Another month has passed, and our top developers continue to earn cash via our Developer Exchange program. At this point, we’ve paid developers over $68,000 since we introduced the program in early October. We promised then that we’d be keeping a close eye on what ROBLOX developers are doing with the money they earn, as well as how they are earning it. We saw several firsts in the month of January, both in terms of total amount of money earned ($20,000+), and the amount of users leveraging the feature (73). We also saw four developers take advantage of the new $2,000 maximum monthly limit in the first week of February — we checked in with a couple to discuss their strategies and plans for their earnings.

ROBLOX helps TheGamer101 pay for education

TheGamer101 is a familiar name here on ROBLOX. The Irish twins who collaborate under the username have designed Sword Fighting Tournament and King of the Hill, to name a couple, and combined to become two of the most successful developers on the platform. We had a brief chat with one of the two people behind TheGamer101 about how DevEx has changed his approach to building and monetizing games.

ROBLOX: We’re very interested in talking with developers who have cashed out for the new maximum: $2,000.00. That’s a lot of scratch!

TheGamer101: DevEx is probably one of the best updates I’ve seen on ROBLOX. With the success of Sword Fighting Tournament, I’m hoping I can cash out every month for at least the next six months. I’ve actually barely spent any of the money — I’m saving it all up for when I go to college next year. I’m going to be leaving home, so that money will go towards accommodation costs.

ROBLOX: What school are you off to?

TheGamer101: The school I want to attend is Dublin City University, though going there depends on whether I get into the courses I want. Entry to these courses are portfolio-based, so the games I’ve made on ROBLOX should be really helpful there. I doubt many of the other applicants will be able to say that they’ve earned real money programming.

“Entry to these courses are portfolio-based, so the games I’ve made on ROBLOX should be really helpful there.” -TheGamer101

ROBLOX: When you found out you could actually make money from game development on ROBLOX, did it change your mentality?

TheGamer101: Oh, definitely. It was a really surprising feature that I didn’t expect. I became recently motivated to reboot one of my old projects as soon as I heard the limit was raised to $2,000.00. I don’t want to give too much away — the project is called “Headshot”, and the big reveal I’m comfortable sharing is that it doesn’t involve swords; it involves guns. I’ve also been updating Sword Fighting Tournament, and working on another new feature called DataStore.

ROBLOX: Tell me a bit about this DataStore feature.

TheGamer101: It’s a project that expands the functionality of the existing DataPersistance. It will allow data to be saved directly to the place instead of only to players. I’m going to use this to eventually have a Hall of Fame in Sword Fighting Tournament — you’ll be able to look at players with the most knockouts and other stats.

ROBLOX: So what’s the new mentality for game development on ROBLOX?

TheGamer101: DevEx has changed my attitude on monetizing games. When I first created Sword Fighting Tournament, I had one or two standard VIP ideas. I realized that I need to produce extra content for those willing to pay for more features. The need for feedback has remained the same, however. I always want my games to be popular, even if that means they’re not necessarily successful from a monetary stand point.

ROBLOX: Thanks for taking the time, and congratulations on your success!

Game monetization tips from an expert

SmoothBlockModel is known for creating one of the most popular games of the last six months: Catching Fire: The Hunger Games Sequel. He too has earned enough ROBUX to exchange for a full $2,000 in January. We talked with him about how DevEx has changed his development attitude.

ROBLOX: Any plans for the money you’re earning?

SmoothBlockModel: I’m currently taking four AP classes — I’ve been making payments on the test I’m going to have to take at the end of the year. When you take an AP class you have an option to take this test, and if you pass you get college credit for it. Not the most fun thing to be spending money on, but better now than later. With this newest payment I’m definitely going to buy a new computer — my current one is outdated.

ROBLOX: Has DevEx changed your thinking in regard to game development?

SmoothBlockModel: Oh, definitely. I’ve been working on adding things to get my monthly amount of ROBUX up. I need to get Catching Fire the updates it needs to bring in more annual players. Getting my game back to the top spot is always nice. I’m also planning on releasing a new game I’ve been developing over the last two weeks that I think will get a lot of interest. Once that’s out, I’ve just got to keep updating and adding things to both games that will keep people interested.

ROBLOX: Give me some examples of features you implemented that really paid off.

SmoothBlockModel: I recently added the ability to purchase different colored uniforms in Catching Fire. You can purchase features with points, which you earn in-game, or via Developer Products. Sales of points have drastically spiked since I added that feature, and it was only 24 hours ago.

ROBLOX: Oh, you’re one of the users experimenting with Developer Products?

SmoothBlockModel: Yes. They’re very handy when it comes to making ROBUX. Just the concept of allowing users to purchase something repeatedly rockets sales. Adding more functionality to points makes people want to purchase more points, so it’s handy.

ROBLOX: So what’s next?

SmoothBlockModel: A friend and I are planning on developing a membership system to branch off of Catching Fire. We’re also developing a training center, where players will be able to pay, say, five ROBUX to have a day pass. Or they could pay 20 ROBUX for a week-long pass, which is obviously the better deal. These are all just ideas in the planning stages.

ROBLOX: When you found out you could make real-world money developing ROBLOX games, did your thinking change?

SmoothBlockModel: Of course! Absolutely. Before DevEx, making games was a hobby. I remember I was planning an Egg Hunt for Easter. When DevEx came out, my plans changed. Features in my existing games started getting pushed out faster than ever, and I started listening to the public way more to see what they wanted. I have a fan group that I am constantly checking. Whenever I need specific ideas, I shout to the group and see their responses. I also have a Forum post set up that I check now and then for ideas for updates.

ROBLOX: I think your story will serve as an inspiration to a lot of people. Any advice you’d like to share?

SmoothBlockModel: In order to keep an audience, make games that you know will keep people interested for a prolonged period of time. Also, if you’re planning on selling things in your game, 85% of the items you sell should be cosmetic. Adding too many things that affect gameplay will push people away — nobody wants to play a pay-to-play game. Also, never think your game is finished. If you want to stay on top, you have to continue updating and adding new features. The last thing I’d say is to keep an eye on player input. It’s one of the most important things to listen to. Remember, they’re the ones keeping you on top. If you listen to their ideas, you’ll stay there.

“Never think your game is finished. If you want to stay on top, you have to continue updating and adding new features.” -SmoothBlockModel

ROBLOX: Thanks for your time!

ROBLOX is the best place to launch a career in the gaming industry. We’ve built a multi-player, multi-platform, physically simulated game engine and an automatically scaling global gaming cloud, allowing you to focus your efforts on developing amazing games and earning cash. For more reasons to develop on ROBLOX, see this previous article.