“The first stock in the metaverse” is betting on “AI made games”! Roblox (RBLX.US) competes for creators' economic dividends, and shares surged nearly 13%

The Zhitong Finance App learned that Roblox (RBLX.US), which has the title of “the first stock in the metaverse”, announced a series of game creation, distribution and social features at the September 11 developer conference, announcing new tools for game designers and new features for players, driving global investors to re-evaluate its growth potential: developers will be able to release games as standalone apps to mobile devices, personal computers, and game consoles, and players will receive features such as browser-free play, offline gaming, and cross-game chat. Roblox Build allows Users with no development experience create games using a text description mode based on a large AI model.

As of the close of trading on September 14, 2026 EST, Roblox shares rose 12.73% to $51.29, after a long period of decline, falling by more than 60% since October 2025. These latest measures aim to lower the threshold for user creation and fan play, and find new sources of growth for the Roblox operating platform after adding online security measures have affected user growth.

According to the performance report previously disclosed by the company, in the past 12 months up to June 30, 2026, creators' income was about 1.7 billion US dollars, reflecting the platform's existing financial base for creators; this amount is creators' income. Meanwhile, some compelling new features will be rolled out in stages. For example, browser play is scheduled to be launched before the end of 2026, and offline play is scheduled to be available before mid-2027. Therefore, the rare sharp rise in single-day stock prices on Monday reflects the market's repricing of product routes and growth prospects. We still need to observe actual usage rates and payment performance in the future.

AI-created games ignite revaluation, and the “first stock in the metaverse” finds a new engine for growth

Roblox's main business is to operate a game and social platform where users and developers co-create content. Players enter different games and virtual scenes through the Roblox client, developers create, publish, and operate content through the free Roblox Studio, and the company provides services such as engines, cloud infrastructure, content distribution, and payment.

Its business model revolves around the virtual currency Robux: users buy Robux for in-game consumption and virtual image attire; the platform retains part of the transaction proceeds, and creators receive corresponding shares, and those who meet the conditions can exchange the resulting Robux for fiat currency through the developer exchange plan. Therefore, the core of the company's operations is the entire platform ecosystem connecting players, creators and virtual consumers.

Roblox is known as “the first stock in the metaverse”, mainly because its platform has characteristics such as virtual identity, three-dimensional space, social relationships, user creation, and virtual economy, and was directly listed on the New York Stock Exchange on March 10, 2021. The company's listing documents also clearly link its business to the metaverse concept of “a three-dimensional virtual space that continues to exist and is shared by multiple people.”

Judging from investment logic, this update provides a new AI-based growth path: AI creation tools expand content supply, independent applications and browser portals expand user reach, and whether more diverse game types can eventually be converted into continuous payments and cash flow to determine its commercial value.

Everyone can make games: Roblox developer conference opens a new portal for creation

Roblox said game creators will be able to make games as standalone apps for mobile devices, personal computers, and game consoles. Players will be able to access the game directly in their web browser, with no installation required. They'll also be able to continue playing offline and maintain conversations with friends between games.

Other new tools include Roblox Build, which allows users with no experience in game design to create just by describing what they want to play.

Roblox CEO David Bazooki said in an interview with the media on Monday: “We believe we have finally reached a stage where anyone will be able to create 2D games, 3D games, puzzle games, or whatever game they are interested in within our dominant mobile apps.”

The online gaming platform giant revealed a slowdown in the number of its users after introducing new online security protection measures, and is currently working to revive growth. Over the past 12 months, creators have earned a total of 1.7 billion dollars.

Bazooki said that the latest game in the “Grand Theft Auto” series under Take-Two Interactive Software is about to be launched, which may inspire more people to play and make games.

“We'll see more and more novel content appearing on the Roblox platform, not only for younger players, but also for older players,” he said in an interview.