Sam spends his free time grinding for Emerald One in The Finals or hunting for proof of a Tony Hawk’s Underground remaster. Don’t get him started on his obsession with Foo Fighters.
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“I understand why people say that, but I’ve always thought it’s a silly thing to say,” says Anthony O’Brien, co-creator of Croydon Bus Simulator. I’d just asked him and fellow co-creator, Toby Johnson, whether Roblox is only for kids. From a distance, it’s nothing more than repetitive loops of ‘brainrot’ and a dash of ‘skibidi rizz’ lighting up a child’s face from an iPad screen. I used to be of that mindset. But this is a common misconception.
The biggest thing to clear up is that Roblox isn’t just a game. It operates in the same space as multiplayer titans like Fortnite, offering a wealth of experiences across all genres. It’s a creative vessel, waiting for those with the patience and ideas to mold it into something else.
During my time exploring Roblox, my digital feet have pressed down on the pedals of luxury vehicles in Driving Empire and Midnight Racing Tokyo, driven the streets of South London in Croydon Bus Simulator, and survived rounds in FPS games like Korrupt Zombies or TTK Testing.
That range is the point. Whether it’s recreating a London bus route or building a multiplayer shark survival game like SharkBite, Roblox has become a home for ideas that feel too niche, too strange, or too ambitious to exist anywhere else. Whatever you can think of, there’s likely an experience tailored to your interests. Within that space, Abracadabra Studio explores that potential.
It’s co-founders, Simon Burgess and Matt Entwistle, have been making games together since they met on Roblox at the age of 12. What started as a shared hobby grew into a successful studio behind the SharkBite series, which has attracted millions of players, as well as projects for brands including McDonald’s and Netflix. Their years of experience on the platform give them a unique perspective on what makes Roblox stand out.
Speaking about the diverse experiences Roblox offers, Burgess says that “variety is Roblox’s biggest strength. Compared with other gaming platforms, Roblox is in its own lane in terms of compatibility and accessibility on most devices. Each Roblox experience is developed to support the equilibrium of most devices such as mobile, tablet, PC, and console.” With players divided by physical media restrictions, digital ownership, and choosing where to spend their time, I do find it refreshing that Roblox offers content parity – no matter where you’re playing.
“I think the bigger strength is how much Roblox removes friction. You don’t have to worry about server infrastructure; you can just build the game and get it in front of players,” adds Matt Entwistle, Burgess’s business partner.
For many burgeoning Roblox developers, their passion starts right inside the digital frontier. These are people who are players and fans, first and foremost. It’s a similar story for Croydon Bus Simulator’s Anthony O’Brien and Toby Johnson. After leaving school in 2023, Johnson threw themselves headfirst into learning the ins and outs of Roblox game development. Did they ever expect that it could turn into a full-time career?
“Not initially, no. But I was aware of other developers who were able to live off of it. I think it shares a lot more skills with traditional game development than people imagine,” he iterates to me. O’Brien reflects on it, too, expressing that “I didn’t expect that it could be. When I started out, even the very top creators still needed full-time jobs […] I thought the chances were very slim. Only recently did the realization come that I could do this full time after uni.”
But what about driving a bus around the streets of England? Croydon Bus Simulator speaks to the spark that Roblox can ignite in your imagination. Every so often, the most fun experiences just happen to be the most mundane. It’s full of British-isms, to the point where it could be considered alienating to non-UK natives. Yet, its popularity has endured greatly. With over 40 million visits recorded, there are still players spawning in to pick up their first set of passengers.
“I think traditionally Roblox has been associated with very specific genres of game; however, the fact we are able to push a niche genre of game to such a wide variety of players proves it’s traveling in a direction which will end up with it being seen as a games platform, alongside the likes of Steam,” Johnson says. The vibe of the game is another story, with Johnson recalling compliments for its authenticity.
He notes that he’s “received messages from real bus drivers saying how much they enjoy the game and how authentic it feels to them, and day to day getting feedback from the vast amount of enthusiasts who play our game about things they want added or changed.” Meanwhile, when players aren’t ensuring their fares arrive on time, some are evading the jaws of aquatic dangers.
As I mentioned earlier, SharkBite is a bona fide franchise these days. It’s become so much more than its humble beginnings as a charming Jaws homage. Burgess reflects on the game’s enormous growth: “One of the most memorable moments for me was watching my grandparents physically hold the merchandise in their hands. I couldn’t quite grasp that something we had made (Gen-Z made) was being appreciated by someone as old as the Silent Generation.”
It’s this exchange that makes me think of this article’s introduction: is Roblox just for kids? Burgess believes there’s more to be found if you look hard enough. “It’s quite common that we see kids playing with their parents and introducing them to the platform. Interestingly enough, what we are finding is that the parents tend to stick to the platform after being introduced by their children, and in some cases they become more loyal to the game than their own kids, forming their own communities and aging up our average demographics.”
Entwistle expands on this, as he says that “as the engine and tools improve, I think more creators who might once have built games for platforms such as Steam will consider Roblox instead.” But at the core of Roblox, children and teens are driving games forward. For that reason, it’s impossible to ignore the biggest concern permeating the air: how is Roblox keeping its players safe from bad actors or predatory users?
In our interview with James Kay, Roblox’s Senior Director of International Communications, he stresses the importance of continuing to protect its players. “There’s constantly going to be things we’re doing to enhance it and improve. I couldn’t speculate on what the next things will be. I think each month we’re announcing something new,” Kay notes.
While Roblox’s creative ecosystem continues to expand, its future depends on maintaining trust with the millions of players who log in every day. The platform’s biggest strength is also its greatest challenge: giving people the freedom to create almost anything means Roblox must constantly adapt to ensure those experiences remain safe.
It’s a responsibility that Roblox understands. As Kay explains, protecting players is an ongoing process rather than a problem with a simple solution. The platform continues investing in moderation, parental controls, and new safety features, but the challenge evolves alongside the community itself.
Yet, if there’s one thing these conversations with developers reveal, it’s that Roblox has grown far beyond the reputation it built in its early years. Yes, millions of children still enjoy the platform, but they aren’t the only ones shaping its future. They’re joined by hobbyists, aspiring developers, established studios, and players searching for experiences they won’t find anywhere else.
That might be Roblox’s biggest achievement in 2026. It has become a place where a group of friends can create a global hit; where a recreation of a British bus route can attract millions of players, and where a childhood passion can transform into a career. Roblox isn’t defined by one genre, one audience, or one type of player. It’s defined by the people building what comes next.