--- title: Roblox is growing up, and bringing the metaverse into clearer focus - The Hustle description: Roblox announced new features for users and developers to take the platform to the next level, and bring the metaverse into clearer focus. image: https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1117333802-News-Brief_2021-10-17T233624.168Z.webp --- # Roblox is growing up, and bringing the metaverse into clearer focus ![Rob Litterst](https://thehustle.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Rob-Litterst-pic.png?width=48&height=48&name=Rob-Litterst-pic.png) [Rob Litterst](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/rob-litterst) [Rob Litterst Twitter profile ](https://twitter.com/robbylit) Published: October 18, 2021 Updated: October 11, 2023 If there’s one company that understands the **metaverse** — virtual spaces in a digital environment — it’s Roblox. ![Roblox is growing up, and bringing the metaverse into clearer focus](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1117333802-News-Brief_2021-10-17T233624.168Z.webp?width=595&height=400&name=1117333802-News-Brief_2021-10-17T233624.168Z.webp) At its annual developer conference, the company [announced](https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/14/roblox-avatar-updates-rdc-2021/) a flurry of new features to take the platform to the next level, per *TechCrunch*. #### **It will start allowing users to express themselves** Roblox is known for its lego-like characters that aren’t exactly aesthetically advanced. Going forward, the company plans to make avatars more customizable, including: - **Layered clothing**, which allows outfits to be used dynamically across a range of characters - **Dynamic heads**, which allow avatars to change facial expressions that mirror the words they’re saying The changes will allow Roblox characters to evolve with its users as they get older and more interested in self-expression. #### **But they’re equally focused on keeping developers happy** The firm announced new features that offer developers more flexibility and monetization opportunities, including: - **Open Cloud**, a system that allows developers to build content in 3rd-party tools and connect it to Roblox - **Limited edition items**, which developers can sell to users and earn royalties off of (similar to the NFT model) Both additions give developers more flexibility to build on the Roblox platform and provide users more ways to spend Robux, the in-game currency that can be purchased for actual dollars. #### **Users and developers are already flocking to the platform** In May, Roblox [reported](https://backlinko.com/roblox-users) **43.2m** daily active users, up 3x since 2016. Additionally, the company will pay out **$500m** to developers in 2021, up **700%+** from 2018. If Roblox can keep growing both sides at that pace, it won’t have to invent the metaverse — its developers and users will build it for them. Topics: [Entertainment](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/tag/entertainment) ## Follow us on social media prev next - ![Las Vegas’ giant $2.3B sphere is officially open](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1838193352-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-vegas-sphere_20230928210654.webp) ### Las Vegas’ giant $2.3B sphere is officially open - ![‘AI is not a writer:’ Why the writers’ strike deal matters beyond Hollywood](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/2028008005-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-AI-WGA_20230927223315.webp) ### ‘AI is not a writer:’ Why the writers’ strike deal matters beyond Hollywood - ![When a $789m film franchise turns risky](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/373079265-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-Expandables_20230921215625.webp) ### When a $789m film franchise turns risky - ![Why do festivals keep ending in disaster?](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/386875888-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-Festivals_20230918220820.webp) ### Why do festivals keep ending in disaster? - ![The history of the Magic 8 Ball](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1746971161-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-magic8ball_20230803222804.webp) ### The history of the Magic 8 Ball - ![Sylvester Stallone picks the ultimate fight](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1124491020-HS-News-Brief_2022-08-05T012843.136Z.webp) ### Sylvester Stallone picks the ultimate fight - ![Movie theaters need Avatar to be a tortoise](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1621876651-HS-News-Brief_2022-12-20T014006.829Z.webp) ### Movie theaters need Avatar to be a tortoise - ![These influencers are so fake… no, really](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1443036575-HS-News-Brief_2023-02-16T230252.421Z.webp) ### These influencers are so fake… no, really - ![The ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ debacle, explained](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/721435967-HS-News-Brief_2023-01-30T002610.931Z-scaled.webp) ### The ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ debacle, explained - ![Board games are passing go and collecting $200, many times over](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1215757478-HS-News-Brief_2023-01-06T005631.941Z.webp) ### Board games are passing go and collecting $200, many times over Pop up for Subscribe to The Hustle Daily Newsletter Subscribe to The Hustle Daily Newsletter Get the 5-minute news brief keeping 2.5M+ innovators in the loop. Always free. 100% fresh. No bullsh*t. JOIN FREE ### 100% Free CRM Nurture and grow your business with customer relationship management software. Signup for a free account Close modal ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Rob Litterst", "url" : "https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/news/author/rob-litterst" }, "datePublished" : "2021-10-18T06:39:19.000Z", "headline" : "Roblox is growing up, and bringing the metaverse into clearer focus", "image" : [ "https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1117333802-News-Brief_2021-10-17T233624.168Z.webp" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/news/10182021-roblox", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject" } } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "#article", "@type" : "NewsArticle", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Rob Litterst", "url" : "https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/rob-litterst" }, "dateModified" : "2023-10-11T20:32:42+0000", "datePublished" : "2021-10-18T06:39:19+0000", "headline" : "Roblox is growing up, and bringing the metaverse into clearer focus", "image" : [ "https://7355427.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/7355427/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1117333802-News-Brief_2021-10-17T233624.168Z.webp" ], "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "height" : 112, "url" : "https://fs.hubspotusercontent00.net/hubfs/53/assets/hubspot.com/web-team/WBZ/Blog%202021/Images/Logos/HubSpot%20Logo%20112X112.svg", "width" : 112 }, "name" : "HubSpot", "sameAs" : [ "https://www.facebook.com/hubspot", "https://twitter.com/hubspot" ], "url" : "https://www.hubspot.com" }, "speakable" : { "@type" : "SpeakableSpecification", "xPath" : [ "//title", "/html/head/meta[@name='description']/@content" ] } } ```