While I don't think I'll ever fully understand the juggernaut that is Roblox, the one thing I for sure know is that Roblox is a game creation tool. Right? Well, not anymore according to its creators—now it's an experience.
As noted by The Verge, Roblox Corporation has wiped any mention of the word "game" or terms that could allude to Roblox being recognised as a game, like the word "player." Previously, the site had a games tab, featuring a variety of games made in an editor by Roblox creators, which each had a "max player" count. Now, the Games tab has been renamed the "Discover" tab, with individual games referred to as "experiences" with a "max people" count instead.
A Roblox spokesperson told The Verge "The term 'experiences' is consistent with how we’ve evolved our terminology to reflect our realization of the metaverse. Roblox is an online community where people do things together in virtual worlds, and over the years, we began referring to these worlds as experiences, as they better represent the wide range of 3D immersive places—from hobbies to virtual concerts—that people can enjoy together with their friends."
- 'Don't let your kids be on Roblox', Roblox CEO tells parents, before comparing himself to Walt Disney and declaring the platform 'the future of communication'
- PUBG creator Brendan Greene swears his infinite, mega-ambitious digital universe isn't like all the others: 'I want to build a metaverse because I don't think anyone else is'
Roblox isn't the first game (sorry, experience) to refer to its creation as a metaverse. It's something Epic has also been doing in its ongoing legal battle with Apple to prove Fortnite is more than just a game. There's a chance the two could be related, but it does seem to make sense for Roblox to change its language to be more inclusive of the different things its creators are making.
