For many, Roblox has become the spectre of gaming in the background. The elephant in the room that most of us may not engage with, but that it’s impossible to ignore. Yet this humble block building game that started off way back in 2006 (meaning it’s only a shudder-inducing two years from its twenty-year anniversary) is now one of the world’s most successful gaming platforms.
Everything from RPGs to shooters, arcade titles and narrative experiences are available through Roblox. And recently one of these experiences, Livetopia has gone rogue as of January this year with the release of Livetopia: Party! Now this might not seem too significant, but stick with us.
So what?
Alright, calm down, let us explain.
What does it mean for a game to ‘go rogue’? It just means that Livetopia, which originally began its life as a Roblox experience, has spun off into a full-fledged game with its own app store entries, meaning you don’t need Roblox to play it. Although the original is still present on Roblox, now Livetopia: Party is its own separate, unique thing.
What’s most notable is that Livetopia is the first game originally from Roblox to do so. Roblox has been continuously raking in both millions of users as well as dollars in revenue from the games on their platform, and Livetopia is – or rather was – one of the more popular experiences with over 4 billion visits as of 2024. While it’s not quite as technically stunning as say, Frontlines, the modern military shooter from Maximilian Studios – also available on Roblox – it’s a perfectly serviceable, colourful title that’s proven to be a hit with users.
Livetopia is basically a roleplay platform with players entering the modern cityscape of Livetopia and taking on a variety of roles and employment. The experience was first released for Roblox back in 2021 by developers Century Games amidst the platform’s huge uptick in users during the Covid pandemic. That year Roblox saw a huge uptick to 127% revenue during this period, fuelling a massive expansion in players and experiences.
Suffice it to say, Livetopia was in the right place at the right time to become successful just as Roblox got a huge popularity boost. And even if you cut out duplicate visits for repeat users, there are probably at least a few million players returning to Livetopia month after month. With Livetopia: Party, it’s essentially the same game albeit with a new art style and indeed its listing is independent of Roblox.
By spinning Livetopia off into its own title, Century Games is taking a rather bold stance. By moving their game off the platform they’re potentially cutting themselves off from hundreds of thousands if not millions of players and trusting, or hoping, that loyal fans will follow them to this new iteration. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t benefits…
Going rogue
It might seem insignificant to outsiders, but the decision to spin-off Livetopia is interesting for many reasons. For one, Roblox draws most of its revenue from the money spent in its experiences with currencies like Robux. They take a cut of the money spent, and by making Livetopia into its own game, Century Games will be able to claim more of that cash themselves rather than sharing with Roblox.
Secondly, if there’s anything we’ve learned from the huge layoffs in the aftermath of the massive expansion studios and developers embraced during the Covid pandemic, it’s that the good times don’t last forever. Century Games might be looking to get ahead of the curve if, slash when Roblox begins to dip in popularity or some unpopular decisions drive players off the platform. Having their own game means they can maintain their own audience outside of Roblox.
It could also mean that Century Games are hoping to curate the experience of Livetopia. While Roblox uses Lua, a coding language that can be easily put into its own game, Livetopia: Party definitely seems to be its own unique experience. Century Games can also take a direct hand in the user journey from start to end rather than relying on the overarching structure of Roblox itself.
There are a few wrinkles here. For one, Roblox, generally, has a much younger audience, and one that parents might not want to see hopping to an entirely new game outside of the environment they’re comfortable with. Not only that, but it may be hard for the game to resonate with other, older players given the pretty disturbingly cutesy art style. Century Games also seems to be hedging their bets by keeping the original experience on Roblox, but what kind of message does that send about the confidence they have in this new project?
Ultimately, Livetopia going rogue could be the start of a new wave of former Roblox titles spinning off into their own games. At which point the sky’s the limit; are we going to see a new wave of indie studios get their start with Roblox? Will these games resonate with players outside of Roblox? Will they be successful at all? Only time will tell, but both people inside and outside the industry are likely to watch closely to see what happens…
And if you’re a Roblox fan, be sure to check out some of our coverage right here on PocketGamer.com. We’ve got tips, tricks, strategy guides and more for the discerning Roblox-er.
