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Roblox has been the go-to platform for creators and designers to bring their ideas to life in the form of full-fledged games. While the platform originally came to the fore in 2006, its popularity reached its current status during the pandemic.
The newfound popularity of the platform might be short-lived, though, as there has been massive user outcry of late about the use of audio in games. Read on to discover why the entire community is up in arms against the platform's management over a policy change.
Is Roblox removing the audios of its users?
Roblox describes itself as a platform "powered by a global community of millions of developers who produce their own immersive multiplayer experiences.". This description is accurate given that they have nearly 30 million developers in total contributing to their total revenue, which goes upwards of $1 Billion.
The massive number of developers may soon fall, though, given the new policy, which went into full effect on March 22. As per the latest guidelines, "all new audio uploaded will be Private, and all existing audio longer than [six] seconds will be set to Private."
What this essentially means is that the original owners of audio files can still use those audios in their games, but other developers who used to be able to access each other's audios freely will be forbidden from doing so anymore.
This effectively puts an end to the "Creator Marketplace" dynamic of the platform. Popular audio like the "Raining Tacos" song will also no longer be available for most users.
The only audio that will now be accessible to all users is the ones authorized by the company's licensing team. It should be noted that the new policy changes are only for music and do not apply to sound effects, which will continue to be available like in the past.
The full statement from Roblox staff member Morgan T in response to the public outrage caused by the fans can be read here. He acknowledged the issues raised by the community in his statement.
We deeply regret how disruptive the changes are, but unfortunately, they are necessary. The asset privacy system on Roblox must be strengthened in order to continue to protect the rights of creators.
The policy already went into effect two days ago, and the public outcry does not seem anywhere near close to ending.
Developers react to Roblox's change in policy regarding audios
A lot of the platform's community consists of many developers who work on the platform creating fresh content, as their full-time endeavors, such a severe change in policy without warning is bound to draw reactions from the community.
Many users have indicated their intention to leave and move to other platforms.
As of today, the new policy is in full effect, and many creators are getting prompts in their projects to replace or remove all the audio, which has now gone to "Private." It remains to be seen if Roblox management will heed the concerns of its users and reverse or alter this policy.
