3 Key Takeaways:
- Its popularity highlights both the creative opportunities and market disruptions Roblox presents to the gaming industry.
- The game was built in just three days by a teenage developer, later supported by Splitting Point Studios.
- Grow a Garden broke Roblox records with 21 million concurrent users, eclipsing Fortnite’s previous CCU high.
A simple farming simulator created by a teenager has set a new benchmark in the gaming world. Grow a Garden, a game hosted on Roblox, drew an astonishing 21 million concurrent users on June 21—more than any Roblox title in history and surpassing even Fortnite’s record-setting 2020 Marvel event.
Farming Fun Outgrows Fortnite
Dom Tait, an analyst at UK-based research firm Omdia, noted that while it’s hard to verify across all gaming platforms, Grow a Garden is almost certainly the highest concurrent user (CCU) record ever achieved on Roblox
. Previously, Fortnite held the crown with 15 million CCUs during a Marvel-themed event in 2020. “It’s enormous,” Tait told AFP.
What sets Grow a Garden apart is its unassuming nature. Players buy seeds, plant virtual crops, harvest them, and even sneak items from neighbors’ gardens. The appeal? Simplicity and calm. “You just sort of go on and do things and just sort of have a gentle experience,” Tait explained.
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Built in Just Three Days
Perhaps most astonishing is the game’s origin story. It was developed in just three days by a teenager, whose identity remains mostly anonymous. The game was later partially acquired by Splitting Point Studios, whose CEO Janzen Madsen confirmed the rapid development timeline.
This swift success underscores the accessibility of the Roblox platform, where users—many under the age of 13—can develop and publish games with minimal overhead. With 40% of its 2024 user base aged below 13, the intuitive, low-stakes gameplay of Grow a Garden struck a perfect chord.
Big Numbers, Bigger Implications
Roblox developers are well-compensated, with 70% of revenue going to creators. In 2024 alone, Roblox paid out $923 million to developers. While Grow a Garden’s exact earnings are unknown, the potential profits are substantial.
Yet, this meteoric rise also reflects industry-wide anxieties. “There’s nervousness… is Roblox taking away the audience that would otherwise have bought console games?” Tait noted.
Despite its success, Roblox hasn’t escaped scrutiny. A 2024 report by Hindenburg Research accused it of inflating player numbers and failing to adequately protect users. Roblox denied the claims, stating it maintains “a robust set of proactive and preventative safety measures.”
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