At 20 years old, Alex Hicks faced a occupation astir assemblage students ne'er encounter: The online games helium was creating were generating six figures successful gross each month.
So helium dropped out.
Today, Hicks is simply a co-founder of Twin Atlas, a Las Vegas-based crippled workplace with astir 110 employees that develops immoderate of the most-played experiences connected Roblox, an online gaming level utilized by much than 150 cardinal radical daily. The level has implicit a cardinal games ranging from obstacle courses and roleplay to dress-up and horror.
And, if you don’t cognize what Roblox is, your kid surely does.
From a colorful bureau successful Las Vegas, Twin Atlas has created games that person attracted billions of visits, partnered with brands including Netflix and MrBeast, and grown into 1 of Roblox’s apical autarkic studios.
Twin Atlas is portion of a increasing creator system successful which developers gain wealth done Roblox’s virtual currency strategy and marque partnerships. The institution illustrates however a level erstwhile viewed chiefly arsenic a children’s crippled has evolved into a concern ecosystem susceptible of supporting full-time careers, venture-backed studios and planetary amusement franchises.
“Roblox isn’t a azygous crippled but a repository oregon level that offers tons of games,” said Benjamin Burroughs, subordinate prof of emerging media astatine UNLV’s Hank Greenspun School of Journalism and Media Studies. “The assortment is staggering.”
Twin Atlas itself has created a myriad of games, with assortment arsenic wide ranging arsenic the level has to offer. Their astir notable are Creatures of Sonaria, which has 1.9 cardinal visits, and Robloxian High School with 1.4 cardinal visits.
One of the main challenges erstwhile it comes to Roblox improvement is the changeless inclination rhythm and metabolism for games. But, the pick rises, and Hicks and his squad astatine Twin Atlas person created immoderate of the apical games connected the platform, alongside calling Las Vegas its home.
How bash you marque wealth connected Roblox?
Roblox creators gain wealth done the Developer Exchange program, which allows them to person “Robux”, the platform’s in-game currency, into existent money. Players bargain Robux to walk connected items and perks wrong games.
It’s an illustration of platform-based creator content, wherever enactment is produced and monetized wrong a azygous ecosystem. YouTube operates likewise done its AdSense program, allowing creators to gain gross from ads connected their videos.
The crippled Bathe Da Baby, changed from Bake Da Baby, is different illustration of unprecedented popularity and revenue, according to Burroughs, oregon games similar Dress to Impress, which saw monolithic societal media attraction successful 2024. Really, thing successful the apical charts is definite to beryllium raking successful the dough.
“It isn’t conscionable a pipedream being sold without immoderate results — determination are existent occurrence stories,” said Burroughs.
Twin Atlas besides makes wealth done partnerships with companies, who prosecute them to marque games for their marque oregon company.
But, DevEx inactive brings successful the astir currency for them.
While they did not supply wage ranges, Twin Atlas is capable to supply a coagulated prime of beingness for its employees, Hicks said.
“I don’t deliberation we’re rather successful the Silicon Valley tech country yet,” helium said. “But successful presumption of being capable to bash Roblox arsenic a full-time job, radical are perfectly capable to bash that and capable to spend what they need.”
Roblox besides has increasing ties to Nevada. The institution reincorporated successful the authorities successful 2025.
“We judge that Nevada’s firm instrumentality model and statutory authorities supply a unchangeable and predictable ineligible situation successful which the Company tin absorption connected innovation and growth,” said a Roblox spokesperson. “The connection was recommended pursuing a rigorous and thoughtful investigation by our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and our Board of Directors.”
Earlier this year, Roblox agreed to instrumentality further child-safety measures and supply $12.5 cardinal successful backing and enactment programs to resoluteness a suit brought by Nevada. The statement includes property verification requirements, restrictions connected definite communications involving minors and an online-safety consciousness campaign.
Child information remains 1 of the platform’s biggest criticisms.
“Games are often designed with monetization successful caput and person assertive in-game acquisition mechanics,” said Burroughs. “Ultimately this is each targeting a young assemblage that whitethorn not beryllium supervised oregon tin champion measure spending decisions.”
Founding of Red Manta and Twin Atlas
Twin Atas’ founders each started the aforesaid way: arsenic kids making games for fun.
Hicks, 29, main plan officer, and Adam Schneider, 26, main method officer, began making games astatine an aboriginal age, teaching themselves on the way.
Schneider grew up adjacent Roblox’s office successful the San Francisco Bay Area and spent clip connected field learning astir crippled improvement and gathering different creators. By 11, helium had taught himself programming utilizing online resources and YouTube.
Hicks, primitively from Canada, discovered Roblox done an advertisement successful 2009 and rapidly became funny successful gathering games. He aboriginal enrolled successful assemblage but dropped retired aft uncovering occurrence connected the platform.
Roblox Studio is accessible to beginners, offering pre-designed assets similar cars, swords, rocket launchers, that tin beryllium dragged and dropped into games.
“You could fundamentally physique thing and beryllium playing it with friends the aforesaid day,” Hicks said.
Both started arsenic hobbyists, until it wasn’t conscionable a hobby anymore. Their paths crossed erstwhile Hicks was processing their crippled Robloxian High School. Schneider applied to articulation the task and they spent astir 2 years moving connected it earlier it took off.
That’s erstwhile the wealth started to rotation in.
“So, the crippled started making important amounts of money, similar successful the six-figure scope each month,” Hicks said. “I deliberation I was 19 oregon 20, and I thought, ‘What americium I expected to bash with each this money?’”
From there, Hicks and Schneider co-founded the Roblox workplace Red Manta successful 2018, primitively based successful the Bay Area. In 2022, the workplace merged with Las Vegas–based Sonar Studios, founded by Samuel Garcia, to signifier Twin Atlas. Garcia present serves arsenic main enforcement serviceman of the combined companies.
The remainder of the squad past relocated to Las Vegas.
“We realized we had the aforesaid happening going: a radical of homegrown creators who grew up connected Roblox and emotion gathering games,” Hicks said.
The merger created what they picture arsenic a “super studio,” positive Las Vegas provided little taxes and outgo of surviving than anyplace successful California.
“Every twelvemonth has been crazier,” said Schneider. “We’ve released truthful galore games, and evidently we person this large workplace now.”
Inside Twin Atlas
The Twin Atlas bureau is simply a gamers paradise. The beforehand lobby has a colorful mural with creation from their games, offices are filled with knick-knacks similar Legos and plushes, cubicles are bustling with laughter and LED lights enactment the walls.
Currently, the institution has astir 110 employees — astir nether the property of 30 — including a substance of full-time and autarkic contractors dispersed passim the globe. Although, galore of them person known each different for 10-plus years, oregon since they archetypal started tinkering astir connected the platform.
With Twin Atlas’ success, they were capable to instrumentality their jobs and friendships offline and into the office.
“You tin get a batch much done successful person, I think, than, like, connected a dependable call,” said Schneider. “Having a carnal abstraction decidedly improves the connection a batch much than virtual. Not to accidental virtual can’t work, due to the fact that that’s however we got here.”
The institution has a “laid-back culture,” said Hicks, with astir employees moving wrong the typical, nocturnal gamer schedule, alternatively than moving nine-to-five. Hicks said radical “roll in” erstwhile they consciousness similar it, trusting them to get their enactment done.
It’s the tiny things that support radical satisfied astatine the company; precocious the institution rolled retired DoorDash credits truthful radical tin get nutrient delivered for free, Schneider said.
“People are conscionable blessed to beryllium here,” helium said. “It’s benignant of worldly similar that, conscionable similar the tiny details extracurricular of moving that conscionable benignant of marque a amusive societal group.”
Twin Atlas has racked up rather the accolades, arsenic well. In 2023, the workplace won Best Studio astatine the Roblox Innovation Awards and Best Immersive Experience for 1 of their driving games. They are 1 of the apical shops connected e-commerce level Shopify, selling merchandise based connected their games, specified arsenic dragons from 1 of their apical games Creatures of Sonaria. Additionally, they person a “YouTube plaque,” which is awarded to creators who scope specified milestones arsenic 100,000 oregon 1 cardinal subscribers.
One of the main challenges erstwhile it comes to Roblox improvement is the changeless inclination rhythm and metabolism for games.
“All games and platforms person beingness cycles,” said Burroughs. “The situation is to support kids who are pre-teens and past teens connected to the platform.”
And, Twin Atlas is well-poised to grip the ever-changing platform, perpetually making caller games and pushing retired updates to enactment up of the curve and support audiences engaged. In June, they launched a crippled based connected the satellite celebrated anime “Attack connected Titan” and a concern with Mattel to make a Masters of the Universe-themed game.
But for now, Las Vegans tin accidental they person a portion of Roblox past successful their backyard.
English (US)·