I Spent 24 Hours With Roblox Millionaires

Cole

• Background and origin story
  • Started playing Roblox in 2013 and began earning real money at age 16.
  • Skipped college and moved to Austin at 18 to pursue Roblox development full time.
  • Spent roughly $300,000 and three years on a prior game that failed, then lost additional funds on another failed project.
  • Shifted to rapid testing and launched Or Die in about two weeks after observing a peer’s viral success.
• Pivotal moments and turning points
  • Learned to prioritize testing over long development cycles after seeing quick wins from friends.
  • Focused on clickability, social play, and replayability to grow Or Die into a top 100 Roblox game.
  • Expanded from solo development to collaborating with a business partner and contractors.
• Business growth, current status, or exit details
  • Or Die averages about 1 million daily active users and roughly 13,000 concurrent players.
  • Generates approximately $45,000 per month from Or Die and is on track for around $70,000 per month across all ventures.
  • Splits profits 50/50 with a programmer/business partner and pays for modelers, graphics, legal, and accounting.

Ian

• Background and origin story
  • Created Bake the Baby (later Bathe the Baby) during a college winter break; it went viral and earned enough to drop out.
• Pivotal moments and turning points
  • Leveraged a dramatic title and social mechanics to drive virality and views from major Roblox YouTubers.
• Business growth, current status, or exit details
  • Runs Bathe the Baby with a business partner, splitting profits 50/50.
  • About 150,000 daily active users and average revenue per paying user around $0.50–$1.50.
  • Earns roughly $25,000 per month from the game plus additional brand deals and small contractor costs.

Jake

• Background and origin story
  • Started on Roblox in 2011 and explored many roles including graphic design, virtual cafe work, programming, and montage editing.
  • Built video production skills creating Phantom Forces montages in middle school.
• Pivotal moments and turning points
  • Transitioned to brand-focused video production on Roblox and formalized it into an agency model.
• Business growth, current status, or exit details
  • Founded Vector 3, a marketing agency producing trailers, social campaigns, and content for brands on Roblox.
  • Has produced about 450 videos with over 100 million total views and works with major brands.
  • Generates around $36,150 in a month, with $20,000–$25,000 from retainers and the rest from project work.
  • Runs the company remotely via Discord and a detailed content management system; client acquisition is primarily through LinkedIn and paid consulting.

Products and Offerings

• Core product(s) and what each one does
  • Or Die: A competitive Roblox game emphasizing clickability, social play, and replayability.
  • Bathe the Baby: A Roblox experience where players use daily shops to buy skins, coins, and abilities.
  • Vector 3: A marketing agency that produces trailers, social campaigns, and media for brands entering Roblox.
• Supporting tools, side projects, or experiments mentioned
  • Roblox Studio for game editing and scripting.
  • Content management system with templated project plans and SOP videos for agency work.

Metrics and Financials

• Revenue figures, user counts, and financial milestones
  • Roblox has 400 million monthly active users; one in two U.S. kids under 16 play daily.
  • Or Die: ~1 million daily active users; ~$45,000 per month, on track for ~$70,000 per month across ventures.
  • Bathe the Baby: ~150,000 daily active users; ~$25,000 per month.
  • Vector 3: ~$36,150 in a given month, with $20,000–$25,000 from retainers.
• Software costs and resource efficiency
  • Vector 3 spends about $10,000–$15,000 monthly to run operations, including salaries and contractors.
  • Or Die and Bathe the Baby each allocate funds to modelers, graphics, legal, and accounting.
• Exit or acquisition specifics (if explicitly stated)
  • No exits or acquisitions are discussed.

Strategy and Growth

• Overall vision and positioning
  • Build games and businesses around Roblox’s growing, youth-centric platform with long-term demographic expansion in mind.
• Primary growth engine or method
  • Viral mechanics, clickable titles, social play, and replayability for games; LinkedIn outreach and consulting for agency work.
• Key tactics, channels, or strategic steps
  • Test quickly and iterate rather than overbuilding before validation.
  • Leverage brand partnerships and trailers to drive player acquisition.
  • Use templated processes and SOPs to scale agency output remotely.

Tech Stack and Infrastructure

• Tools, platforms, and technical approaches referenced
  • Roblox Studio for development; Discord for team communication.
  • Custom content management system with step-by-step project plans and training videos.
• Notable technical decisions, trade-offs, or architecture choices
  • Relies on contractors for programming while focusing on UI, building, and design internally.
  • Prioritizes process-heavy, repeatable workflows to maintain quality at scale with remote staff.

Lessons and Advice

• Direct advice given to other founders
  • Test first, then build: validate quickly instead of spending years on unproven ideas.
  • Focus on clickability, social play, and replayability for Roblox games.
  • Pursue interests methodically, gain above-average skill, and scale through freelancing before formalizing a business.
• Hard-won insights and key takeaways
  • Years of building without validation can lead to wasted time and capital.
  • Rapid iteration and observing peers’ successes can reveal faster paths to profitability.
  • Building genuine, non-transactional relationships is critical for long-term collaboration and support.