Roblox on Thursday announced a new feature called “Build” that will allow users to design games from their mobile devices using AI.
The build feature allows anyone to turn a simple text prompt into a basic game, even without programming experience. For example, if a user types “Let’s make a cozy adventure game set in the jungle,” the new feature will generate an initial version of the game that the user can modify and share with friends.
“Leveraging a wide range of AI models, including both open source and proprietary Roblox models, Build handles gameplay mechanics, environments, characters, visual styles, sounds, and more,” the company said in a blog post.
Companies like Google, Microsoft, and Tencent are also building similar tools. But AI-powered game generation has raised concerns among developers and players, with critics arguing that reducing the barrier to game development through text prompts could lead to an influx of low-quality, repetitive games. This could increase competition on the platform, as creators will have to compete not only with other developers, but also with AI-generated content that can be produced much more quickly.
These concerns are reflected in this year’s Game Developers Conference’s State of the Gaming Industry Survey, which found that 52% of gaming industry professionals believe generative AI is having a negative impact on the industry.
To address this, Roblox plans to rank AI-generated games based on player retention, similar to the system used by other games on the platform. If the game isn’t played, it won’t be as noticeable.
“Our detection system is designed to highlight long-lived games without AI slop. The quality of games on the homepage hasn’t changed. If no one plays it, no one can find it. The goal of these new tools is to continue accelerating creation at every experience level,” the company added.
The build feature entered public alpha testing on July 28 and is available to age-verified New Zealand users aged 9 and over. Users 16 and older are given the opportunity to share their work with a global audience. A free basic version and paid options will be available.
Beyond build capabilities, Roblox is also working on an AI agent to help creators provide playtesting and analysis. These features will be rolled out in the coming months.
This new feature highlights Roblox’s continued investment in AI, including AI underlying models to generate 3D game assets and an AI chatbot to support developers through the game building process. Additionally, Roblox is developing a “new scene generation model” that can create entire editable and playable 3D scenes from a single text prompt.
Additionally, this announcement comes shortly after Roblox revealed plans to discontinue Roblox Connect, an avatar-based video calling feature introduced in 2023.
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