SAN MATEO, CA--(Marketwire - Jan 26, 2012) - ROBLOX, a leading user-generated gaming site that makes players the architects of their own 3D worlds, has released data showing enormous growth in user-generated online games over the past year. As of December 2011, over 20 million accounts have been created on ROBLOX, and unique visitors surpassed 7 million per month. The new figures also reveal notable trends in gaming preferences.

In 2011, ROBLOX yielded its highest number of user-generated games and levels of online activity to-date:

• Players created 5.4 million games, a 109% year-over-year increase from 2010;
• Over 250 million hours of game-play were logged; and
• Total page views reached 9.6 billion.

The top 100 games on ROBLOX were played a total of 192 million times in 2011, and the most popular of these games suggest significant trends in gaming preferences, particularly among 8-16 year old males. The preferred games in 2011 fell into the life-simulation, combat, and survival genres, with each game generating over 5 million cumulative gameplays. Descriptions of the top three games of 2011 are at the end of this release.

ROBLOX's online community offers an environment for users to develop programming, scripting, and entrepreneurial skills while simultaneously playing games developed by others. In addition to building games, players learn to form and manage groups, earn virtual profits, and advertise their creations to the community.

Data gathered from the ROBLOX marketplace offers a window into the entrepreneurial behavior of 8-16 year olds. With the ROBLOX Catalog, players are able to build digital assets, including clothing, such as shirts and pants, and in-game decals, and then sell these to other members using virtual currency, called ROBUX. In 2011, more than 6.13 billion ROBUX -- equivalent to $6 million USD -- changed hands among users in the ROBLOX economy. This activity represents a 152% increase in virtual currency exchanged since 2010. The highest revenue-earning ROBLOXian in 2011 grossed more than 8.9 million ROBUX, or $89,000 USD.

"ROBLOX is about giving our players the tools and freedom to put their imaginations into action," said David Baszucki, CEO. "It's amazing to see what these players can do, and all that they've accomplished in 2011. They have been building, sharing, and competing, using the skills they've picked up from ROBLOX, and their passion for learning really shows with these numbers. We've seen an increase in usage by teens, young adults and parents as we have released more complex building tools and materials."

The top three games of 2011 were:

#1 Most Played Game
Welcome to the Town of ROBLOXia, developed by a 15 year old player from Alabama; received 8,367,584 visits.

• Players choose one of several career paths and gain achievements in a small town. The creator included a substantial amount of detail in the game, and continually updates it according to changing seasons and holidays.

#2 Most Played Game
Call of ROBLOXia 5 -- ROBLOX at War, developed by a 14 year old player from California; received 6,507,730 visits.

• Players battle against an opposing team on random maps. The creator learned Lua script programming while playing ROBLOX before developing this game, and has since started incorporating maps built by other players to showcase their work and give them credit. He said, "I hope this might encourage others to become motivated to do something amazing on ROBLOX."

#3 Most Played Game
Survive the 91 Disasters! Cereal Bowl!, developed by a player in Washington; received 6,179,149 visits in 2011.

• Players are thrust into various random encounters and have a limited amount of time to figure out how to survive whatever peril the game has generated. The creator has developed scary and silly challenges that keep players returning to the game.

About ROBLOX
ROBLOX is a leading user-generated gaming site that makes players the architects of their own 3D worlds, drawing over one billion page views and 21 million in-game hours each month. The site is ranked #1 in the US for total engagement time within the 8-14 year old segment, and is rapidly growing in popularity amongst players aged 15+. Our vision is to become the leader in user-generated gaming for all ages, around the world. On ROBLOX, players use core building components to create elaborate online games that simulate the real world.