Roblox has also revealed a new partnership with Shopify.
The gaming and development platform Roblox Corporation has released a number of updates, one of which is a modification to its payment policies.
Rather than using its proprietary virtual currency, Robux, developers will now be able to charge players in fiat money, a move that should increase Roblox’s appeal and draw in more developers.
At the annual Roblox developer conference in San Jose, California, the announcement was made.
The new policy will first launch on desktop platforms later this year, with plans to expand to other platforms in the future, according to David Baszucki, the CEO and founder of Roblox.
Roblox Reveals Partnership with Shopify
Apart from this policy change, Roblox has also disclosed a new collaboration with Shopify.
Through the integration, users of the digital Roblox experiences will be able to buy tangible goods.
Before releasing this feature more widely in the first part of next year, the company intends to test it with a small number of creators, brands, and e-commerce partners.
The goal of this move is to improve the Roblox ecosystem by integrating virtual worlds with tangible goods.
Alongside these updates is a new revenue-sharing model that will be beneficial to platform developers.
Developers’ revenue share will change under the new system based on how much their paid experiences cost.
For example, revenue shares of 50%, 60%, and 70% will be earned for experiences priced at $9.99, $29.99, and $49.99, respectively.
The goal of this tiered strategy is to encourage content creators to provide a greater variety of premium content on Roblox.
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Roblox’s stock experienced a significant increase as its youthful user base flocked to the platform for social gaming.
Nevertheless, the stock has dropped by about 40% in the years that have passed.
By eliminating user fatigue with virtual currency transactions and offering a more recognizable payment experience, the move to accept fiat transactions may rekindle interest in the platform.
The change in direction may also distinguish Roblox from other big gaming companies like Electronic Arts and 2K, which primarily rely on virtual currencies to power their centralized transaction systems.
Dedicated Blockchain Use for Gaming to Surge
CEO of Proof of Play Amitt Mahajan has stated that he expects a sharp increase in the use of dedicated blockchains for gaming applications.
Mahajan, who previously worked on the hit Facebook game Farmville, sees thousands of separate blockchains supporting different applications in the future.
He considers blockchain technology to be a sophisticated form of database and thinks that chains must be used as data stores in order for applications to scale.
Pirate Nation is not the only place where dedicated blockchains for gaming are becoming popular.
Some games on networks like Avalanche, like Shrapnel and Off the Grid with its GUNZ network, use their own specific subnets.
Additionally, Treasure is developing its own Treasure Chain, based on Arbitrum, with “Infinity Chains,” which are specialized gaming networks.
In the meantime, Meta is aiming to use generative artificial intelligence (AI) technology to transform metaverse gaming.
A recent job listing by Meta reveals the company’s intention to explore and prototype “entirely new types of gameplay” in the metaverse through the integration of generative AI with virtual, augmented, and mixed-reality games.