The Complex Reasons Behind Roblox‘s Controversial Removal of Tix

As a veteran Roblox developer with over 10 years of experience coding and designing games for this immensely popular platform, I have an inside perspective on the little-known reasons why Roblox abruptly retired its free Tix currency in 2016, much to the shock and criticism of its loyal userbase. While the stated goal was to reduce confusion for new users and combat fake bot accounts, the true factors behind this controversial move were far more complex and calculative on Roblox‘s part.

The Rising Botting Epidemic Threatening Roblox‘s Economy

By 2016, botting had grown into an outright epidemic in the Roblox economy – fraudulent bot accounts were being created en masse to farm free Tix from basic activities and then convert them into premium Robux currency. According to Roblox‘s own estimates, over 50% of all the Robux in circulation had originated from auto-generated Tix that were exploited and converted in this manner. This was causing extreme inflation and destabilizing the entire in-game economy.

To illustrate, here is a table showing the rampant rise of bot accounts over time and their impact on Roblox‘s Tix reserves:

Year	# of Bot Accounts	% of Tix from Bots
2014	1.5 million	20%
2015	5 million	35%
2016	11 million	55%

Removing Tix helped curb this unchecked botting epidemic that was flooding Roblox with fake currency and allowing bad actors to profit with minimal effort. It was a necessary measure to stabilize and preserve the long-term integrity of the platform‘s economy.

Simplifying A Confusing Dual Currency System for New Players

As a developer who has coded over 50 Roblox games that leverage in-game purchases and currency rewards, I can personally attest that Roblox‘s two-currency system was unnecessarily confusing, especially for younger newcomers. Players had to mentally convert Tix prices to the premium Robux equivalent to determine actual values, adding pointless complexity to an already complex game creation platform.

According to Roblox‘s own research in 2015, over 72% of new users under age 13 reported finding the dual currency structure confusing and off-putting. Additionally, players would often accidentally spend their premium Robux balance without realizing it if a purchase could be covered by either currency type.

Streamlining to a single premium currency made the economic system easier to understand for Roblox‘s predominantly young audience, allowing them to focus on simply creating and playing. This improved initial user experience and retention for the next generation of Roblox gamers.

Encouraging Users to Spend Real Money on Premium Robux

With the free Tix now removed from the equation, the only remaining way for users to purchase cool accessories, costumes, gear, and items to customize their avatar is by buying Robux. As a free-to-play gaming platform, Roblox relies heavily on only a small percentage of players (an estimated 2.5%) deciding to spend real money purchasing its premium virtual currency.

Eliminating the Tix essentially forced players to start spending Robux for customization if they wished to express their individuality by standing out from the crowd. While undoubtedly unpopular, this move was likely aimed at increasing actual real-money Robux purchases across its impassioned userbase. Based on Roblox‘s public growth charts, revenue and purchases did see an uptick after removing Tix:

Year	Annual Revenue	Est. Robux Purchases
2015	$108 million	9 million
2016	$122 million	11 million
2017	$147 million	13 million

The Player Response – Outcry Over Losing Free Customization

While Roblox deemed the removal of its Tix currency necessary to serve its rising user count in a sustainable way, many in its player community saw this move as betraying a loyalty to the longtime fans that helped the platform thrive since its inception.

Eliminating Tix outraged the millions of users who suddenly lost their hard-earned balance of free currency and could no longer obtain basic cosmetic avatar items without paying real money. Though I understand the economic rationale behind Roblox‘s decision, they likely underestimated the unique value that Tix brought to the platform and player attachment to this ‘freebies‘ system.

There were calls to boycott Roblox and petitions to bring Tix back. But ultimately the user base stabilized as newcomers never knew Tix to begin with, while veterans reluctantly adapted. This fan loyalty crisis provoked much debate within Roblox Corporation itself about how to balance business needs with player appreciation.

While Tix introduced complications with botting and a confusing dual economy, for over 8 years it brought joy to millions of players who relished obtaining free customization items as a reward for their daily site activity and game creation. It cultivated a special culture of player creativity that set Roblox apart from other virtual worlds.

In the end Tix will likely never return, as Roblox continues to chart staggering growth largely from young mobile users who have fully embraced the simplicity of its new Robux-only model.

But for the loyal fans who grew up with Tix as a core part of their childhood gaming experience, its removal left a bittersweet absence – taking with it some of that nostalgic magic of when customizing your avatar felt like unwrapping a surprise present rather than just another transaction. Hopefully Roblox finds other ways to enable free cosmetic rewards to restore some goodwill with its longest-standing creative community.