The Roblox Developer Conference (RDC) 2022 is over and it's finally time to reflect on a weekend full of events, rewards and of course announcements. Whether they come from the builder himself, CEO and Founder David Baszucki, or his right-hand man, CPO Manuel Bronstein, Roblox-related announcements have been plentiful. So what were these announcements and what do they mean for the future of the platform? Keep reading below to find out.
All announcements made at RDC 2022
Dynamic/animated avatar heads
Originally unearthed in October 2021, the whispers surrounding the dynamic avatar heads still haven't stopped nearly a year later. At RDC 2021, Baszucki launched the Roblox 3D Animation and Capture Project which allows users to track the movement of their head and facial features in real time and stream it live to their Roblox avatar. At the time, this feature was exceptionally limited and its details were highly secret. Now, however, in September 2022, DRC viewers can see even more of this technology in action.
The exact release date for this platform-wide feature is still unknown, though it should start rolling out in beta form sometime in 2023. In the meantime, gamers can expect a more simplified version of dynamic avatars with the addition of animations. avatar emotes and expressions. Unlike fully dynamic heads, these features do not use real-time capture programs and instead rely on standard chat. When avatar expressions are released, players will be able to type an emoji or emoticon into the Roblox chat bar and see their avatar express a face that mirrors said emoji.
For example, if you type 🙂 in the chat bar, your real in-game Roblox avatar will adjust its face to smile. In addition to these expressions, players over 13 with access to voice chat can also expect dynamic mouth movement or the ability for their avatar's mouth to move when speaking via voice chat . Although an exact date is still unknown, we expect these smaller features to be released before the end of 2022.
Chat filtering, parental controls, age rating system
One of the most talked about elements of Roblox's Keynote livestream is the announcement of more relaxed screening for people over the age of 13. Currently, no one on the platform is allowed to swear or use language deemed offensive or inappropriate. Going forward, however, Roblox will loosen the constraints on its 13+ users, allowing them to discuss a wider variety of topics using a new pool of pre-approved "mature" words. In the Keynote live stream, Baszucki acknowledged the increase in Roblox users over the age of 13, stating that there are currently more users on the platform over the age of 13 than there are. less, and pointed out that the 17-24 age group is currently their fastest growing age demographic.
Related: List of Roblox Promo Codes (September 2022) - Free Apparel and Items!
Due to these changes in Roblox's viewership, the decision was made to institute an age rating/separation system. Soon, all experiences on Roblox will offer an age rating in their About page that lets players and parents know if an experience is appropriate for their age group. While this may seem strange to some, this change is not surprising considering that Roblox's entire ESRB rating is going from E10+ to Teen. As Roblox continues to orient itself and present itself as a versatile collaborative platform for all ages, these types of age restriction changes will continue to become a necessity.
Universal application
For those who prefer to play Roblox on the website, you might not be aware of the platform's latest project, the Universal App. This app, which is currently available for download on Xbox, PC, and mobile, aims to connect Roblox seamlessly between many devices and allow players to easily explore all that the platform has to offer.
For now, it's clear that the Xbox version of the Roblox app consistently lags behind its counterparts - with a tricky UI and clunky maneuvering system, it often feels like the forgotten brother compared to its counterparts. Intuitive and constantly evolving PC and mobile versions. However, with the further development of this universal app, Roblox hopes to refine all three versions of the Roblox platform and even bring it to new destinations including PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and VR.
Anti-cheat system
It's no secret that Roblox has its fair share of hackers, exploits, and cheaters plaguing the platform, whom they prefer to keep low-key and exploit in the background using aimbots and speedups. typical speed bumps, or create havoc and attack / take over events and experiences (enter the Paris World incident), it seems like they never quite go away. Now, however, we might see a change thanks to the introduction of Roblox's platform-wide anti-cheat system. While details are quite limited on how this system will be implemented in the future, it is assumed to be client-side, which means it will individually search players for mods, exploits, and cheats during the game. launch, rather than just doing a general server-wide scan. .
Related: Roblox Game Codes (2022) - Tons of Codes for Many Different Games!
Immersive ads
Considering the number of players Roblox brings in each day (58,8 million players) and the number of hours the platform is used each month (4,75 billion hours), the fact that Roblox does not does not serve advertisements on its website or application is really surprising. . From a business perspective, that's a lot of leverage that could be used to sell ad slots at high prices, which is exactly what the company is about to start doing.
During Baszucki's Keynote presentation, he introduced the new Immersive Advertising feature that allows developers to place designated ads inside their experiences and profit from them in exchange. These advertisements can take the form of billboards, billboards and even portals, as seen in the tweet below, which take players to an advertising experience, such as Vans World, NIKELAND, Tommy Play, Spotify Island, etc
While adding these ads isn't necessary at all, we'd be surprised if the bigger experiences on the Roblox platform don't start incorporating them considering the extra payout they offer.
UGC Marketplace Updates
The last major announcement made during the RDC this year concerns the Avatar store, or the Next Gen UGC marketplace, as Baszucki called it. During this announcement, it was confirmed that any Roblox user will be able to create UGC items in the near future, UGC items can now become Limiteds, and developers will be able to create their own promotional UGC items and then post them to players. for free, which means that Roblox will move away from creating UGC items and instead leave the creativity in the hands of the users.
UGC trading will also be coming to the Roblox platform very soon, which will allow users to trade and trade items with other players based on their individual and interpreted values. The entire Avatar Store will also be getting a facelift in the coming weeks, with additional designations that will highlight new, sponsored, and featured items.
End
That's all you could have missed at this year's RDC! What do you think of these new features/announcements? Are there any in particular that you are passionate about or that you are not a big fan of? Let us know in the comments below!
Looking for more Roblox content? Check out our recent articles about Roblox removing hundreds of old posts from their official blog site or Roblox launched a new branding and the reactions were mixed here on allgamestips!
