For example, the “games” tab now reads “discover.” When asked why these changes were implemented, a Roblox representative told Polygon that, “The term ‘experiences’ is consistent with how we’ve evolved our terminology to reflect our realization of the metaverse.”ģ/ This is cray /RRLnEmqkX4- Matthew Ball May 14, 2021īut the timing strongly suggests that Apple scared one of the biggest gaming companies in the world - more than half of US kids under age 16 logged on to play Roblox in 2020 - into renaming what are, clearly, games as somehow not being games. On May 14, within the Roblox platform, all instances of the word “game” disappeared. And they have boundaries in terms of what they’re capable of.” “I look at the experiences that are in Roblox similar to the experiences that are in Minecraft,” Kosmynka said.
Kosmynka then defended this decision during the trial by saying Apple did not consider Roblox to be a place where people go to play games. Fornite was essentially taken down from the App Store for breaking the same guidelines.Įven Apple acknowledged this when a marketing head, Trystan Kosmynka, expressed “surprise” that Roblox was approved for the App Store in 2017 in an email. Roblox, which allows users to spend a virtual currency within player-created games, theoretically could circumvent Apple’s policies on vetting all content, along with its rules about storefronts within apps. Apple not only treats games differently from apps, it has historically rejected game streaming services, justifying that stance by whether the service’s iOS app can host “a store within a store.” During court proceedings on May 6, Epic lawyers brought up the Roblox app as part of a long-winded discussion about what’s allowed on the App Store.Īpple has a certification process to ensure that all of its apps are in compliance with its guidelines. Apple Computer trial, where the game developer and publisher is suing Apple for allegedly stifling competition on the App Store. Why does this matter? It all has to do with the ongoing Epic Games’ vs. As Roblox now tells it, it’s a place to go and enjoy experiences. Roblox, a massively popular platform where people go to play and make video games, no longer wants the public to think of it as a platform where people go to play and make video games.