4 ms·

I was unpleasantly surprised there still is no Linux-native version.

ineedasername 5y ago
Consider that their primary audience is close to 40 million mostly kid players. Young kids generally don't care about OS options and use whatever PC their parents buy, which will mostly be Windows. Further, even Windows PC players are in the minority, with close to 75% of users playing on mobile devices. Linux would always be a minority option. In the case of Roblox, it would be the minority option of a minority platform. Not really the type of thing the company is going to throw money at while they're supporting 4 other platofrms: Windows, MacOS, iOS, Android. All of them more accessible to their audience. Disappointment in their choice not to develop for Linux is natural, but it's a fairly reasonable choice on their part to avoid increasing their platform & build maintenance requirements by 25% for an exceptionally small number of users that would refuse to use a different OS.
- qwerty456127 5y ago
  I expected it to be available on RaspberryPI.
  - dolmen 5y ago
    Windows is available on Raspberry PI.
michaelbrave 5y ago
More than half of their player base (like 60%) play on mobile, so I image it's just not a big priority to them.
washadjeffmad 5y ago
"Linux-native" is an outdated mindset. With tools like WINE and Proton+DXVK/D3DVK / SteamPlay, software developed on Windows is in all practicality platform agnostic. After more than a decade, we know the cost of supporting Linux native builds seems to be the sanity and good will of the devs. For indie and small teams, it's literally taking food out of their mouths asking them to use resources fixing obscure bugs from a vocal minority that they could instead put towards developing new content or planning their next projects. I get the sentiment, but really, we won the lock-in war. It's kinder to ask devs to stick to what they know and are comfortable with, and if they want to build with SteamPlay in mind, then we all win.
- marto1 5y ago
  While this is true, some devs in the indie community develop on linux[1] so support is there by default. It's also a small(hopefully growing) niche to target Linux as a platform. SteamOS is also a thing, albeit without a solid market afaik. [1] https://blog.system76.com/post/654884924769370112/developing-games-on-linux-an-interview-with https://blog.system76.com/post/654884924769370112/developing...
  - ineedasername 5y ago
    SteamOS isn't really a thing anymore. There's been no update in about 2 years. It's possible Valve is still putting some effort there, but hope for its future is pretty much just speculation at this point even if Valve hasn't abandoned it completely.
    - detaro 5y ago
      I feel like a good chunk of that is market politics: Valve has an interest in Linux support so they can (re-)build something like SteamOS. And they want that ability so that Microsoft doesn't get too stupid ideas of forcing restrictions on Windows gaming/tying it to the Windows Store/... But the obvious option of that is enough, they didn't need to fully push the SteamOS/SteamBox concept after it fizzled out, the fact that they could is cheaper and serves the purpose.
      - ineedasername 5y ago
        That is a very interesting view on things, and I would not be at all surprised if it's the truth. Valve need only devote minimal resources to keep it shelved while making sure it's updated just enough to be able to rapidly deploy, at the same time that ProtonDB ensures a good % of the library is immediately available. Gamers are minority of PC users, but a little over 10% of PC's shipped are still gaming-level. Some of those are probably purchased for graphic designs and/or video editing, but the gaming segment would still be substantial enough that Windows wouldn't want to lose it. Not because of the immediate revenue loss: In the beginning you'd still probably have to pay a MS tax if you weren't building your own PC, or you wanted a laptop (and gaming laptops are a large part of the gaming market). Once 10% of the market was installing Linux, that's a foot in the door MS really wouldn't like.

Consider that their primary audience is close to 40 million mostly kid players. Young kids generally don't care about OS options and use whatever PC their parents buy, which will mostly be Windows. Further, even Windows PC players are in the minority, with close to 75% of users playing on mobile devices. Linux would always be a minority option. In the case of Roblox, it would be the minority option of a minority platform. Not really the type of thing the company is going to throw money at while they're supporting 4 other platofrms: Windows, MacOS, iOS, Android. All of them more accessible to their audience. Disappointment in their choice not to develop for Linux is natural, but it's a fairly reasonable choice on their part to avoid increasing their platform & build maintenance requirements by 25% for an exceptionally small number of users that would refuse to use a different OS.

qwerty456127 5y ago
I expected it to be available on RaspberryPI.
- dolmen 5y ago
  Windows is available on Raspberry PI.

michaelbrave 5y ago

More than half of their player base (like 60%) play on mobile, so I image it's just not a big priority to them.

washadjeffmad 5y ago

"Linux-native" is an outdated mindset. With tools like WINE and Proton+DXVK/D3DVK / SteamPlay, software developed on Windows is in all practicality platform agnostic. After more than a decade, we know the cost of supporting Linux native builds seems to be the sanity and good will of the devs. For indie and small teams, it's literally taking food out of their mouths asking them to use resources fixing obscure bugs from a vocal minority that they could instead put towards developing new content or planning their next projects. I get the sentiment, but really, we won the lock-in war. It's kinder to ask devs to stick to what they know and are comfortable with, and if they want to build with SteamPlay in mind, then we all win.

marto1 5y ago
While this is true, some devs in the indie community develop on linux[1] so support is there by default. It's also a small(hopefully growing) niche to target Linux as a platform. SteamOS is also a thing, albeit without a solid market afaik. [1] https://blog.system76.com/post/654884924769370112/developing-games-on-linux-an-interview-with https://blog.system76.com/post/654884924769370112/developing...
- ineedasername 5y ago
  SteamOS isn't really a thing anymore. There's been no update in about 2 years. It's possible Valve is still putting some effort there, but hope for its future is pretty much just speculation at this point even if Valve hasn't abandoned it completely.
  - detaro 5y ago
    I feel like a good chunk of that is market politics: Valve has an interest in Linux support so they can (re-)build something like SteamOS. And they want that ability so that Microsoft doesn't get too stupid ideas of forcing restrictions on Windows gaming/tying it to the Windows Store/... But the obvious option of that is enough, they didn't need to fully push the SteamOS/SteamBox concept after it fizzled out, the fact that they could is cheaper and serves the purpose.
    - ineedasername 5y ago
      That is a very interesting view on things, and I would not be at all surprised if it's the truth. Valve need only devote minimal resources to keep it shelved while making sure it's updated just enough to be able to rapidly deploy, at the same time that ProtonDB ensures a good % of the library is immediately available. Gamers are minority of PC users, but a little over 10% of PC's shipped are still gaming-level. Some of those are probably purchased for graphic designs and/or video editing, but the gaming segment would still be substantial enough that Windows wouldn't want to lose it. Not because of the immediate revenue loss: In the beginning you'd still probably have to pay a MS tax if you weren't building your own PC, or you wanted a laptop (and gaming laptops are a large part of the gaming market). Once 10% of the market was installing Linux, that's a foot in the door MS really wouldn't like.