Roblox Mobile Builds Past $2 Billion as It Sets a Strong Foundation for Impending IPO
Popular world building MMO Roblox from Roblox Corporation has surpassed $2 billion in player spending on mobile ahead of the developer's impending initial public offering, Sensor Tower Store Intelligence estimates show.
Spending in Roblox mobile headed into overdrive in 2020. It took seven months to generate $500 million and crossed the $1.5 billion mark in May 2020, and five months to pick up another $500 million and surpass $2 billion. That means it's taken a year for the title to generate $1 billion in gross revenue on mobile alone. A sharp rise in spending has coincided with the global COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns, with the game's best month ever coming in May 2020 when it accumulated nearly $113 million, a three-times increase year-over-year.
According to the Sensor Tower Game Taxonomy, Roblox is the clear leader in the Simulation genre in the United States, generating more than $535 million between Q1 and Q3 2020. It was ahead of Township from Playrix at No. 2 with nearly $119 million and Klondike Adventures from Vizor at No. 3 with just over $80 million. Minecraft from Mojang and Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery from Jam City rounded out the top five titles in the genre during the 1Q20 to 3Q20 period.
Block Buster
When it comes to the title's global lifetime revenue, the U.S. has proven to be its most lucrative market, accumulating $1.3 billion or about 65 percent of total revenue. The United Kingdom ranks No. 2 for player spending with $161 million, or 8 percent of the total, while Canada ranks No. 3 with about $81 million or 4 percent.
The App Store accounts for the lion's share of Roblox's mobile revenue, generating close to $1.5 billion to date, or 73 percent of total player spending. Google Play, meanwhile, accounts for $545 million, or 27 percent. Apple has seen approximately $450 million in revenue from spending in the iOS version of Roblox, while Google's share totals about $164 million.
To date, Roblox has racked up close to 437 million downloads on mobile, with nearly 129 million of those, or about 30 percent, generated in 2020. As with revenue, the U.S. ranks No. 1 for installs, picking up 113 million, or 26 percent of total downloads. Brazil ranks No. 2 with close to 48 million, or 11 percent, while Russia ranks No. 3 with nearly 24 million downloads, or 5.5 percent.
Google Play has provided the majority of Roblox's mobile downloads, accounting for more than 328 million installs, or 75 percent of the total. The App Store, meanwhile, accounts for about 109 million downloads, or 25 percent.
Solid Foundations
Roblox officially launched on the App Store eight years ago, and over the years has steadily grown its player base—and revenue—to become one of the world's biggest games on mobile. Its publisher has managed to create an entire platform with a focus on user-generated content, enabling the MMO to not just entertain its vast number of players, but also provide a sandbox for creating content that can generate real-world cash. It's proven to be a perfect hub for connectivity and creativity during the global COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns, and the title looks set to continue its success into the future.