You’ve probably noticed over the last month that we’re making significant moves to give you new paths to success and encourage creation and discovery of quality games. While we’ve already launched thumbs up/thumbs down game ratings and the Top Earning sort, we’ve got even more to come – including a new feature for profiting off great games: paid access.
Paid access gives ROBLOX game creators the ability to require that players pay to access their games. Think of it like selling a permanent subscription to a MMO — players pay once and receive unlimited access to the content. The benefits are myriad: you have an opportunity to generate more Robux, paid-access games will have their own category on the Games page (meaning another opportunity to rise to the top), and the feature further encourages high-quality content (players won’t pay for access to a bad game). It will also tie into our Top Earning sort, thereby diversifying the techniques you can use to get noticed in that list. The decision to take advantage of paid access is entirely up to the game creator.
Paid access is an experimental feature and in beta, which is why we’re starting with limits on who can leverage the feature and how much flexibility it offers. Upon release of the feature (and in the current test), Builders Club members can implement paid access and the fee is standardized at 50 Robux. Going forward, we’re considering expanding the feature to more builders and molding its functionality based on your feedback.
We’re really interested in your thoughts, so we have launched a beta test for paid access on SiteTest3, one of our web-testing environments. Feel free to start experimenting with both selling and purchasing game access. If you find that something doesn’t work as intended, discover a vulnerability, or just want to share your thoughts, be sure to give us your feedback via this forum thread, the comments of this article, or the Website Test forum. We’ll be listening.
Getting started with testing paid access
You can enable paid access on your place via ROBLOX.com or ROBLOX Studio. Here are the basic steps:
- Click here to go to SiteTest3
- Create a new account (and verify your email address during the process)
- Get yourself free Builders Club (click Builders Club > choose monthly Classic BC > click Pay Now via credit card > click Pay button below the auto-populated [and very fake] credit card information)
- Go to the Build page
- Click the gear icon next to one of your places and choose “Configure”
- Check the “Sell Game Access” box on the Configure Place page
- Scroll down and click save
You can also test the paid access purchase process by browsing the SiteTest3 Games page for places with the feature enabled. Here’s a sample place that requires paid access.
Paid access FAQ
How much can I charge?
During the beta test phase, the price for paid access is set at 50 Robux. It may be more configurable by game developers in the future.
Are there any restrictions on selling access?
Paid access games must be copylocked. Comments for paid games are enabled and cannot be turned off. (Player feedback is especially important for these games.) Paid games must be available to anyone that has bought access. (E.g. they cannot be ‘Friends Only’.) Paid games must comply with all aspects of our Terms of Service.
Who can sell access?
For the beta testing period, the ability to sell game access is only available to Builder’s Club members.
Can I sell access more than once for the same game?
No. Players who pay for access have permanent access to your game.
How is selling access different from selling a game pass?
Game passes are used to offer extra features, such as VIP access, special abilities, etc., within a game; paid access is used to allow entrance to the game or place itself.
Can I also sell game passes, gear, and items for my game if I sell access to my game?
Yes.
When will I get my Robux for selling access?
Robux earned from selling access is placed in escrow for up to three business days before being paid to you. The standard ROBLOX marketplace fee of 30% applies to access sales.
What happens if people don’t like the game?
If a number of complaints are received about a game with paid access – for example, if the game is not as advertised, is broken, or otherwise unplayable – the game will be “quarantined” and the developer given the opportunity to fix any issues. Any earnings from that game at the time of quarantine still in escrow will be refunded to buyers.