Roblox chat filters will soon have reduced restrictions for users on the sandbox game platform who can verify that they’re 13 or older, the company revealed as part of its Roblox Developer Conference underway in San Francisco, Calif.
“Soon, we will begin testing a version of chat which allows 13+ users to communicate freely while maintaining industry-leading chat filters for users under 13,” according to an RDC fact sheet, which a Roblox representative shared with PCGamesN.com. “13+ verified users will have a reduced chat filter.”
This represents a significant shift for the sandbox game company, which has historically employed substantial text chat restrictions that often prevent common phrases. One example cited during the conference is the phrase ‘LMAO,‘ commonly used by tweens, teens, and adults as an expression of a laugh.
This is just one of several changes designed to cater to users ages 17 to 14, which is the platform’s fastest-growing demographic. Robloxians will soon find Experience Guidelines on the platform, deployed as a rating system that designates content as All Ages, 9+, or 13+. Though the platform has historically attracted younger audiences, more than half of Roblox users are 13 or older.
Older Roblox players appear to be enthusiastic about loosened text chat restrictions, with a single tweet on the subject amassing more than 4000 likes and nearly 600 retweets within just a couple of hours.
The announcement also comes on the tail of a recent Roblox-approved reference on the television show What We Do in the Shadows, which contains adult language. A driver asks one of the characters what game he’s playing, and another character utters a phrase containing a curse word before the other responds. This is a departure from Roblox’s long-standing push to avoid any association with swearing or any content that’s not appropriate for kids.
Recently, Roblox rolled out the option for all players ages 13 and older to use proximity voice chat. Players can verify their ages utilising a form of identification, though the company is also beta testing a feature that allows voice chat verification via phone number only. Bloxy News, reporting on the RDC, says that 2.5 million verified 13+ users had enabled Spatial Voice on their Roblox account since launch.
“We’re continuously evolving our technology to enable deeper forms of communication and connection between people and are making chat on Roblox more dynamic and immersive, similar to how we connect in the physical world,” the fact sheet says.
In addition to the changes to chat filtering, the company also announced a host of new developer-side updates. These include a forthcoming server-side anti-cheat system, improved analytics for developers, significant investments in Roblox Game Fund to develop high-calibre experiences on the platform, high-fidelity facial animation, and much more. You can read more about Roblox’s vision for the future on its official blog and watch the RDC keynote on YouTube.
It’s exciting to see how these developments will impact the best Roblox games in 2022 and how updates to the Creator Marketplace will affect user-generated content. For now, visit our Roblox promo codes list for September to access free avatar gear, and check out our Roblox music codes for September to access hits from your favourite artists to play on your boombox.
