Roblox Shuts Down Its Video Chat Service Roblox Connect

Roblox is shutting down Roblox Connect, its video calling service that launched in 2023. The feature allowed users to video chat using their Roblox avatars, which could mimic real-life movements, and to explore a shared virtual environment during calls. In a statement, the company said that users aged 13 and older “predominantly” use the platform’s Party Voice functionality for calls. “Roblox Connect is being discontinued today, including both the developer-facing APIs and the Roblox Connect feature itself,” Roblox spokesperson Angela Allison told The Verge. “Users 13 and up predominantly use our more recent Party Voice feature instead to make private voice calls with Trusted Friends on Roblox.” In a post last month announcing the shutdown of the APIs, a Roblox staffer noted that Party Voice “handles private voice chat in a way that’s more capable and better suited to how players use Roblox today.” To use Party Voice, a user’s age must be verified by Roblox to be 13 or older. When Connect was announced, Roblox said it intended to open source the feature, but it is unclear if that actually happened. The Verge has asked the company for further details.