Roblox users over the age of 13 will be able to access this new feature before the end of 2023. — AFP Relaxnews
In addition to being able to communicate via chat, Roblox will soon let users call friends from within the game. This new feature should be available later this year.
Something new is coming to Roblox! The free-to-play multiplayer online video game announced an incoming innovation for its platform at its annual developer conference, Roblox Connect. This new feature will enable players over 13 years old to make calls directly from inside the Roblox application.
Rolling out "later this year," the new feature, called Connect, will only be available for calling friends featuring on a player's friends list.
As well as being able to communicate through audio, users will be able to convey their own facial expressions though their avatar: "Behind the scenes, we’re 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. The device’s camera is all that’s needed to capture motion and translate it in real time," Roblox explains in a blog post.
And Roblox doesn't stop there. While, they don't refer to the metaverse, this immersive experience will give both users the opportunity to meet virtually in "a shared immersive space" in order to have a conversation "sitting together by a campfire or standing beside a waterfall," for example.
“Today, someone who lives in San Francisco could meet up with a friend who lives in London at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art to check out the latest exhibit via The Met experience on Roblox. But with Connect, these friends could make a call on Roblox and teleport there together, hear their friend’s commentary about the art, and see their friend’s reactions, all in real time,” adds Roblox.
Numerous platforms have now integrated call functionality directly into their applications, whether audio-only or with video support. These include Instagram, Snapchat, Messenger and Discord. – AFP Relaxnews
