Image: Roblox

BEIJING, January 7, 2022 (TMTPOST) — American video game development platform Roblox has removed its Chinese version app from application market places.

The company states that the decision to remove the app was made as an important part of Roblox’s transition to the next update, a spokesperson of Roblox said, without revealing when the app will come back.

Roblox partnered with a subsidiary of Chinese tech giant Tencent in July 2021 to launch Roblox’s Chinese app, a 3D sandbox game that allows users to create their own gameplay and invite their friends to play the games they created.

The Chinese app was shut down on December 8 2021. The app is only a beta version application according to the notification Roblox sent to its Chinese users.

Roblox’s Chinese app is essential for the company to tap into the Chinese market. The importance of Roblox’s Chinese app was mentioned in the company’s prospectus when Roblox filed for public listing in New York.

“We have always known that building an eye-catching platform in China is a gradual process,” the spokesperson of Roblox said. “We would like to express our gratitude to users of Roblox’s Chinese app and the support we got from our global developer community. We now need to make necessary investments, such as investment in the data architecture, to achieve our long-term goals. This is crucial for us.”

Tencent has not commented on the matter.

developed by Roblox Corporation that allows users to program games and play games created by other users. It is also known today as a “metaverse”.

Roblox and its Chinese app are separate from each other. But they both allow users to create their own games and join virtual events.

Many users of Roblox’s Chinese app complained on social media that they did not realize that it was a trial test.

The app has been downloaded 1.7 million times, according to statistics from mobile market research firm Sensor Tower.