Roblox ends avatar-based video chat feature

Roblox is ending Roblox Connect, the avatar-based video chat feature it introduced in 2023, according to The Verge. The move matters for developers and users because Roblox says both the consumer feature and the related developer tools are being withdrawn.

Angela Allison, a Roblox spokesperson, told The Verge that Roblox Connect is being discontinued “today,” including the feature itself and the APIs available to developers. Roblox did not frame the change as a partial rollback; the company described the service as being discontinued.

Roblox Connect let users place video calls while appearing as their Roblox avatars, according to The Verge. The feature used a person’s real-world movements to animate the avatar during a call.

The service also allowed people on a call to spend time together inside a shared virtual space, The Verge reported. That made Connect more than a standard video window, tying live communication to Roblox’s broader social and avatar systems.

Roblox told The Verge that users aged 13 and older primarily use the platform’s party voice chat feature when they want to make calls. That usage pattern was the reason the company gave for retiring Connect.

The shutdown removes one of Roblox’s attempts to blend video calling with avatar interaction. The Verge reported that the company is also ending the developer-facing APIs tied to Connect, meaning creators who may have built around those tools lose access along with users of the main feature.

Roblox Connect arrived in 2023 as part of Roblox’s push to make communication inside the platform feel more like a live social experience, according to The Verge’s description of the feature. With Connect now ending, Roblox is pointing users toward party voice chat as the call option that has seen broader use among eligible users.

This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.