Roblox Shares Rise 11% on New Tools for Game Developers

Roblox Corp.’s shares climbed more than 11% on Monday after the company announced new tools for game designers and features for players at a developer conference on Sept. 11.

Game creators will be able to make games as standalone apps on mobile, PC and consoles, Roblox said. Players will be able to join a game in a web browser with no installation required. They will also be able to keep playing offline and maintain conversations with friends across different games.

Other new tools include Roblox Build, which lets users with no game design experience simply describe what they want to play and make it.

“We believe we’re finally to the point where, in our mobile app, anyone’s going to be able to make a 2D game, a 3D game, puzzle game, whatever they’re interested in,” Chief Executive Officer David Baszucki said in an interview with Bloomberg TV on Monday.

The game giant has been trying to reinvigorate growth after reporting a slowdown in user numbers following the introduction of new online safety precautions. Creators earned $1.7 billion in the last 12 months.

Baszucki said the coming release of Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.’s latest Grand Theft Auto title could inspire more people to play and make games.

“We’re going to see more and more content not just for younger players but for older players on the platform too,” he said.