Pierre T.
**ROBLOX’s Marketplace Creates Opportunities for Creators**
ROBLOX recently announced updates to its marketplace, introducing “Limiteds” that allow creators to develop and sell unique avatar gear that creates artificial scarcity. This change has led to about half of all Limiteds now being created by ROBLOX users, compared to just the company itself making Limiteds beforehand. The economy created by Limiteds has been a boon for ROBLOX, with the company selling 1.8 billion total avatar items within a year.
The company sees its marketplace as a “critical part of the ROBLOX economy,” mirroring the real-life market economy. ROBLOX believes the market should set the price of goods, giving the market more control over pricing for Limiteds.
In addition to this, ROBLOX has also decided to allow creators to sell Limiteds only within ROBLOX experiences instead of the broader marketplace, creating more opportunities for creators to earn money. This way, creators have control over the experience and can sell Limiteds to get 70% of the fees from the Limited.
ROBLOX has made other changes to Limiteds as well. Groups can now publish Limiteds, removing price ceilings, and ROBLOX will no longer make its own Limiteds.
Despite the positives, some concern has been raised over creating artificial scarcity of digital goods. Although the limited run model has been successful on platforms like Fortnite, some users are worried that children playing ROBLOX will end up spending more on pricey Limiteds.
Nevertheless, ROBLOX’s Limiteds offer a unique opportunity for creators in the digital fashion field, especially in a market that is increasingly competitive. Fortnite’s creation tools, for example, are more focused on virtual world creation rather than digital fashion, making ROBLOX’s Limiteds a viable option.
Overall, the increased focus on user-generated content within ROBLOX’s marketplace is a positive change, creating more opportunities for creators and giving the market more control over the economy.
Sources:
1. https://www.theverge.com/2023/4/14/23683459/roblox-limiteds-creators-make-sell-avatar-gear-user-generated-content-ugc
2. https://devforum.roblox.com/t/marketplace-our-vision-and-guiding-principles/2392973
