DynaBlocks, the beta version of Roblox, was released in 2004 by David Baszucki and the-late Erik Cassel. In 2005, the name was officially changed to Roblox, and the final version was launched on September 1, 2006.
Roblox Corporation had a humble start due to fierce competition with other game-making companies. However, as developers regularly added new features to the platform, it became a supergiant.
One such feature was the ability for users to create their games using Lua code. This concept drew positive feedback from the community and aided the company's growth into a thriving online gaming platform.
The software used to create games was kid-friendly. Thus, the metaverse saw an increase in the number of young children using the platform. The founders' hard work and early struggles made all of this possible.
Early history of David Baszucki and Roblox
Baszucki earned his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University in 1985. He interned at General Motors, working on software that operated car engines.
During the early stages of his career, David Baszucki established the now-defunct Knowledge Revolution with his brother Greg. This was when he developed Interactive Physics, a physics-based simulator. The simulator served as an inspiration for the metaverse platform.
MSC Software purchased Knowledge Revolution for $19 million a few years later. David was appointed Vice President and General Manager of MSC Software and was in charge of the desktop simulation division. Three years later, however, he left with Erik Cassel to start the Roblox Corporation. Many MSC Software employees soon joined the duo.
Life of Erik Cassel
Cassel was born in California. In his childhood, he wanted to be an actor, but in high school, he fell in love with coding and computers. He also played football (soccer) in high school and made it to the school's team.
Cassel earned his bachelor's degree in science from Cornell University in 1989. He began his career as Vice President of Knowledge Revolution. During this time, he emerged as a crucial associate of David's team.
Cassel and Baszucki began working on the beta version of DynaBlocks in early 2000. Soon after, he assisted the newly established company in reaching new heights. Sadly, Cassel was diagnosed with cancer in 2010 and passed away on February 11, 2013, at 45.
Tribute to Erik Cassel in the metaverse
Cassel was honored by his team with an in-game memorial. On February 15, 2013, a classic shirt called the "Official Erik Shirt" was released in his memory.
Furthermore, the team renamed a hat previously known as "Well Worn Hat" to "Erik Cassel's Hat." Cassel's metaverse avatar wore the hat, hence the name change.
The official description of the memorial states that:
"To honor our co-founder Erik Cassel, Roblox will make a substantial contribution to cancer research in Erik's name. Thank you to everyone for your respect and support."
What happened to the metaverse after Erik Cassel's era?
Cassel was pivotal to the company's future success as the platform's popularity steadily grew. Roblox VR debuted in 2016, further expanding the metaverse. Over the sands of time, the gaming platform has received several accolades.
During COVID, the gaming platform became increasingly successful. The company's revenue surged rapidly during the pandemic, and the founders decided to take the corporation public. It is currently listed on the stock exchange.
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