Rumors Have Swirled Online That Roblox Is Getting Shut Down, but Is That True?

Over the past decade, Roblox has become one of the dominant online games of its kind in the world. It's especially popular with young users, although that's of course not the entire audience. Recently, though, rumors have begun swirling that Roblox is going to get banned in the United States.

Those rumors even suggest that the game will be banned on September 1st, which is very soon. Here's what we know about whether that ban is real, and why fans are so concerned.

The rumor began spreading on Twitter that Roblox was getting shut down, but that rumor was not coming from any official Roblox sources. As far as we can tell, there's no truth to the claim, although there are certainly plenty online who think that it's true.

In fact, according to Eastern Eye, Roblox has responded to these rumors. “We’re not going anywhere,” the company said, adding that rumors like this had begun circulating online in the past.

Clearly, then, they are not planning to shut down the business, although they are facing some significant challenges that made it easier for this rumor to spread the way it has.

One of the reasons that Roblox was supposedly shutting down is that it is facing scrutiny over allegations that it has allowed predators to be on the platform. This has been a long-standing concern with the platform, which has a young user base, but the issue was further accentuated after executives at the company decided to ban a user who was exposing predators on the platform, according to MSNBC.

“While seemingly well-intentioned, the vigilantes we’ve banned have taken actions that are both unacceptable and create an unsafe environment for users," the company said in defense of the ban. This move set off a wave of backlash that made it all the way to the halls of Congress, where Rep. Ro Khanna circulated a petition calling on the platform to do more to protect the children who spend time there.

The company is also facing a number of civil suits that allege that it has enabled child predation, and so it seemed entirely plausible that the company would decide to shut down amidst all of this backlash and concern. Instead, though, they are planning to stay open, although it's unclear whether they are planning to address the surging backlash around child welfare on the platform.

It's notable, though, that although certain countries have banned the game, that has not been discussed as an option in the United States in a serious way. It seems like that would be unlikely in the present political climate, although there is more attention on the game than there has been in some time.