Roblox is about to let people make games with AI right inside its mobile app, which could make a platform that’s already filled with content of questionable quality feel even more overloaded. The company has embraced AI with open arms, including a preview of an ambitious take on AI world models similar to Google’s Project Genie, an AI foundation model that developers can use to generate 3D game assets, and an AI assistant chatbot that can help developers while they’re building games. The tools announced today will make using AI for Roblox game development far more accessible, though the company is starting small at first.
The new feature is called Build, which “brings mobile-first AI creation to Roblox, allowing anyone to turn text prompts into a basic game directly within the Roblox mobile app,” according to a blog post. Build handles “gameplay mechanics, environment, characters, visual style, sound, and more,” and it’s powered by both Roblox’s own AI models and open-source models.
Roblox is positioning Build as something that allows “rapid exploration and refinement of ideas,” but it’s easy to imagine that people might start churning out games because of how much the AI tools will lower the barrier to entry. However, the company claims that games made with Build will be ranked by the same retention-based criteria as other Roblox experiences, so games that aren’t played theoretically won’t get picked up by Roblox’s discovery systems.
“Our discovery systems are designed to highlight games with long-term retention, which doesn’t include AI slop,” Roblox says. “The quality of games on the homepage isn’t changing: If no one plays it—no one can find it.”
Initially, Build will be available starting July 28th in public alpha to users in New Zealand who are at least nine years old and have verified their ages. Published games will be playable globally by users 16 and older. A “base-level” version of Build will be available at no cost, though there will be “additional paid options for power users.” Roblox doesn’t have specifics to share about those paid options right now, and the company will share more “as we continue to roll out to more regions in the coming months,” spokesperson Juliet Chaitin-Lefcourt tells The Verge.
Roblox is also working on new AI agents to help developers that will be available in both Build and Studio, including a playtesting agent, an analytics agent, and an agent that can run experiments to help improve engagement, retention, and monetization. These will ship over the “coming months.”