Roblox is a massively multiplayer online and game creation platform that allows users to design their own games and play a wide variety of different types of games created by other users. The platform hosts social network games constructed of Lego-like virtual blocks.[1]
Jailbreak
edit| Jailbreak | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Alex Balfanz, asimo3089 |
| Publisher(s) | Roblox |
| Release | April 20, 2017[2] |
| Genre(s) | Cops and Robbers |
| Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
Jailbreak is a Cops and Robbers themed game on the game creation platform Roblox. It was created on April 20, 2017 by Alex Balfanz (badcc) and user asimo3089, collectively working under the group name "Badimo".[3][4][5] On November 8, 2018, the game achieved over 2 billion visits and two million likes.[6]
Gameplay
editThere are two main teams, the police and the prisoners. The prisoners try to escape the prison through various methods, including stealing keycards from the police and opening up restricted doors. After escaping from the prison, the prisoners will become criminals and can roam throughout the rest of the in-game world outside the original prison. [7][8] Once they've escaped, it's the job of the police to arrest the criminals and put them back in jail, making them prisoners again.[2]
Reception
editUpon release, Jailbreak accumulated over 80,000 concurrent players and began receiving widespread attention.[2] Weekly updates built a connection with the community, driving more players to the game. Alex Balfanz has said that he was on track to earn "seven figures" in July 2017 and has made millions of dollars from Jailbreak as of December 2018.[3][2]
Jailbreak is one of most popular games on Roblox, accumulating tens of thousands of concurrent players daily, and dubbed as one of the best games to play on the platform.[6][7] It has a large international audience with around 65% of players speaking English according to Balfanz.[2] Jailbreak was featured in Roblox's Ready Player One event, based around the release of the movie, though it was met with criticism for the difficulty of the challenge and for a malfunctioning quest involving the train to get one of 4 rewards.[9]
Pokémon: Brick Bronze
edit| Pokémon: Brick Bronze | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Lando64000 |
| Publisher(s) | Roblox |
| Release | 2015 |
| Genre(s) | Role-playing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Pokémon: Brick Bronze was a role-playing game on Roblox that was heavily inspired by, and used the IP of, Pokémon. It released sometime in 2015 and was forced to shut down in April 2018.
Gameplay
editPokémon: Brick Bronze played similar to other Pokémon games in its core mechanics, including the turn-based fighting and open world mechanics.[10] It set itself apart in one way by including the vast amount of all Pokémon from previous Nintendo games in this one. From the start, you could pick one of 18 starter Pokémon from each iteration.[11]
Reception, legal trouble and shutdown
editBrick Bronze was received well by its audience and was known as one of the best Pokémon games on Roblox.[10] It averaged around 22,000 players during its peak.[11]
For some time, the question of the legality of a Pokémon game on Roblox had been floating around. Other fan-made games had been taken down by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company in the past. Brick Bronze used the Pokémon logo, gameplay, and other assets that were taken from them or were very similar. Lando64000, the creator, had also been earning money from the game through Roblox's DevEx program.[11] In April 2018, Pokémon: Brick Bronze was taken down from Roblox, as requested from The Pokémon Company.[12][13] Eventually, the game was reworked and re-released under the title Loomian Legacy in July of 2019, having removed all Pokémon assets.
Welcome to Bloxburg
edit| Welcome to Bloxburg | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Coeptus |
| Publisher(s) | Roblox |
| Release | August 1, 2016[14] |
| Genre(s) | Role-playing |
| Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
Welcome to Bloxburg is a role-playing game on Roblox.
Gameplay
editReception
editReferences
edit- ^ Needleman, Rafe (14 June 2011). "Roblox: A virtual world of Lego-like blocks". CNET. Archived from the original on 29 November 2018. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
- ^ a b c d e Fang, Shannon (December 10, 2018). "How the Jailbreak computer game made sophomore Alex Balfanz millions". The Chronicle. Archived from the original on January 25, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
- ^ a b Weinberger, Matt (July 25, 2017). "A video game you've never heard of has turned three teens into multimillionaires — and it's just getting started". Business Insider. Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
- ^ Morrow, Brendan (May 30, 2017). "Roblox Games: Best Free New Games of 2017 So Far". Heavy. Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
- ^ Roblox (2018). Roblox Character Encyclopedia. HarperFestival. p. 11. ISBN 978-0062862648.
- ^ a b Knapp, Alex (September 18, 2018). "How Roblox Is Training The Next Generation Of Gaming Entrepreneurs". Forbes. Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
- ^ a b Valens, Ana. "These are the best Roblox games around". Dot Esports. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
- ^ Takahashi, Dean (July 21, 2017). "The DeanBeat: Roblox's kid developers make enough 'robux' to pay for college". Venture Beat. Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
- ^ Harbison, Cammy (March 12, 2018). "'Roblox Ready Player One' Event: How to Find Copper, Jade & Crystal Keys (Location Clues)". Newsweek. Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved October 14, 2018.
- ^ a b Jagneaux, David (January 9, 2018). "Top 7 Best Pokemon Games on Roblox". Geek.com. Archived from the original on February 1, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
{{cite web}}:|archive-date=/|archive-url=timestamp mismatch; February 2, 2019 suggested (help) - ^ a b c D'Anastasio, Cecilia (August 8, 2017). "Inside The Fan-Made Pokémon MMO Played By Tens Of Thousands". Kotaku. Archived from the original on February 1, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
{{cite web}}:|archive-date=/|archive-url=timestamp mismatch; February 2, 2019 suggested (help) - ^ Lando (April 21, 2018). ""pic.twitter.com/f7j3G0MPZE"". Twitter. Archived from the original on February 1, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
{{cite web}}:|archive-date=/|archive-url=timestamp mismatch; February 2, 2019 suggested (help) - ^ Pugatschew, Rhys (April 23, 2018). "Pokemon Brick Bronze Taken Down By Roblox". Heavy. Archived from the original on February 1, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
{{cite web}}:|archive-date=/|archive-url=timestamp mismatch; February 2, 2019 suggested (help) - ^ Suckley, Matt (March 7, 2018). "How one student's The Sims-like Roblox game racked up 160 million play sessions". PocketGamer.biz. Archived from the original on May 29, 2018. Retrieved July 4, 2019.