Roblox Makes Major Change to How Players Create, Sell 3D Items

15.04.2024 - 21:19 / gamerant.com / Dominik Bo

Roblox is making a big change to its 3D item creation and sale process that appears to be devaluing its User Generated Content (UGC) program. The move is meant to streamline the process of using the in-game Marketplace, allowing more Roblox creators to sell their content with minimal hassle.

In terms of player outreach and revenue, Roblox is one of the most successful games revolving around user-generated content ever made. But as far as avatar customizations are concerned, the process of selling one's creations on its Marketplace has been fairly arduous up until now.

The developers are now looking to streamline that process by allowing some users who agree to follow the game's Marketplace Policy and Community Standards to sell their avatar items immediately, without having to go through the long process of applying to participate in the UGC program. Another requirement for doing so is to perform ID verification, which is the same process required for enabling Roblox voice chat, and comes down to proving that the player is 13 or older. The final requirement is a bit of a catch, though, as this streamlined Marketplace access also hinges on users paying for one of the two higher tiers of the Roblox Premium subscription.

With this move, the developers have essentially locked easy access to the in-game Marketplace behind the same wall that trading with other Roblox players has. For reference, Roblox Premium 1000 and 2200 subscriptions are priced at $9.99 and $19.99 per month, respectively. Roblox Corporation framed this policy change as part of its ongoing efforts to lay «the foundations of a healthy Marketplace.» To that end, the company is also planning to make more changes that facilitate the process of discovering community content via the in-game store, and staying up to date with the offerings from specific creators.

Reading between the lines of this announcement, the new Marketplace policy could be interpreted as yet another step in Roblox Corporation's quest to better monetize its hit sandbox game. The group has been trying to optimize its margins for a while now, having just recently enacted another rule that prevents Roblox players from giving away select avatar cosmetics.

At the same time, locking Marketplace access behind a $9.99 subscription is also bound to help the developers police its content store. Users who maintain paid subscriptions should be less likely to attempt selling content that infringes on third-party IPs or is otherwise in breach of the game's Community Standards or Marketplace Policy, at least in theory.

Roblox is a massive online game creation tool that allows players to craft their own games and worlds for other Roblox players to jump into and enjoy.