Roblox recently announced the milestone of 100 million active monthly players, which puts it 9 million ahead of Minecraft. To celebrate, its developer is giving away a free gold bar shoulder accessory.
At 91 million (as of March), Microsoft’s blocky adventure is hardly trailing behind, but for many, it doesn’t have the consistent draw it once had. Though a new wave of YouTubers and Twitch streamers has led to more attention, vanilla Minecraft’s lack of frequent, significant updates means there’s less to be excited about.
Despite this, it still appears to hold the public record for the best-selling video game of all time. Roblox Corporation has yet to reveal how many total copies its title has sold, while Mojang’s had sold 176 million as of March 2019.
As well as its active players, Roblox Corporation shared stats on character creation and diversity. It says 50% of its players update its avatar every month, and half of its players do so with their friends. Meanwhile, 40% of its userbase is female and it has fans in over 200 countries.
Of course, the elephant in the room is the fact Minecraft’s stats are outdated. While Microsoft would have made a fuss if it hit 100 million, its recent attention means it probably isn’t too far off. It’ll be interesting to see how things compare at the next stat reveal.
Roblox has overtaken Minecraft with an incredible 100 million monthly active users.
Back in March, Microsoft said Minecraft had 91 million monthly players.
Roblox is one of the biggest video games in the world, although it goes relatively undiscussed in the games media. The free-to-play multiplayer game launched in 2006 and has steadily gained in popularity with a younger audience on PC, Xbox One and mobile. Roblox is a cross between sandbox and MMO, and there are plenty of similarities with Minecraft. Players can design their own worlds and games, which others can access via the official website. There are more than 50m user-created experiences on Roblox, and 40 per cent of players are female.
(For more on Roblox, check out our Emma’s wonderful feature, I spectated prime minister’s questions – in Roblox, in which she reports on her adventures in the game’s political role-playing community.)
“We started Roblox over a decade ago with a vision to bring people from all over the world together through play,” said founder and CEO David Baszucki. “Roblox began with just 100 players and a handful of creators who inspired one another, unlocking this groundswell of creativity, collaboration, and imagination that continues to grow.”
While Roblox is currently more popular than Minecraft based on latest official figures, Microsoft won’t be too bothered as the latter is enjoying something of a surge in popularity, with a number of high-profile YouTubers and streamers returning to the game. And Microsoft has Minecraft Earth, the Pokemon Go-style spin-off, nearly ready to launch.
Educating developers about cloud communications isn’t an easy task, and that’s why Twilio turned to a video game to do the job. TwilioQuest 3 is launching today with a mission of training developers to create cloud communications solutions.
It may sound like “gamification” rearing its ugly head again. But Kevin Whinnery, lead developer of the game, said that description isn’t a good one because it doesn’t reflect the effort that has gone into creating the game-themed tutorial application with animations that are done in classic 16-bit arcade style. Developers go on quests to complete programming challenges in desktop training sessions that replace live training.
Whinnery has been at Twilio for 6.5 years. He spent a lot of that time as a developer evangelist, teaching developers how to use JavaScript so they could be more successful. But the game turned out to be a better way to engage people, and the new version is a ground-up rewrite of the game. Whinnery and his team spent about six months on the latest version, which has about 10 hours of content.
“Over the years we’ve added more capabilities for developers to use that they wouldn’t have been able to build themselves,” Whinnery said. “It’s similar to Amazon Web Services where you pay for usage. Our success is predicated on developers being successful with our API. If developers can’t figure out how the API works, or if it doesn’t work well for them. They won’t use it. And Twilio doesn’t get paid.”
“We can justify a large investment in the game over many years, because essentially, when developer communities are healthy and growing, Twilio tends to do well,” Whinnery said.
Above: Twilio Quest 3 debuts on August 5.Image Credit: Twilio
Twilio’s long-term goal is to teach a million developers how to code. What started as a tutorial for teaching coding has now turned into a full game. The company has invested in the game because it found that people from all different backgrounds (not just professional programmers but self-taught developers from across the globe) engage more when learning to code is fun.
Instead of focusing on Twilio-specific skills only via a game-themed tutorial web site, Twilio Quest 3 is now a fully-fledged desktop video game for Mac, Windows, and Linux. It’s a top-down adventure set in a 2D environment (a nod to the developers’ love of old school games like Legend of Zelda and Pokémon). And it teaches technical skills beyond just what developers need to implement Twilio.
Twilio is a big public company that focuses on cloud communications, and it has worked with millions of Twilio developers who use the company’s applications programming interface (API). Those APIs enable developers to send and receive text messages, make and receive phone calls, and add two-factor authentication to their applications. Over time, Twilio API-related content will represent the minority of training missions in TwilioQuest.
“The intended audience for this is much wider, as we want to increase the number of developers rather than teach only existing developers,” Whinnery said.
The biggest technical and user experience change to TwilioQuest will be moving from a browser-based web application to a downloadable desktop application. The company did this in the third version to tightly integrate with the player’s development environment. Now it can create auto-validated code challenges that teach a huge variety of concepts from PowerShell commands to Elixir macros. By using developer tools installed on a player’s computer, Twilio can rapidly create lessons that would be difficult or impossible to implement in a cloud-based environment.
Why TwilioQuest became a full-fledged game
Above: TwilioQuest 3 evokes the 16-bit eraImage Credit: Twilio
TwilioQuest started as a gamified badge tutorial system. Now it provides a path for learning complex topics that users can learn at their own pace. Based on what the feedback so far, the narrative structure, feedback loop, and opportunity for exploration offered by video games (specifically those in the RPG genre) will help more people, from all backgrounds learn to code.
TwilioQuest 3 is for anyone interested in leveling up their programming skills and getting familiar with Twilio. The goal is to build out the game so that anyone, regardless of their programming background (or lack thereof), can learn to code by playing the game. Twilio will roll out new chapters that make TQ3 more accessible to all skill levels.
Twilio partnered with Misty Robotics to build Cedric, the robot guide. Cedric is a non-player guide, inspired by Misty, a personal robot platform for developers. Misty provides developers access to the potential of personal robots for business and personal use without having to have knowledge in robotics.
Twilio has been working with the Misty robot platform, building skills for her to enable a “real life” Cedric experience for attendees at Twilio’s annual Signal conference, which takes place this week in San Francisco and draws thousands of developers. Misty Robotics was founded by Ian Bernstein, a cofounder of Sphero, which was an early user of the Twilio SMS API. Sphero used Twilio’s API to control and navigate Sphero balls.
The game’s music adds another element of old school game nostalgia. The team at Twilio worked with a group of hand-picked, independent chiptune artists to build an original soundtrack. Artists include Robby Vocke, Danimal Cannon, Corset Lore, Cheap Dinosaurs, Joey Michalina and more.
Why gamification sucks
Above: TwilioQuest 3 is out to beat inauthentic gamification.Image Credit: Twilio
“I kind of hate the word gamification because it implies that you’re like trying to trick people, like, it’s not really a game,” Whinnery said. “You’re trying to make it look at feel like a game. What I aspire to you with TwilioQuest 3 is to actually be a game. A major inspiration for me is when I think back on playing Oregon Trail back in grade school. That never felt like I was being tricked. That was just fun, I happened to be learning at the same time. Having a good time playing this game was already intrinsically satisfying. So I think over time, we will introduce some gameplay elements that work in non-educational games. Like we’re working on a simple RPG combat system.”
In that version, you’ll run into minions of legacy systems.
“I think like the difference between gamification, and a game is that a game is intended is designed to first and foremost to be fun, and to provide some kind of meaningful value. The term ‘gamification’ has fallen out of fashion because it was associated with inauthentic marketing tactics or inauthentic growth hacking tactics.
What’s next for TwilioQuest 3
Above: Twilio Quest 3Image Credit: Twilio
The company will add new chapters in perpetuity to build out the adventure and continue making it a tool to help anyone learn to code. Over the next year, players will be able to team up with non-player character (NPC) party members to take on larger missions. Eventually, the players will be able to do even more fun activities like crafting items and facing the minions of the Legacy Systems in RPG combat. There will be more non-Twilio content coming soon.
This content beats traditional developer education and live training, which was one-size-fits-all. By contrast, the game can be customized to the user’s own state of knowledge. Players can learn at their own pace.
“The role-playing game metaphor seemed to make a lot of sense,” Whinnery said. “The version out today is an evolution of the original tool, which I used primarily for live training. But what I didn’t really anticipate was how powerful is going to be for to just make technical education, a little bit more fun. And I didn’t know how powerful it would be to make education more accessible.”
“We wanted to double down on the gameplay mechanics that had made Twilio classes successful before. So that is what we have, we have a PC game for Mac, Windows, and Linux, that should feel very much like a PC RPG sort of inspired by Zelda and Pokemon and other classics of the 16-bit era,” Whinnery said.
So far, the results are telling. TwilioQuest users spend about 25 minutes on the website, or much more than for other educational materials.
“Thus far, we’ve been mostly teaching people how to use the Twilio API. And this is kind of our first foray into teaching non-Twilio topics. But what we found is that developers who, onboard to our platform through TwilioQuest are 25% faster to get to a milestone we call product active, which is where a user of the Twilio API has successfully used a product in a meaningful way.”
Darksiders II first came out back in 2012 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U, and PC. This Deathinitive Edition — which came out for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC in 2015 — includes all of the post-release downloadable content created for the action role-playing game.
The original Darksiders already made its way to Switch in April. Darksiders III, which came out in November 2018, has yet to find its way to Nintendo’s home console/portable hybrid. Although we do not have specific sales numbers for the game, THQ Nordic has said that the title was profitable.
THQ Nordic is also working on a new entry in the series, Darksiders Genesis. It will be a top-down cooperative action RPG that takes inspiration from games like Diablo. It is coming out at an unspecified date later this year for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, Stadia, and PC.
On July 31, the Game Boy celebrated the 30th anniversary of its U.S. launch. Sadly, Nintendo didn’t do much to mark the occasion. That’s a shame, because I’m feeling a ton of nostalgia toward the classic portable machine.
Nintendo is usually smart about turning people’s fondness for its older consoles into money. The NES Classic Edition and SNES Classic Edition were giant hits. But Nintendo hasn’t made a new micro-console since 2017.
It’s strange to see Nintendo abandon this market after making it so successful. Sega, Konami, and others are getting ready to launch their own retro machines. Nintendo, meanwhile, seems to have taken a break.
That’s nuts. Nintendo still has so many great systems that deserve their own classic revival. I already talked about how great a Nintendo 64 Classic would be, but a Game Boy Classic could be even more interesting.
I love my Switch, but it is only so portable. Yes, I can take it with me anywhere, but I have to keep it in a case. Even the upcoming Switch Lite is still too big to put inside your pocket. That’s what I miss about the Game Boy and DS machines. I could play those anywhere. If I had a a few minutes to kill while I waited in a line, I could take my Game Boy out of my pocket.
Above: The Switch Lite is smaller, but it’s not pocket-friendly.Image Credit: Nintendo
A Game Boy Classic could bring that kind of experience. Nintendo could make a new version of the system that is even smaller and more portable, and it could come with a built-in library. Not having to worry about swapping out cartridges would make it an even more convenient device.
The Game Boy had so many great games. You had classic 2D sidescrollers like the Super Mario Land series, the fantastic puzzle-platfromer Donkey Kong, and the iconic Tetris. Also, I know that it’s getting a remake for the Switch, but I’d still love to the original version of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening.
Above: A classic.Image Credit: Nintendo
Nintendo would have an easy time coming up with a library of 30 games for a Game Boy Classic. Heck, it could even do more. Aside from other Nintendo classics like Kirby’s Dream Land and Pokémon Red and Blue, you have third-party entries from classic series like Castlevania and Mega Man.
Those are just some of the great games for the original Game Boy. If Nintendo wanted the device to include Game Boy Color titles, the potential library gets even more amazing. You have more awesome Zelda games with Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons, a forgotten but surprisingly great portable take on Metal Gear Solid, and the original, charming genie-starring sidescroller Shantae.
A Game Boy Classic makes all the sense in the world. I just wish Nintendo would hurry up and make one.
Take-Two Interactive Software reported revenues today that beat analyst expectations for the first-fiscal quarter ended June 30. This means that revenues were surprisingly strong at a time when the video game publisher had no major releases.
This also means that ongoing stalwarts such as Grand Theft Auto Online and Grand Theft Auto V continue to prop up sales, even as the hot release of the fall, Red Dead Redemption 2, isn’t doing as well as might be expected. The company’s stock price fell 5% today after U.S. President Donald Trump called out video games for contributing to a culture that glorifies violence. But the stock has risen to $123.05 a share, up 6.7%, in after-hours trading.
Analyst had expected non-GAAP earnings per share of 4 cents on revenue of $356.9 million. But Take-Two reported GAAP net income of 41 cents a share on revenues of $540.5 million, up 39% from $388 million a year ago. On a non-GAAP basis, the company reported net income of about 27 cents a share on revenue of $422 million, way above guidance, said Michael Pachter, analyst at Wedbush Securities, in an email.
The company credited revenues from NBA 2K19, Grand Theft Auto Online, and Grand Theft Auto V, Red Dead Redemption 2, Red Dead Online, the Borderlands franchise, Social Point’s mobile offerings, and Sid Meier’s Civilization VI. Take-Two increased its full-year revenue estimates as a result of the better performance in the first fiscal quarter.
Above: NBA 2K19 is one of Take-Two’s strongest performers.Image Credit: 2K Games
Red Dead Redemption 2, the Western epic from Take-Two’s Rockstar Games label that was more than seven years in the making, has been a big part of revenues since the title debuted on October 26, and it sold 23 million copies in the holiday quarter. But it has stalled since then, as the company said today it has sold-in 25 million copies to date.
Red Dead Online and Grand Theft Auto Online are also contributing to revenues, and Take-Two said that recurrent consumer spending was up 31% and accounted for 58% of GAAP net revenue, thanks to Grand Theft Auto Online and NBA 2K performance.
But neither Red Dead Redemption 2 and Red Dead Online seem destined to repeat the unprecedented success of Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online. GTA V has now sold 110 million units to date. NBA 2K19 sold more than 12 million units. Previous Borderlands series games also helped boost the quarter, with the launch of the Borderlands: The Handsome Collection.
“Fiscal 2020 is off to a terrific start with first-quarter operating results that beat our expectations,” said Strauss Zelnick, CEO of New York-based Take-Two, in a statement. “We delivered significant net bookings and cash flow growth driven by the performance of Grand Theft Auto Online and Grand Theft Auto V, NBA 2K19, the Borderlands franchise, and Red Dead Redemption 2 and Red Dead Online.
“As a result of our better-than-expected first-quarter operating results and increased forecast for the balance of the year, we are raising our outlook for fiscal 2020, which is anticipated to be another great year for our organization. We aim to build on this strong start by delivering a robust array of titles throughout the year, including Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey, NBA 2K20, Borderlands 3, WWE 2K20, and The Outer Worlds, as well as new and innovative ways for consumers to remain engaged with their favorite entertainment experiences.”
And Zelnick said, “Looking ahead, Take-Two has the strongest development pipeline in its history, including sequels from our biggest franchises as well as exciting new IP. We are exceedingly well-positioned to capitalize on the positive trends in our industry, and to generate significant growth and margin expansion over the long-term.”
Above: Fix the economy, or I shoot!Image Credit: Rockstar
Even with the weak summer quarter result, Take-Two is looking forward to the September 13 release of Borderlands 3, the new title from Gearbox Software.
Digital revenue was up 36% to $427.8 million, and it now accounts for 79% of total GAAP net revenue. On August 27, Take-Two will release Patrice Desilets’ Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey via Take-Two’s Private Division label for indie games.
For the full year, GAAP net revenue is expected to hit $2.83 billion to $2.93 billion, with net income ranging from $425 million to $454 million.
