Roblox is growing with new features on the horizon that let you date, video chat, and create avatars with generative AI.
Roblox, the platform that lets you create, share, and play games in a virtual universe, recently hosted its annual Roblox Developers Conference (RDC). This year, RDC 2023 was held on September 8-9 in San Francisco, and it announced some really exciting news and new features.
The conference saw the platform hop aboard the generative AI bandwagon, which doesn’t really come as a surprise anymore. But what really caught us off-guard were Roblox’s bold plans about introducing “dating experiences” that would help thousands of adults meet on the platform over the next five years.
These two announcements were only a small part of the whole thing, though, which saw a slew of other features. Let’s take a look at everything new this year.
Roblox as a future dating platform?
Roblox, whose player base is largely made up of kids below the age of thirteen, doesn’t want to be a platform solely for kids anymore. The company wants to make it a platform where adults can meet and date, too. At the Roblox Developers Conference (RDC) 2023, CEO David Baszucki said that he expects “thousands” of real-life relationships to emerge from dating experiences on Roblox in the next five years.
To make this happen, Roblox is adding features that cater to older users, such as age verification, realistic avatars, and video chat. These features could help users find and connect with people who share their interests and preferences, and potentially move from virtual to physical interactions.
Sophisticated avatar building & customisation tools
Roblox avatars will soon become even more expressive and personalised. (Image: Roblox)
Roblox involves building avatars that users can use across games. Soon, those avatars will become even more expressive and personalised, thanks to new tools that Roblox is rolling out throughout the year.
These tools will allow users to change the shape, size, and texture of their avatars, as well as import their own 3D models and images. They will also enable users to create avatars from scratch using just an image and a text prompt, and to animate their avatars with realistic facial expressions, hand gestures, and body movements. Roblox wants to make avatar creation as easy and fun as possible, so that users can connect with each other in immersive 3D experiences.
Roblox’s spin on video-calling
You can explore different virtual environments while you chat. (Image: Roblox)
One of these 3D experiences is Roblox Connect, a new feature that lets you video chat with your friends as your Roblox avatar, complete with facial animations that match your real expressions. You can also explore different virtual environments while you chat, such as a cosy campsite or a scenic dock. Roblox says it will open source the feature, so developers can create their own versions of Roblox Connect. The feature is expected to launch later this year.
Finally, PlayStation support
Roblox has been available on platforms like PC and Xbox for years, but Sony’s platforms have been missing from the list. That changes now. (Image: Roblox)
Roblox fans who own a PlayStation console will soon be able to join the fun. The company announced at its RDC event that Roblox will launch on PS4 and PS5 in October, expanding its reach to millions of new players.
Roblox has been available on PC, Mac, iOS, Android, and Xbox for years, but Sony’s platforms have been missing from the list. That will change next month, when PlayStation users will be able to access the full range of Roblox experiences with their existing accounts. The platform also teased that it is working on bringing the app to more devices in the future, but did not reveal details.
Creators will keep nearly all of their sales
Roblox wants to empower its creators to make more money and build better experiences. That’s why the company announced at its RDC 2023 event that it will let creators all of the revenue from selling assets and tools on its Creator Marketplace, starting next year. This means that if you create a plugin or a 3D model for other developers to use in their games, you will get the full amount of what they pay for it, minus taxes and payment processing fees. You will also be able to sell your items in dollars, not just in Robux, making it easier to understand the value of your work.
An AI assistant to help creators build more efficiently
Roblox has hopped aboard the AI bandwagon with Roblox Assistant, a feature lets you type in natural language prompts to generate assets, code, and environments for your games. For example, you can type “I want to make a game set in ancient ruins” and Roblox will automatically create a scene with stones, columns, and broken architecture. You can also ask Roblox Assistant questions about developing on Roblox and get answers from its knowledge base.
Roblox Assistant is expected to launch by early next year, and the company hopes it will enable more creativity and innovation on its platform.
Source:indianexpress.com