Despite being a household name in the U.S., investors might not be familiar with video game platform Roblox (NYSE:RBLX).
However, they probably know a full-fledged fan: Roblox is played by more than half of all American children. RBLX stock closed higher by 54% after its first day of trading.
Roblox is a platform for creating videogames. Think of it as a digital arcade, where users can play games from different developers, which can either be sold or available for free. RBLX has its own in-game currency that can be bought with real world money. Users can then use that currency to pay for services from developers. Popular games on Roblox also receive a stipend from the company.
In the words of the Oracle of Omaha, you should only invest in what you know. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular games on the Roblox platform.
Adopt Me!
Far and away the most popular game on Roblox, Adopt Me! recently hit 20 billion visits. This game is akin to Nintendogs, with users adopting and caring for virtual pets. The game also has features for players to dress up their pets and decorate their in-game home.
Like many of the most popular Roblox games, Adopt Me! has a multiplayer component, allowing users to trade their pets with each other. Due to some pets being very rare in the game, a black market of sorts has developed around this game. That might seem like a negative, but it should give investors a sense of how seriously players take the game, and how willing people are to spend real world money on digital-only items.
Tower of Hell
Tower of Hell is a multiplayer obstacle course. The goal is to be the first to climb the titular tower by scaling ladders, jumping between platforms, pushing your competitors out of the way and avoiding hazards like electricity and lasers. This game was launched in June 2018 and has received more than 10 billion visits, coming in as the second-most popular game on Roblox behind Adopt Me! by a two-to-one margin.
MeepCity
MeepCity is likely to give younger investors nostalgia for the days when they played Club Penguin or Toontown Online. This is a social hangout game where players control an avatar that can explore the digital world, doing things like customizing their avatar, playing minigames against other players, and buying in-game items.
However the primary purpose of the game is the social interactions between players. Player interactions are a critical cornerstone of the broader business case for Roblox, which has been a supplement for children’s social connection in a socially distanced world.
Piggy
I don’t know who thought the world needed a horror survival game based on popular British children’s show Peppa Pig, but I’m glad they decided to make one. I’m not alone in that: the game boasts 7.7 billion players and counting.
The fact that Piggy is one of the most popular Roblox games especially highlights the indie ethos underpinning Roblox. As one Adopt Me! developer put it to NPR, user-generated content is “kind of like outsider art.” Developers operating outside of a traditional business structure aren’t necessarily looking to make the same types of games already proven on the market; compare that with major videogame developers, who each have their own type of shooting game.
Royale High
Last but not least among those most popular Roblox games with more than 5 billion visits, Royale High is a social hangout game set in a high school populated by fairies and royalty. Like MeepCity, the primary purpose of this game is social interactions between players, but you can attend classes and do homework to earn in-game tokens to buy clothing for your digital character.
On the date of publication, Vivian Medithi did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article.
