Roblox Scores Big As Viral Games Beat Expectations

RobloxRBLX

just power-leveled its way onto Wall Street’s earnings leaderboard. The digital playground surged up to 19% yesterday thanks to a wave of viral games that opened wallets and shattered engagement expectations. The blockbuster quarter spotlighted how Roblox is evolving beyond gaming into a broader social and creative platform.

• Daily active users, engagement hours, and bookings climbed 41%, 58%, and 51% from last year, respectively — the latter of which represents a key barometer of virtual spending.
• Up 134.2% this year,RBLX
  boosted its full-year bookings outlook to as high as $5.97B — well above its prior expectation of $5.36B.

Demographic power shift: Roblox’s audience is growing up, as users aged 17+ now make up a 44% slice. The aging cohort spells trouble for traditional pastimes as “the number of entertaining things has grown,” says Atsushi Katsuki. As the CEO of Asahi, a Japanese brewer, Katsuki believes “there’s no doubt” companies like Roblox are hitting alcohol sales harder than health warnings ever could. Of course, it’s not all game over, asRBLX

still missed EPS expectations, because not all high scores come without a few glitches.