Winner, but Your Tween Probably Does |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/16/technology/roblox-tweens-videogame-coronavirus.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=August 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200816195005/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/16/technology/roblox-tweens-videogame-coronavirus.html |archive-date=August 16, 2020}}</ref>

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== History ==

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| image1 = Roblox Studio logo - 2017-2021.svg

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| image2 = Roblox Studio logo 2021 present.svg

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| footer = The logo used from 2017 to 2021 (left), and the logo used from 2021 to 2024 (right).

}}

Roblox Studio was officially launched alongside [[Roblox]] on September 1, 2006.<ref name="is" />

On October 1, 2013, Roblox released its Developer Exchange program, allowing developers to exchange [[Virtual economy|virtual currencies]] earned from their games into real-world currencies.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Grubb |first=Jeff |date=June 6, 2014 |title=Roblox is gaming's quiet giant – and it's only getting bigger |url=https://venturebeat.com/2014/06/06/roblox-is-gamings-quiet-giant-and-its-only-getting-bigger/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181129235317/https://venturebeat.com/2014/06/06/roblox-is-gamings-quiet-giant-and-its-only-getting-bigger/ |archive-date=November 29, 2018 |access-date=April 24, 2018 |website=[[VentureBeat]]}}</ref> On May 31, 2015, a feature called Smooth Terrain was added, increasing the graphical fidelity of in-game terrain and changing the Roblox physics engine from a block-oriented style to a smoother and more realistic one.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Takahashi |first=Dean |date=June 1, 2015 |title=Roblox user-generated world moves from blocky terrain to smooth 3D |url=https://venturebeat.com/2015/06/01/roblox-user-generated-world-moves-from-blocky-to-smooth-3d-terrain/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181129235824/https://venturebeat.com/2015/06/01/roblox-user-generated-world-moves-from-blocky-to-smooth-3d-terrain/ |archive-date=November 29, 2018 |access-date=June 3, 2015 |website=[[VentureBeat]]}}</ref> On November 20, Roblox Studio began rolling out support for the publishing of [[Xbox One]] games, subject to an approval process based on [[Entertainment Software Rating Board]] standards.<ref name="XboxOneRelease">{{Cite web |last=Grubb |first=Jeff |date=September 24, 2015 |title=Roblox comes to Xbox One, joins Minecraft in the growing player-made content space on consoles |url=https://venturebeat.com/2015/09/24/roblox-comes-to-xbox-one/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181130001239/https://venturebeat.com/2015/09/24/roblox-comes-to-xbox-one/ |archive-date=November 30, 2018 |access-date=November 30, 2018 |website=[[VentureBeat]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Grubb |first=Jeff |date=January 27, 2016 |title=Roblox launches on Xbox One with 15 player-created games – watch us play them |url=https://venturebeat.com/2016/01/27/roblox-launches-on-xbox-one-with-15-player-created-games-watch-us-play-them/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181130001719/https://venturebeat.com/2016/01/27/roblox-launches-on-xbox-one-with-15-player-created-games-watch-us-play-them/ |archive-date=November 30, 2018 |access-date=November 30, 2018 |website=[[VentureBeat]]}}</ref>

In March 2024, two [[generative artificial intelligence]] tools were introduced to Roblox Studio in an effort to speed up content creation: automatic avatar customization and a texture generator. The avatar customization feature automatically converts three-dimensional body meshes into live-animated avatars, and the texture generator allows users to create textures of objects using text descriptions through a [[text-to-image model]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Rousseau |first=Jeffrey|url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/roblox-unveils-new-ai-powered-creation-tools-news-in-brief|title=Roblox unveils new AI-powered creation tools|website=Games Industry |date=March 20, 2024|access-date=March 25, 2024|archive-date=March 20, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240320134636/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/roblox-unveils-new-ai-powered-creation-tools-news-in-brief |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Irwin |first=Kate |url=https://uk.pcmag.com/ai/151470/roblox-launches-new-generative-ai-texture-and-avatar-tools-for-creators|title=Roblox Launches New Generative AI Texture and Avatar Tools for Creators|website=[[PCMag]] |date=March 18, 2024|access-date=March 25, 2024|archive-date=March 19, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240319070357/https://uk.pcmag.com/ai/151470/roblox-launches-new-generative-ai-texture-and-avatar-tools-for-creators |url-status=live}}</ref>

== Features ==

=== Scripting ===

[[File:Luau Logo.png|thumb|upright=0.5|The Lua''u'' logo|alt=A rotated blue square with a similarly rotated square hole near its top-right as well as similarly rotated text, "Luau", near its bottom.]]

Roblox Studio uses Lua''u'', a [[Dialect (computing)|dialect]] of the language [[Lua (programming language)|Lua]], for [[Scripting language|scripting]]. A derivative of Lua 5.1, Lua''u'' supports [[gradual typing]] and is designed to maximize [[Computer performance|performance]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Why Luau? |url=https://luau-lang.org/why |access-date=2024-08-03 |website=Luau |language=en |quote=All of these motivated us to start reshaping Lua 5.1 that we started from into a new, derivative language that we call Luau. Our focus is on making the language more performant and feature-rich, and make it easier to write robust code through a combination of linting and type checking using a gradual type system.}}</ref><ref name="How" /><ref name=":101" /><ref name="androidpolice">{{Cite web |last=Leroux |first=Faith |date=January 11, 2024 |title=What is Roblox? Navigate the popular game creation platform with ease |url=https://www.androidpolice.com/roblox-game-platform-guide-explainer/ |access-date=August 4, 2024 |website=Android Police}}</ref> In November 2021, [[Roblox Corporation]] released Lua''u'' under the [[MIT License]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 3, 2021 |title=Luau Goes Open-Source |url=https://luau-lang.org/2021/11/03/luau-goes-open-source.html |access-date=2024-08-03 |website=Luau |language=en}}</ref>

Roblox Studio also uses [[C++]] for background processes such as memory management.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wirtz |first=Bryan |date=September 29, 2023 |title=Getting Started With Roblox Scripting |url=https://www.gamedesigning.org/learn/roblox-coding/ |access-date=August 4, 2024 |website=GameDesigning}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=What Code Does Roblox Use? (Lua, C++, Java, or Python) |url=https://funtech.co.uk/latest/what-code-does-roblox-use-lua-c-java-or-python |access-date=August 4, 2024 |website=FunTechBlog|date=June 27, 2022 }}</ref>

=== Templates ===

Roblox Studio provides multiple premade game templates.<ref name=":101" /><ref name="androidpolice" />

=== Toolbox ===

The Toolbox feature allows access to the Roblox Marketplace from within Roblox Studio. The Marketplace provides user-created models, plugins, audio, images, meshes, video, and fonts.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jagneaux |first=David |title=The Ultimate Roblox Book: An Unofficial Guide: Learn How to Build Your Own Worlds, Customize Your Games, and So Much More! |date=January 1, 2018 |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |isbn=978-1507205334 |page=240 |lccn=2017040387}}</ref><ref name="Toolbox">{{Cite web |date=July 31, 2023 |title=Roblox Toolbox Full Guide |url=https://learnbuildplay.com/blog/roblox-toolbox-full-guide/ |access-date=August 7, 2024 |website=Learn. Build. Play.}}</ref>

=== Roblox Studio Plugins ===

The Plugins mechanic of Roblox Studio [[Plug-in (computing)|allows users to install additional features]] into their workspaces. Plugins are user-created, listed on the Roblox Creator Store for free or for real-money (via [[Stripe, Inc.|Stripe]]). Formerly, plugins could be bought with [[Roblox#Items and currency|Robux]], Roblox's [[Virtual economy|virtual currency]]. However, on April 10, 2024, Roblox announced that plugins would be purchased with real-money only, and that purchasing with Robux would be deprecated, effective immediately.<ref name="Toolbox" />

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<ref name="PluginDevForum">{{cite web |last1=crayzdesi4 |first1=Roblox Staff |title=Creator Store: Buy and Sell Plug-Ins with Real-World Currency |url=https://devforum.roblox.com/t/creator-store-buy-and-sell-plug-ins-with-real-world-currency/2923445 |website=Roblox Devforum |publisher=Roblox |access-date=7 August 2024}}</ref> -->

== Usage ==

All Roblox games are produced with Roblox Studio.<ref name=":101" /><ref name="androidpolice" /> As of 2020, Roblox reported that more than 2 million developers used Roblox Studio to create more than 20 million games per year. A majority of developers were minors, and roughly 345,000 earned money through Roblox's Developer Exchange program.<ref name="Study">{{Cite web |last1=Douthwaite |first1=Andrew |last2=Warneford |first2=Matthew |last3=Pierce |first3=Matt |year=2020 |title=Dubit Guide to Roblox for Brands |url=https://docsend.com/view/yytafca42a83pbgq |access-date=July 10, 2020 |website=DocSend |publisher=[[Dubit Limited]] |page=5}}</ref><ref name="NYTimes">{{Cite news |last=Browning |first=Kellen |date=August 16, 2020 |title=You May Not Know This Pandemic Winner, but Your Tween Probably Does |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/16/technology/roblox-tweens-videogame-coronavirus.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=August 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200816195005/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/16/technology/roblox-tweens-videogame-coronavirus.html |archive-date=August 16, 2020}}</ref>

== See also ==

* [[List of Roblox games]], which lists games created with Roblox Studio.

== References ==

{{Reflist}}

{{Roblox Corporation}}

[[Category:Roblox]]

[[Category:2006 software]]

[[Category:MacOS programming tools]]

[[Category:Lua (programming language)-scriptable game engines]]

[[Category:Video game engines]]

[[Category:Video game IDE]]

[[Category:Video game development software]]