Roblox removes Chinese app, plans to rebuild it
Danielle Partis
News Editor
Friday 7th January 2022
Roblox
Games platform Roblox has taken down its app in China, seven months after launching it.
As per Reuters, the LuoBuLesi app, which the company released back in July in partnership with Tencent, has disappeared from app stores in the country. Those with the app installed will see a message thanking them for using the test version.
A spokesperson for the company told Reuters that the removal was part of a "number of important transitory actions,", and said that Roblox is working on the next version of the app, though is unsure when it is likely to be reintroduced to the market.
"We always knew that building a compelling platform in China is an iterative process, and we are thankful for the support of LuoBuLeSi users and our global developer community," a Roblox spokesperson said.
"It is critical that we now make the necessary investments, including investments in our data architecture, in order to realise our long-term vision."
Roblox was recently the subject of an investigation into how its user-generated platform fails to care for its young player base, among other concerns.
In China, a freeze that prohibits studios from publishing new games without approval has just entered its ninth month, and an estimated 14,000 developers have shut down in the country since it began.
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