Roblox announces video call feature for user avatars

Get ready for a game-changing update from Roblox! Imagine video chatting with friends on the gaming platform while your Roblox avatar mirrors your real-life facial expressions.

The platform announced at its annual developer conference that it will launch a new feature, Roblox Connect, that is set to revolutionize the way users interact with each other. 

Roblox has been offering its text chat service since 2006, while the voice message feature arrived in 2021. Given the platform has over 200 million monthly active users today, the video call feature will offer more experiences as users explore the virtual worlds with friends.

Last month, the gaming platform started allowing users over the age of 13 to animate their own avatar with their device camera and real-life movements for improved engagements with other users. Roblox Connect was developed under this technology.

Roblox Connect allows users of the above age group to make video calls to their friends list using their own Roblox avatar that will mimic their real-life facial movements. The motion tracking technology also allows avatars to visit a shared in-game virtual space such as a campsite, a spot near the waterfall, or The Met’s Roblox Replica.

In a blog post, Roblox wrote that the company is “essentially packaging a Hollywood-style motion capture studio into something that runs on a mobile phone or laptop without the need for equipment or motion-tracking dots.”

Set to be released later this year, Roblox Connect was built using public platform APIs and will be open-sourced, making it easier for developers to create and share unique experiences.