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Roblox’s New “Build” Tool Brings AI Game Creation to Mobile

Prime Highlights 

  • Roblox said its discovery systems are designed to highlight games with long-term retention, ensuring unplayed AI-generated games won’t be prominently featured.  
  • Over half of game industry professionals surveyed believe generative AI is having a negative impact on the gaming industry.  

Key Facts 

  • Roblox is an online platform that allows users to create, share and play games built by other users.  
  • The Build feature will launch in public alpha testing in the last week of July, initially limited to verified users aged nine and above in New Zealand.  

Background 

Roblox announced a new feature called Build that enables users to create games from their mobile devices using artificial intelligence. The announcement came in the third week of July. 

The Build feature lets users turn simple text prompts into a basic game without any programming experience. For instance, a prompt describing a cozy adventure game set in a forest would generate an initial version of the game, which users could then modify and share with friends. The company stated that Build, powered by a mix of open-source and proprietary Roblox models, handles gameplay mechanics, environment, characters, visual style and sound. 

Other major technology companies have built similar AI-powered game generation tools. However, such tools have raised concerns among developers and players, with critics warning that reduced barriers to game creation could lead to an influx of low-quality and repetitive content, intensifying competition on the platform. A recent industry survey found that more than half of game industry professionals believed generative AI was harming the sector. 

To address these concerns, Roblox said it would rank AI-generated games based on player retention, similar to its existing system, meaning games with little engagement would not be prominently featured. 

The Build feature will enter public alpha testing in the last week of July, initially available to verified users aged nine and above in New Zealand. Users aged 16 and above will be able to publish creations globally. Roblox is also developing AI agents to assist creators with playtesting and analytics, expected to roll out in the coming months.