Roblox launches Build to generate mobile games with AI
Roblox is letting anyone create games on mobile with simple text prompts, while questions about AI quality and discovery continue to surface.
Roblox announced on Thursday a new feature called Build that allows users to create games directly on mobile devices using artificial intelligence. Build enables turning text prompts into a basic game with no prior programming experience. For example, entering “Let’s create a cozy adventure game in a dense forest” leads to the creation of a starter version that can be edited and shared with friends.
It runs on a wide range of AI models, including both open and Roblox’s private models; Build handles gameplay mechanics, environments, characters, visual style, sound, and more.
Development Context and Market Reaction
In a Roblox blog post, it notes that Build processes game mechanics, environments, characters, style, and sound design using advanced AI models – both open and private.
Public dynamics and examples from other companies, such as Google, Microsoft, and Tencent, indicate the development of similar tools. However, using AI for automatic game generation raises concerns among developers and players: lowering entry barriers could lead to the emergence of low-quality or repetitive projects and increase competition from content created by AI faster than humans.
According to the Game Developers Conference State of the Game Industry study this year, 52% of industry professionals believe generative AI has a negative impact on the industry.
Roblox’s Approaches to Quality and Content Disclosure
To mitigate quality risks, Roblox plans to rank AI-generated games by retention: if a game isn’t played, it won’t be featured on the platform.
Our discovery systems are designed to spotlight games with long-term retention, not “AI slop”. The quality of games on the homepage doesn’t change: if no one plays, no one will find it. The goal of these tools is to accelerate creation for users with varying levels of experience.
Build will enter public alpha testing on July 28 and will be available to New Zealand users aged 9 and older with age verification. Individuals aged 16 and older will be able to publish their creations globally. Developers will also offer a free basic version and paid options.
In addition to Build, Roblox is working on AI agents that will help creators with testing and providing analytics. These capabilities are expected to arrive in the coming months.
The new initiative underscores Roblox’s commitment to continuing to develop AI capabilities and strengthening tools for developers at various stages of game creation – from generating 3D assets to supporting developers with a chatbot and creating a new scene-generation model capable of composing entire edited and reproducible 3D scenes from a single text prompt.
The announcement comes after Roblox announced the closure of Roblox Connect – an avatar-oriented video calling service launched in 2023. This initiative demonstrates Roblox’s commitment to continuing to develop AI capabilities and strengthening tools for developers at various stages of game creation.
In summary, the introduction of Build underscores Roblox’s strategy to integrate artificial intelligence into the game creation process and support creators at all levels of experience.
