How Roblox can attract more adult players: a case study of a Finnish start-up

Abstract

The objective of this thesis project was to provide recommendations to a Finnish independent game company, NaDa Studio, for creating its first game on the gaming platform Roblox. The game is intended to attract family players, meaning both adults and young children could play in the game. This is considered a way to attract a more diverse group of players to Roblox and is aligned to the development strategy of the gaming platform. There were three main research objectives in the project: 1) identify the success factors for the game, 2) suggest improvements for specific game features 3) document the learnings during the game development process.

To achieve the objectives and provide recommendations, various benchmarking analyses and primary research using a survey and focus group discussion were conducted. The main theoretical framework for the research is based on previous research in the F2P (free-to-play) game genres and the ARM model (Acquisition-Retention-Monetization), which is a popular framework for game developers to consider when developing and monetizing a freemium game.

The main conclusion of the research was that Roblox is the right platform to develop the new game given its unique fun characteristics and support for independent developers with a low budget. Its latest investment in AI and VR technologies also open new opportunities for further development. However, to ensure success, the game studio needs to carefully consider a targeted promotion campaign to reach the right audience for the game. As for specific recommendations for the game, the game plot should emphasize that the game encourages players to learn in both virtual and physical worlds. The gameplay should be as simple as possible with multiple difficulty levels for players to explore. As for monetization, in addition to in-game purchases which can be quite limited at the beginning, the game can consider alternative channels, such as collaboration with brands well-known to children for product placement within the game and permission to create game characters based on famous cartoon characters.

For future research, the studio may consider expanding the research to be conducted in Japanese in Japan to capture the preferences of players there. This segment represents a large share of the gaming market and market preferences there may differ from Finland where this research was conducted.