Report: Roblox readies to go public in early 2021

Roblox, the company behind the massive game creation platform of the same name, is reportedly planning to go public early next year, though the exact form that action will take is still up for debate.

According to a Reuters report, Roblox is working with investment banks to list on the US stock market. But while most do so through an initial public offering, Roblox is reportedly also considering a direct listing that would allow it to do so without selling new shares like it would in the case of an IPO.

Sources speaking to the publication note that that decision is subject to market conditions but, according to people familiar with the matter, Roblox believes going public would double its recent $4 billion valuation.

Roblox is an interesting giant in the game industry in that its business deals mostly with hosting user-made games for its massive sandbox platform Roblox. The company routinely makes headlines for the slice of its profits that go to the creators of those user-made games, a total that increases by the millions year after year.

For 2020, Roblox expects its development community to earn over $250 million, up from the $110 million estimated for the year before. All the way back in 2017, that total was only $30 million.

Rumors of this stock market debut follow just weeks after another game industry giant, Unity, underwent its own previously-rumored IPO. In that case, the game engine maker walked away with a $13.7 billion valuation following a $1.3 billion IPO.