{"id":28993,"date":"2026-08-05T21:19:26","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T16:19:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=28993"},"modified":"2026-08-05T21:19:26","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T16:19:26","slug":"roblox-shares-plunge-30-as-it-complains-fans-arent-making-enough-viral-hits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=28993","title":{"rendered":"Roblox shares plunge 30% as it complains fans aren&#8217;t making enough viral hits"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"646\" height=\"410\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_307452741-873c.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-29307176\" alt=\"Roblox key art with logo\" decoding=\"sync\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Going through an awkward phase (Roblox Corporation)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Roblox Corporation is expecting a tough year ahead, due to changes in its algorithm and a lack of successful new games.<\/p>\n<p>Roblox might be one of the most played <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/games-news\/\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\">video games<\/a> (well, it\u2019s more of an online platform and creation tool than a singular game) in the world, but it\u2019s facing some trouble as it adjusts to heavier scrutiny.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Over the past year, the platform \u2013 often accused of exploiting younger players \u2013 has rolled out <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/11\/19\/roblox-stop-children-speaking-adult-strangers-safety-crackdown-24748910\/\">age verification checks<\/a> to prevent children from speaking with adults online. More recently, it has <a href=\"https:\/\/about.roblox.com\/newsroom\/2026\/06\/optimizing-discovery-great-games-reach-millions-players-roblox\">changed its discovery algorithm<\/a> to prioritise games with higher player retention, over those with high monetisation and short-lived popularity.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>These changes have impacted Roblox\u2019s financials, with the company now expecting revenue growth to slow down in the third quarter of the 2026 fiscal year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>At first glance, the Roblox Corporation\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/ir.roblox.com\/financials\/quarterly-results\/default.aspx\">earnings report for Q2 2026<\/a> looks pretty peachy. Revenue grew 36% year-on-year to $1.5 billion (\u00a31.1 billion), operating cash flow went up 60% to $318 million compared to the previous year, while daily active users were \u2018largely in line with expectations\u2019 at 123 million \u2013 an increase of 10% year-on-year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>However, things are murkier when it comes to bookings (used to measure deferred revenue), which increased by 8% year-on-year and \u2018landed at the low end\u2019 of the company\u2019s \u2018guidance range\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"factbox\" data-ico=\"factbox_article\" data-track-module=\"factbox_article\">\n<h2 class=\"factbox-title\">\n\t\t\t\tExpert, exclusive gaming analysis\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<div class=\"factbox-content\">\n<p>Sign up to the <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/newsletters\/game-central\/\"><strong>GameCentral newsletter<\/strong><\/a> for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>In a <a href=\"https:\/\/s27.q4cdn.com\/984876518\/files\/doc_financials\/2026\/q2\/Roblox-Q2-2026-Earnings-Shareholder-Letter.pdf\">letter to shareholders<\/a>, Roblox blamed this disapponting growth on a decline in per hour monetisation among \u2018younger cohorts in the US and <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/canada\/\">Canada<\/a>\u2019.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Roblox | Official Trailer (2019)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sme76WoJ_-U?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>It reads: \u2018We believe the decline reflects a greater than expected shift of engagement from high monetising, 2025-vintage viral games, to both new and evergreen games with lower hourly monetisation.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018This underlying mix shift was compounded by changes in our \u2018Recommended For You\u2019 algorithm, which intentionally provides more impressions for highly retentive games at the expense of near term monetisation, and in Q2 the near-term impact on younger cohorts has been larger than we anticipated.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Our internal testing tell us that, over time, longer retention should overcome a reduction in hourly monetisation.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Roblox expects these issues to continue for the near future. For the current quarter, it is projecting bookings to decline by 14% to 18% year-on-year. It\u2019s also expecting revenue to grow by 4% to 10%, which is less than its recent double-digit growth.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Despite these adjustments, Roblox\u2019s chief financial officer, Naveen Chopra, believes it will be worthwhile in the long term. \u2018While our expectations for the remainder of the year have changed significantly, we have conviction that we\u2019re making the right trade-offs to continue our role as an industry disruptor,\u2019 Chopra said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>However, these downward projections have impacted Roblox\u2019s stocks. Following the Q2 2026 results, Roblox shares dropped nearly 30% last week (via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/roblox-set-worst-one-day-drop-discovery-changes-hurt-in-app-spending-2026-07-31\/\">Reuters<\/a>), which is described as their worst one-day decline on record.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This pressure on Roblox to adjust its strategy comes after <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2024\/10\/09\/roblox-x-rated-paedophile-hellscape-claims-new-report-21763904\/\">various lawsuits<\/a>, which have accused it of exploiting children and allowing the distribution of illegal content. Roblox has denied all the claims.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"466\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_306285401-0549.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-29217885\" alt=\"Roblox characters standing and smiling\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Roblox is having a wobble (Roblox Corporation)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong><em>Email\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/08\/05\/roblox-shares-plunge-30-complains-fans-arent-making-enough-viral-hits-29307034\/mailto:gamecentral@metro.co.uk\">gamecentral@metro.co.uk<\/a>, leave a comment below,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GameCentral\">follow us on Twitter<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>To submit Inbox letters and Reader\u2019s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our\u00a0<a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/submit-stuff\/\">Submit Stuff page here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>For more stories like this,\u00a0<a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/entertainment\/gaming\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">check our Gaming page<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><svg><title>Arrow<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#common-right-arrow\" href=\"#common-right-arrow\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/08\/05\/halo-black-ops-sales-ps5-shocking-different-reasons-29304749\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">Halo and Black Ops sales on PS5 are shocking for very different reasons<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><svg><title>Arrow<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#common-right-arrow\" href=\"#common-right-arrow\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/08\/05\/ea-layoffs-expected-saudi-arabia-buyout-completed-29303277\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">EA already looking at layoffs worth \u00a3125,000,000 after Saudi Arabia buyout<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><svg><title>Arrow<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#common-right-arrow\" href=\"#common-right-arrow\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/08\/05\/big-walk-review-opposite-friendslop-29300542\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">Big Walk review \u2013 the opposite of friendslop<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<section id=\"share-buttons-bottom\" class=\"share-buttons share-buttons-bottom\"><a class=\"metro-button share-bar-comments\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"#metro-comments-container\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t<span><svg><title>Comment now<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#social-comment\" href=\"#social-comment\"\/><\/svg><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"share-bar-comments__label\">Comments<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t<\/a><a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" class=\"metro-button share-bar-preferred-source\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/metro.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span><svg><title>Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#social-preferred-source\" href=\"#social-preferred-source\"\/><\/svg><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"share-bar-preferred-source__label\">Add as preferred source<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a><\/section>\n<div class=\"newsletter-end-card accent--gaming\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-end-card__inner\">\n<h4>GameCentral<\/h4>\n<p>Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Going through an awkward phase (Roblox Corporation) The Roblox Corporation is expecting a tough year ahead, due to changes in its algorithm and a lack of successful new games. Roblox might be one of the most played video games (well, it\u2019s more of an online platform and creation tool than a singular game) in the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28994,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_307452741-873c_1785945916.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1200&h=630&crop=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28993","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-gossip"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28993","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28993"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28993\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/28994"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28993"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28993"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28993"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}