The head of Roblox Studio says that the work of minors on the platform is not exploitation, but a gift
Roblox Studio CEO Stefano Corazza denies allegations of child labor exploitation. He sees the benefit of having underage developers working on the platform. He told Eurogamer in an interview.
As you know, in 2021, People Make Games, a YouTube channel dedicated to investigative video game journalism, accused Roblox of exploiting young developers, many of whom were under 18.
The accusation concerned the system of paying out part of the game earnings in the in-game currency Roblox (Robux), as well as the fact that Roblox sells this currency at a much higher price than it buys.
The situation generally remains the same today: 1000 Robux can now be cashed out for $3.50, while buying 1000 Robux costs about $12.50.
Stefano Corazza tried to explain the situation and portray it differently. According to him, one can say that the platform uses child labor, or one can say that Roblox offers “people anywhere in the world the opportunity to get a job and even earn money.”
“So, I can be like 15 years old, in Indonesia, living in a slum, and then now, with just a laptop, I can create something, make money and then sustain my life,” said the head of Roblox Studio.
He also added that their average game developer is about 20 years old. But there are also minors – Roblox has hired several teenagers whose games are played by millions of people.
“For them, you know, hearing from their experience, they didn’t feel like they were exploited! They felt like, ‘Oh my god, this was the biggest gift, all of a sudden I could create something, I had millions of users, I made so much money I could retire,’ added Stefano Corazza.
At the same time, Roblox’s PR manager emphasized that the vast majority of developers who earn money on the platform are already 18 years old.