Video calling, avatar creation, PlayStation, RDC 2023 had it all
Every year, fans and developers worldwide look forward to the Roblox Developers Conference, and RDC 2023 certainly delivered on its promise of future innovation for the platform. In the keynote, we got to learn exactly where Roblox is going next, and it certainly looks as though both players and creators have reason to be excited. Want to know what all the fuss is about? Our RDC 2023 round-up is on hand to show you everything from the all-important keynote.
Before we dive in, if you’re not familiar with the Roblox Developers Conference, it’s an annual event in which there’s a mixture of online and in-person talks (if you make the trip to San Francisco), meaning you can enjoy all the exciting news as it happens regardless of where you are in the world. However, there’s no denying how great it is to attend RDC, even if it’s purely for networking purposes.
We know, we know, most of you likely want to know what all the fuss is about for players. Well, how about the fact that there’s a fresh new way to communicate? Or that you can create your avatar from anywhere?
Roblox Developers Conference 2023 highlights
Without further ado, let’s dive into all of the exciting news to come from the RDC 2023 keynote:
Roblox Connect
The ways to connect with other players on Roblox are plentiful, thanks to the likes of text chat and voice chat (for those over the age of 13). Plus, there’s the option for teenagers to animate their avatars with facial animations, which is a new feature that Roblox introduced just last month. So, what’s next? It’s Roblox Connect – the future is video calls!
For all of you parents out there, don’t worry, for it’s still your avatar that’s on display, and you can only make calls to those on your friends list. To put it in perspective, when you enter a call, you can convey your facial expressions and body language through your avatar, though you do also get to use your real name. When you enter the call, you go to a shared immersive space in which you all get to virtually sit together at a campfire or stand by a waterfall.
It’s a big step forward in helping Roblox friends stay connected, especially if it’s as a means of communicating with long-distance relatives.
Roblox is coming to PlayStation
Yes, you read that right. Those of you who enjoy Roblox on mobile with a PlayStation can switch between the two devices as of next month. Sure, Roblox is also on PC and Xbox, but not everyone has those platforms, so this is an exciting move for the beloved games platform.
New tools for avatar creation
Thanks to the new mesh and texture APIs, creators have complete control over changing items while inside a Roblox game or experience, meaning they can morph the shape and dimensions of their Roblox avatar while also being able to switch up the textures. Developers will have the option to enable this feature for players in their experiences in the near future.
However, it looks to be a phased process as you can customize the avatar itself first, with alterations to clothes, emotes, and items coming in the months after. Roblox also intends to enable players to create their avatars from a simple image or a text prompt. We can only imagine the possibilities with that sort of technology – it certainly cuts the creation time down to size.
New ways for Roblox devs to earn money
Sure, creating things is great, and it’s a true passion for those who choose to be a developer on Roblox, but they also deserve some compensation for all their hard work in attracting players to the games platform. Well, that’s something Roblox evidently agrees with, as it’s set to introduce a subscription system. Essentially, creators can offer subscriptions within their game (what the subscription entails is at the discretion of the developer).
Everyone is invited to join the Roblox economy
Not only are developers benefiting from changes to Roblox’s economy, but the company intends to allow everyone who’s ID-verified with a premium membership to create items for the marketplace. This is yet another way for you to unleash your creativity on the games platform.
If that isn’t exciting enough for you, how about the fact that Roblox is going to allow asset and tool creators to keep 100 percent of the money generated through their items in the Studio and Creator Hub? This is due to come into effect next year.
Safety first
As fun as Roblox is, it’s still a place on the internet, and given some of the younger audience members, it’s vital that there’s some safeguarding on display. Luckily, Roblox intends to further its protection with some ML architecture that detects when somebody violates a policy through voice communication. Furthermore, it’s the first AI of its kind to be deployed at such a large scale. The English moderator is to release soon, though a further four languages are due to follow.
When it comes to developers, later this year, Roblox is rolling out developer-configured text filters, which essentially means that the developer can determine what sort of text is okay for their community. Thanks to the IsVerfied API, they can also decide what parts of their experience a player can visit – if someone behaves in a toxic manner, they can be blocked from certain areas of the game.
From RDC 2023, we can clearly see that Roblox is still full of exciting innovations. If all of this has you wanting to try out some of the experiences on offer, take a look at our lists of the best Roblox games and best Roblox horror games.
