Players build it, the platform keeps the cut

What you're actually buying

The dream of making games: a free tool and an audience. In return the creator gives the platform their work, with little chance of earning real money from it.

How it works

Why pay developers when players will build for free? 'Developer' became unpaid labour sold back to kids as opportunity: build the world, chase the few who make real money, and the platform gets a catalogue it never had to staff. The pattern is older than Roblox. Blizzard gave Warcraft III players a free map-making tool in 2002, and unpaid modders built the game that became League of Legends and Dota 2. Blizzard owned neither, so in 2020 it rewrote Reforged's terms to claim every custom game.

When it's fine

When creators are paid fairly and keep ownership, as in programmes that pool revenue for creators.

Where it came from

Roblox, Fortnite Creative and Minecraft Marketplace built creator economies from the mid-2010s. Warcraft III's free World Editor (2002) led to DotA (2003), DotA Allstars (2004), League of Legends (27 October 2009) and Dota 2 (9 July 2013). Warcraft III: Reforged (28 January 2020) updated its terms to say custom games 'are and shall remain the sole and exclusive property of Blizzard'. Epic pools 40% of net Item Shop revenue for creators.

Historical prices and revenues are in US dollars at the time unless marked A$.