Roblox users can get 25% more Robux for buying direct

A post on the Roblox Creator Forum has announced that users can now get 25% more Robux for their money when they buy directly through the Roblox website, on PC, or via a gift card. The post was not direct about whether on PC means through the Microsoft Store. Users buying any other way, which essentially just leaves in-app purchases or buying through the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, will get the same amount of Robux as before the change. In a given example, a user could buy $10 worth of Robux, and receive 1,000 instead of 800. The change was touted as a way to put more money in creators' pockets, as the exchange rate of Robux to real money for creators has not been changed. 

The official post did not state a reason for the change, or for the timing of it. It also did not touch on why the change is not coming to Android or iOS, but did say that the team is on the lookout for opportunities to increase value for users on those platforms. It is worth noting two things; one, a user can buy Robux through the methods affected by the change even if their primary way to play is on Android or iOS, and two, Google and Apple take a large cut of developers' payments. Apple takes between 15 and 30 percent of developers' revenue on its platforms, depending on a few different circumstances. Google, meanwhile, takes a 30 percent cut of any purchase aside from subscriptions, which are subject to separate rules. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney chimed in on this, congratulating the Roblox team for "fighting the Apple tax". 

In the replies to the post, a few different possible reasons for the content and timing of this update were thrown around, but none were confirmed by staff. Multiple users pointed out that people who bought outside of the Google and Apple ecosystems were giving The Roblox Corporation more of their money without those platforms taking their cut. The Microsoft Store takes a more modest 12 percent in most cases. The change also comes in the wake of restrictions placed on players under 13, which one developer noted, anecdotally, has decreased that base's engagement, and thus their spending.