Behind the Blocks: Exclusive Interview with a Roblox Developer Behind 50 Million Visits-Worthy Games

1. Firstly, tell us a bit about how you got into Roblox development?

I found Roblox in June 2010 when I saw it via a banner ad on some flash game website I was playing on. It sparked my interest since it said "If  you can imagine it, you can build it". I wanted to always make my very own video game after playing them for years and seeing this ad sorta was like a golden ticket for me. Since then I have used Roblox to bring to life tons of different ideas I have had and been able to turn a dream as a kid into a full time career for myself.

2. How did you end up developing hugely successful games for NFL, Chipotle and other global brands?

Back in 2021, I had applied for a job opening at a company called MELON. The company was focusing on bringing brands onto Roblox through playable activations, this was something that really interested me given the few activations I had seen already on Roblox in the previous years. I had already been developing on Roblox for some popular games so I thought that this could be a new venture for me to develop more professional skills to help me later on.

3. Roblox has really opened the doors to game development, allowing the opportunity for literally anyone to create a viral experience from their bedroom, with little, to no budget.

   What do you think this phenomenon means for game dev?

I think Roblox will continue to do what it has always done, inspire the next generation of developers. Roblox is an amazing tool for anyone to try out and learn game development for free and provides tons of resources to help in assisting that. There have been a handful of developers that got their start on Roblox and now make their own games off the platform, and I believe there will be a lot more developers in the future who will have the same start of beginning on Roblox.

4. You’ve worked with some massive brands that have integrated themselves into Roblox, do you expect to continue to see this sort of transition of globally recognized brands into this platform?

I believe brands will continue to come to Roblox. The platform helps innovate the idea of an advertisement, allowing people to no longer just watch or read about their brand but now become immersed in their brand via a game! Tons of brands already have been working with studios to innovate on the idea of a playable advertisement, like Chipotle for example giving out free entre codes for players who played through and completed missions in their Roblox activations. As for globally recognized brands on the platform, they are already here! 

5. What do you think the result of this transition into Roblox will do for their brands in terms of awareness and sales?

I'm not too sure to be honest. I think that it will allow them to innovate on the idea of advertisements now being an immersive experience for the consumer to now enjoy, but with some brands tying in real life promotions I can see this being a good source for brands to see a rise in their awareness to a newer audience and even their sales.

6. Without revealing too much, what is the most important thing to keep in mind when designing a Roblox experience that people will love?

I think the most important things is that the idea of the game is something that would be fun to play, but also that you will enjoy working on the project. These are the two main factors I always look into when wanting to design a new project because if the game isn't fun to play or work on, then no one will want to play it, nonetheless come back and continue to play it.

7. We are already seeing huge growth on the platform every year with a lot of data suggesting that younger generations spend more time on it than other mediums including TikTok.

   How big do you expect Roblox to become across the next 5, and even 10 years?

I think Roblox will continue to grow, if you look at Roblox already they continue to grow their player base each year. I think in the near future you will soon see it become the one stop platform where you can make any game you want, play any game you want and even keep in touch and socialize with your friends and family!

8. What does your dream Roblox build look like and which brand would you want to do this with?

I think it all comes down to the brand that I work with on what is fully made that best represents their brand, with that being said I personally would love to bring Post Malone to Roblox via a concert experience.

9. What do you look at as your main sources of inspiration when you are planning what your Roblox builds will look like?

It ranges from using shows/movies, to youtube videos, to even other experiences in the same theme and genre to help me gather ideas when it comes to planning and making experiences.

10. Any final pieces of advice to the aspiring Roblox developers out there?

I think the best advice I can give is to always be open to learning and improving at what you do!