A major Roblox event called The Hatch had players excited until some controversy led to a boycott. While the event doesn’t start until July 2, many game developers on the platform are already opting out. The DOORS developer took to Twitter to explain their reasoning that many have resonated with,
“I really don’t agree with how they’re running this event. Honestly it was a bit tough coming up with something fun for it and we didn’t want to disappoint you guys … Developers were (presumably) randomly selected through an algorithm, which resulted in bad actors participating in the event when they shouldn’t even be allowed on the platform to begin with.”
Several of their concerns in the full tweet are regarding how the event is being run, how developers were picked, and rumors about a focus on generative AI. The big issue many Roblox users are focusing on is one developer allegedly being invited to the event who has a reputation for creating controversial games. These are known as condo games which are social experiences that may have inappropriate animations. They’re also popular among exploiters who can maliciously manipulate Roblox.
This can involve taking control of other players, changing player models, or simply cheating in a game. According to Roblox, players caught exploiting or cheating are violating the Terms of Use and will have their accounts deleted. This is, however, a constant battle that even I was frequently a victim of when streaming Roblox years ago.
Regardless of exploiters, most of the trouble surrounding The Hatch is taking place on social media, which makes it difficult to confirm the details. We’ve reached out to Roblox asking for further information on how developers are chosen for the event and if they have anything to say about the boycott. Due to the difficulties of contacting Roblox game developers, it’s tough to verify information since many of them don’t respond to requests.
With that said, numerous developers have publicly confirmed they aren’t participating in The Hatch event. We’ve included some below, alongside their reasoning if they disclosed why.
- DOORS – Issues with how the event is being run, limitations, lack of support, how developers were picked, rumors of generative AI, among other reasons. (Source)
- Pressure – Replies imply that they’ve opted out due to the condo developer allegedly being invited to the event. We’ve reached out for confirmation on why. (Source)
- Piggy – Originally opted out due to the condo developer, but they’ve also noted similar issues as the DOORS developer. (Source)
- Welcome to Bloxburg – Opted out to focus on other projects. (Source)
- 3008 – No reasoning mentioned. (Source)
- Forsaken – Focusing on their next update and they don’t agree with the direction the event is going. (Source)
- TTD 3 – Opted out due to controversy around the event and “the restricting creative nature” of the event. (Source)
If you’re a Roblox game developer and have any information regarding The Hatch, feel free to contact me at: [email protected].
Jeff is a journalist with over 10 years of experience writing, streaming, and making content about video games. With an associate degree in journalism, he’s a sucker for RPGs, survival games, roguelikes, and more.