Roblox

Oct. 20 (UPI) — Florida’s attorney general announced Monday that criminal subpoenas have been issued to the online children’s gaming site Roblox as he called the platform a “breeding ground for predators.”

Attorney General James Uthmeier accused Roblox of failing to verify users’ ages and failing to moderate sexually explicit content.

“We are issuing criminal subpoenas to Roblox, which has become a breeding ground for predators to gain access to our kids,” Uthmeier announced Monday in a post on X.

“We will stop at nothing in the fight to protect Florida’s children, and companies that expose them to harm will be held accountable,” the state attorney general added.

Uthmeier said recent investigations into Roblox found sexual predators have used the in-game currency on the platform to bribe minors into sending them explicit content of themselves.

Before Monday’s criminal subpoenas, Roblox has faced lawsuits, accusing the platform of failing to implement safety measures, provide proper warnings or report incidents of child victimization.

In August, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill filed a lawsuit, which also accused Roblox of enabling online predators to endanger children after an alleged sexual predator was arrested while using the site.

“Roblox profited off of our kids while exposing them to the most dangerous of harms,” Uthmeier said. “They enable our kids to be abused.”

Uthmeier issued a subpoena against Roblox in April to get more information on how the platform moderates chat rooms and markets its site to kids.

“As a father and attorney general, children’s safety and protection are a top priority,” Uthmeier said. “There are concerning reports that this gaming platform, which is popular among children, is exposing them to harmful content and bad actors.”

Want to get Generation Alpha into movie theaters? Look to video games.

Kids still like to go to the movies, according to a high-profile new research report. But the franchises they care about are not the traditional Hollywood popcorn fare.

Seven of the top 10 entertainment franchises that the youngest generation of moviegoers cares about are video game properties, according to a recent study by National Research Group (NRG).

The top five titles that Gen Alpha kids, generally considered to be those ages 12 and under, say they talk most about were Roblox, “Minecraft,” “Fortnite,” “Grand Theft Auto” and “Pokémon,” all of which originated from the world of video games. The highest-ranked non-video game property was Marvel and Walt Disney Co.’s “The Avengers,” at No. 6.

Studios have started to catch on. Spring’s “A Minecraft Movie,” based on the popular game where users build and explore different worlds, was such a huge success. The film, adapted by Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment for the big screen, grossed $955 million at the global box office, according to Comscore. Young fans packed the theater, cheering during scenes important to gamers.

“Gaming is a deeply important part of Gen Alpha culture because it provides an essential venue for socialization,” said Fergus Navaratnam-Blair, NRG’s vice president of trends and futures. “Social gaming platforms like Roblox and Fortnite give them the opportunity to spend time with their friends, build communities, and develop a sense of their own identity.”

That could present a shift in the way theaters and studios cater to Gen Alpha, a key demographic born 2013 onward, to their future survival. Compared with millennials and Gen X, a higher percentage of Gen Alpha members (38%) said they would see a movie in a theater instead of waiting for it to come to a streaming service if their friends were talking about it, NRG said.

Nearly 60% of Gen Alpha members said they enjoy watching movies in theaters more than at home, according to NRG, which surveyed more than 6,000 U.S. moviegoers in May and June of this year. The majority of kids surveyed ages 6-to-12 said the reason why they go to the theater is to spend time with friends and family and “to make seeing the movie feel like a special event,” according to NRG.

“We are seeing the signs within this demographic that they do really value the experience of watching movies in theaters,” Navaratnam-Blair said. “The fact that they have grown up surrounded by phones, tablets, other sorts of devices, if anything, that seems to have made them more appreciative of the opportunities that they do get to switch up from all of that.”

Stories that resonate with Gen Alpha can come from franchises they are already familiar with, like “Minecraft,” or ones such as “Wicked” that inspire them to create fan fiction or show off their fandom by dressing up like the characters, he said.

Already, studios are marketing their films to reach younger consumers on platforms they frequent including Roblox and TikTok.

Movie theaters can help cater to Gen Alpha by making the viewing an experience, such as selling food that is matched to what characters are eating on screen, Navaratnam-Blair said.

Younger audiences also can still be attracted to seeing a movie in a theater if it’s a special event that happens after the title has started streaming. For example, many people attended sing-along showings of the popular animated film “KPop Demon Hunters” in theaters even after streaming it first on Netflix. The sing-along version of the film was the No. 1 movie domestically during the weekend it was briefly in theaters, with an estimated $18 million in ticket sales.

“This is a generation that does offer hope for the future of theatrical moviegoing,” Navaratnam-Blair said. “We just need to understand what it is they’re looking for, that experience, and play into it in a way that gives them what they’re looking for out of that.”

Aug. 16 (UPI) — Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill accused California-based Roblox of enabling online predators to endanger children in a state lawsuit filed on Thursday.

Murrill filed a lawsuit against Roblox in the state’s 21st Judicial District Court in Livingston Parish, where an alleged sexual predator of children recently was arrested while using the site.

“Due to Roblox’s lack of safety protocols, it endangers the safety of the children of Louisiana,” Murrill said in a statement.

“Roblox is overrun with harmful content and child predators because it prioritizes user growth, revenue and profits over child safety,” she said.

“Every parent should be aware of the clear and present danger posed to their children by Roblox so they can prevent the unthinkable from ever happening in their home.”

Roblox reports 56% of its users are age 16 or under, including 40% who are age 12 or under, Murrill said.

She said the interactive online gaming platform that was launched in 2006 has nearly 82 million active daily users who can access millions of online games.

Among them are games with names that include “Escape to Epstein Island,” “Diddy Party” and “Public Bathroom Simulator Vibe.”

Such games “are often filled with sexually explicit material and simulated sexual activity, such as child gang rape,” Murrill said.

She cited a recent report that shows openly traded child pornography and solicitations for sex from minors among 3,334 of Roblox members.

Murrill noted that Livingston Parish police officers recently arresting a local Roblox user in Livingston Parish under suspicion of possessing child sexual abuse material.

The suspect allegedly was active on the Roblox site at the time of the arrest and used voice-altering technology to mimic a young female’s voice, she said.

The individual allegedly was luring and sexually exploiting minors on Roblox, which is one example of why her office has taken legal action against Roblox, Murrill added.

She accuses Roblox of violating the Louisiana Unfair Practices Act, negligence and public nuisance, and unjust enrichment and seeks civil penalties, restitution for the state’s enforcement activities and other damages.

Roblox officials denied allegations that the site intentionally or negligently enables such activities.

“Any assertion that Roblox would intentionally put our users at risk of exploitation is simply untrue,” the company said in a statement on Friday.

“No system is perfect, and bad actors adapt to evade detection, including efforts to take users to other platforms, where safety standards and moderation practices may differ,” Roblox officials said.

“We continuously work to block those efforts and to enhance our moderation approaches to promote a safe and enjoyable environment for all users.”

“Roblox” faced a wave of new lawsuits this week that allege the popular gaming platform hasn’t done enough to safeguard kids from pedophiles and sexual content.

One of the latest complaints, filed in a federal court in the Northern District of California, claims that a predator posed as a child on the platform and sexually exploited a 10-year-old in Michigan. The man, who isn’t named in the lawsuit, allegedly convinced the victim to send sexually explicit images of herself after sharing some of himself.

The 10-year-old, who is anonymous in the lawsuit, met the predator last year on “Roblox” and suffered from mental health issues including anxiety, according to the complaint filed Thursday.

“What Roblox represents as a safe, appropriate space for children is, in fact, a digital and real-life nightmare for kids,” the lawsuit, filed by Dolman Law Group, stated.

Kids and teens create, explore and socialize in virtual spaces on “Roblox,” but the gaming platform has continued to grapple with child safety concerns over as its user numbers and revenue grow. On average, 111.8 million users visit the platform daily.

The San Mateo-based company’s share price closed down more than 6% at $117.34 on Friday.

“The assertion that Roblox would intentionally put our users at risk of exploitation is categorically untrue,” Roblox spokesperson Kadia Koroma said in a statement. “While no system is perfect, Roblox has implemented rigorous safeguards—such as restrictions on sharing personal information, links, and user-to-user image sharing—to help protect our community. Unfortunately, bad actors will try to circumvent our systems to try to direct users off the platform, where safety standards and moderation practices may differ.”

In early August, the company said it’s using artificial intelligence to help detect “child endangerment communications” earlier and alert law enforcement.

The lawsuit is among a flurry of new complaints this year that accuse the gaming platform of prioritizing its profits over the safety of its users.

On Thursday, Louisiana Atty. Gen. Liz Murrill filed a lawsuit against Roblox over child safety concerns.

“Roblox” is also under political pressure. Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, has been urging people on social media to sign a petition asking the company to do more to protect children on the platform.

Since July, Dolman Law Group has filed five lawsuits against “Roblox” in courts in California, Georgia and Texas. Matthew Dolman, a Florida lawyer who is a managing partner at the law firm, said a sixth lawsuit is being filed on Friday.

The lawsuits point to several steps “Roblox” could have taken to make the platform safer, such as verifying ages through facial recognition, clearly warning parents about sexual predators and putting a higher age rating for its app.

“This is just the wild west,” Dolman said in an interview. “It’s like a hunting ground for predators.”

The company, he said, misrepresents how safe the platform is to both its users and shareholders.

“Roblox” profits from transaction fees when predators offer children Robux, a digital currency used on the gaming platform, in exchange for sexually explicit photos, according to the federal lawsuit filed on Thursday.

Predators will also tell children they won’t release these photos if they hand over Robux, the lawsuit alleges.

The complaint cites a Hindenburg Research report published last year that stated there were inappropriate games on “Roblox” that researchers were able to access by registering as a child.

Some of those experiences were modeled after criminal conduct by child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

“Roblox” rebutted claims made in the report and said it invested heavily in its trust and safety efforts, noting that it has rules against child exploitation on its platform.

The risk of sextortion, especially among young people, is a growing problem, child advocates say. Roughly 1 in 5 teenagers experienced sextortion, according to a report from Thorn, a child safety nonprofit.

Sextortionists have used a variety of platforms, including social media and gaming platforms such as “Roblox,” “Minecraft” and “Fortnite,” to threaten victims.

The creator of Blue Lock: Rivals thought kids on Roblox might like a soccer video game with an anime vibe. It sold a few months later for more than $3 million.

The 19-year-old, who asked that his name be withheld because he has never shared it publicly, made the game in just three months with the help of co-developers. It attracted more than 1 million simultaneous players following its release last year, he said, generating $5 million a month in purchases for Roblox Corp., the popular gaming platform.

Do Big Studios, an owner of other Roblox games that had helped develop Blue Lock: Rivals, bought the game in March, delivering a hefty payout to its teen owner.

Like YouTube, Roblox started two decades ago as an online stage for young creators. Video-game lovers could use the service’s tools to develop inexpensive, low-resolution entertainment. Now, as the company grows toward 100 million active daily users, contributors are finding there’s money to be had in selling the games they’ve created, with buyers prepared to pay seven or even eight figures.

“We’ve seen a real shift in Roblox’s ecosystem,” said David Taylor, senior consultant at the video-game-analytics firm Naavik. In June, seven of the 15 highest-earning games on Roblox had been acquired from their original owners, according to his research.

The shift has been spawned in part by policy changes at Roblox. A December update to the service lets players easily transfer game ownership. Previously, Roblox said such sales were against its terms of service and community guidelines. A company spokesperson added that Roblox isn’t currently participating in secondary-market transactions.

Do Big has been scooping up other titles, including Roblox’s biggest hit ever. In May, the company bought a stake in Grow a Garden, currently the most popular game on Roblox, for an undisclosed sum. The farming title broke records in late June, when it attracted over 21 million simultaneous players — more than Fortnite from Epic Games Inc. Another Roblox game company, Splitting Point, had taken it over the prior month from an anonymous teenage developer for an undisclosed sum.

Representatives of Do Big didn’t respond to a request for comment.

In February, an anonymous developer sold Roblox’s then-most popular game Brookhaven RP to Voldex Entertainment Ltd. Voldex’s founder and chief executive officer, Alex Singer, said the deal, with financing arranged by Raine Group and Shamrock Capital, was “bigger” than the reported sum that Embracer Group AB paid for Roblox’s Welcome to Bloxburg in 2022, though he declined to be more specific.

“When there are more dollars paid out to creators, it attracts more people,” said Singer, 24.

A report at the time put the Welcome to Bloxburg sale price at $100 million, though officials at Embracer said it was less.

According to Roblox, the company’s top 10 developers earned $36 million each in the 12 months through March. The San Mateo, California-based company may pay out more than $1 billion in total to creators for the first time this year. In 2023, CEO Dave Baszucki predicted that by 2028 a Roblox developer will be valued at $1 billion.

Over a dozen companies buy, develop and sometimes flip Roblox games. Much of the activity is conducted over the chat app Discord, according to Connor Richards, a lawyer with Odin Law & Media who’s been involved in a dozen deals. He’s seen minors earn a few hundred thousand dollars from these deals.

Another technology lawyer, Adam Starr, said he’s facilitated about 20 Roblox deals over the last year and is receiving more inquiries than ever. The developers often opt to remain anonymous.

Voldex’s first major acquisitions, Driving Empire and Ultimate Football, cost the company seven figures, Singer said. A subsequent agreement with the NFL allowing the company to rename the property NFL Universe Football helped grow its audience.

“We’ve been able to sustain our communities and games and grow them while keeping players happy,” Singer said. “That’s really important.” He’ll assign a team of programmers to analyze and improve a game, often alongside the original creator.

Roblox games rise and fall with kids’ whims. A paintball simulator might die off after another creator publishes a Roblox clone of Ubisoft Entertainment SA’s Rainbow 6 Siege. Only the rare game remains popular for months or years. Creators who know this will sometimes sell their games at a price equal to just one or two months’ revenue. Others go for 12 months’ worth of sales, according to Naavik’s Taylor.

Independent game developers also trade their art or programming work for a share of game ownership.

“Roblox is very capitalist,” Voldex’s Singer said. The company “wants creators to be economically successful.”

D’Anastasio writes for Bloomberg.