| Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | 1. Overview and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Organization and Description of Business —Roblox Corporation (the “Company” or “Roblox”) was incorporated under the laws of the state of Delaware in March 2004. The Company operates a free to use immersive platform for connection and communication (the “Roblox Platform” or “Platform”) where people come to create, play, work, learn, and connect with each other in experiences built by our global community of creators. Users are free to immerse themselves in experiences on the Roblox Platform and can acquire experience-specific enhancements or avatar items by using purchased Robux, our virtual currency. Any user can be a developer or creator on the Platform using Roblox Studio, a set of free software tools. Developers and creators build the experiences that are published on Roblox and can earn Robux by monetizing their experience, creating and selling or reselling avatar items, or creating and selling Roblox Studio plugins. Direct Listing —On March 10, 2021, the Company completed a direct listing of its Class A common stock (“Direct Listing”) on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”). The Company incurred fees primarily related to financial advisory service, audit and legal expenses, in connection with the Direct Listing and recorded general and administrative expenses of $50.7 million during the first quarter of the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021. Immediately prior to the Direct Listing, all shares of outstanding convertible preferred stock were converted into an equivalent number of shares of Class A common stock. Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Fiscal Year —The Company’s fiscal year ends on December 31. For example, references to fiscal 2023, 2022, and 2021 refer to the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023, December 31, 2022, and December 31, 2021, respectively. Basis of Presentation —The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”), and applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Principles of Consolidation —The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and subsidiaries over which the Company has control. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated. The consolidated financial statements include 100% of the accounts of wholly owned and majority owned subsidiaries, and the ownership interest of minority investors is recorded as noncontrolling interest. Use of Estimates —The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Significant estimates and assumptions reflected in the consolidated financial statements include, but are not limited to, the estimated period of time the virtual items are available to the user, which is estimated as the average lifetime of a paying user, and the estimated amount of consumable and durable virtual items purchased for which the Company lacks specific information that is used for revenue recognition, the estimated amount of expected breakage related to prepaid card sales, useful lives of property and equipment and intangible assets, fair value of assets and liabilities acquired through acquisitions, accrued liabilities (including accrued developer exchange fees), contingent liabilities, valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, stock-based compensation expense, the discount rate used in measuring our operati ng lease liabilities, the carrying value of operating lease right-of-use assets, evaluation of recoverability of goodwill, intangible assets and long-lived assets, and as necessary, estimates of fair value to measure impairment losses. Management believes that the estimates, and judgments upon which they rely, are reasonable based upon information available to them at the time that these estimates and judgments are made. Actual results could differ from those estimates and any such differences may be material to the consolidated financial statements. To the extent that there are material differences between these estimates and actual results, the Company’s consolidated financial statements will be affected. Foreign Currency Transactions — The functional currency of the Company’s international subsidiaries is the U.S. dollar, with the exception of a Chinese subsidiary wholly owned by Roblox China Holding Corp., as discussed in Note 15, “Joint Venture” to the notes to these consolidated financial statements. We translate the financial statements of our non-U.S. dollar functional subsidiary to U.S. dollars using the period-end exchange rate for assets and liabilities and the average exchange rate for the period for revenues and expenses. The effects of foreign currency translation are included in stockholders’ equity/(deficit) and periodic movements are summarized as a line item in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income. We reflect foreign exchange transaction gains and losses resulting from the conversion of the transaction currency to the functional currency, which includes gains and losses from the remeasurement of assets and liabilities, as a component of other income/(expense), net. Segments — The Company operates as a single operating and reportable segment, which is at the consolidated entity level. The chief operating decision maker of the Company is its chief executive officer (“CEO”), who makes resource allocation decisions and assesses performance based on financial information presented on a consolidated basis. Revenue Recognition Revenue Recognition Policy In accordance with ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, revenue is recognized when control of the service is transferred to the customer. The amount of revenue recognized reflects the consideration that the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for these services. To achieve the core principle of this standard, the Company determines revenue recognition by: • identifying the contract, or contracts, with the customer; • identifying the performance obligations in the contract; • determining the transaction price; • allocating the transaction price to performance obligations in the contract; and • recognizing revenue when, or as, the Company satisfies performance obligations by transferring the promised services. The Company derives substantially all of its revenue from the sale of virtual items on the Roblox Platform. Roblox Platform The Company operates the Roblox Platform as live services that allow users to play and socialize with others for free. Within the experience, however, users can purchase virtual currency (“Robux”) to ultimately obtain virtual items to enhance their social experience. Proceeds from the sale of Robux are initially recorded in deferred revenue and recognized as revenue as a user purchases and uses virtual items. The Company’s identified performance obligation is to provide users with the ability to acquire, use, and hold virtual items on the Roblox Platform over the estimated period of time the virtual items are available to the user or until the virtual items are consumed. Users can purchase Robux as one-time purchases or through monthly subscriptions via payment processors or through prepaid cards. Payments from users are non-refundable and relate to non-cancellable contracts for a fixed price that specify Company’s obligations. Revenue is recorded net of taxes assessed by government authorities that are both imposed on and concurrent with specific revenue transactions between the Company and its users, and estimated chargebacks and refunds. The satisfaction of the Company’s performance obligation is dependent on the nature of the virtual item purchased and as a result, the Company categorizes its virtual items as either consumable or durable. • Consumable virtual items represent items that can be consumed by a specific user action. Common characteristics of consumable virtual items may include items that are no longer displayed on the user’s inventory after a short period of time or do not provide the user any continuing benefit following consumption. For the sale of consumable virtual items, the Company recognizes revenue as the items are consumed. • Durable virtual items represent items which result in a persistent change to a users’ character or item set (e.g., virtual hat, pet, or house). These items are generally available to the customer to hold, use, or display for as long as they are on the Roblox Platform. The Company recognizes revenue from the sale of durable virtual items ratably over the estimated period of time the items are available to the user which is estimated as the average lifetime of a paying user. To separately account for consumable and durable virtual items, the Company specifically identifies each purchase for the majority of virtual items purchased on the Roblox Platform. For the remaining population, the Company estimates the amount of consumable and durable virtual items purchased based on data from specifically identified purchases and the expected behavior of the users within similar experiences. The estimation of consumable and durable virtual items purchased for the population of purchases not specifically identified requires management’s judgment as the Company evaluates and estimates the expected behavior of users in the population using information from known purchases in similar experiences. The average lifetime of a paying user estimate is calculated based on historical monthly retention data for each user cohort to project future participation on the Roblox Platform. Determining the estimated average lifetime of a paying user requires management’s judgment as the Company analyzes the most recent trends in player cohort activity and other qualitative factors, including paying user behavior (e.g. impacts due to macroeconomic factors such as COVID-19), existing and new competition from a variety of entertainment resources for our users, the availability of the Roblox Platform across markets and user demographics, and other factors. The Company also considers results from prior analyses in determining the estimated average lifetime of a paying user. The Company believes this estimate is the best representation of the average life of the durable virtual items. The estimated paying user life was 28 months, 28 months, and 23 months as of December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, respectively. As part of the process above, in the first quarter of 2022, the Company updated its estimated paying user life from 23 months to 25 months, which was subsequently updated again to 28 months in the third quarter of 2022, where it stayed for the entire year ended December 31, 2023. Based on the carrying amount of deferred revenue and deferred cost of revenue as of December 31, 2021, these changes in estimates resulted in a decrease in revenue of $344.9 million and a decrease in cost of revenue of $79.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2022. The Company offers prepaid cards through online and physical retailers, as well as on the Company website. The Company estimates expected breakage by taking into consideration historical patterns of redemption and escheatment laws as applicable. Principal Agent Considerations The Company evaluates the sales of Robux via third-party payment processors to determine whether its revenues should be reported gross or net of fees either retained by the payment processor or paid to the developers and creators (“Developer Exchange Fees”). The Company is the principal in the transaction with the end user as a result of controlling, hosting, and integrating the delivery of the virtual items to the end user. The Company records revenue gross as a principal and records fees paid to payment processors as a component of cost of revenue and fees paid to developers and creators as a component of developer exchange fees expense. Other Revenue Other revenue primarily consists of revenue from advertising, licenses, and royalties. The Company recognizes revenue based on the performance obligations of the underlying agreements, in an amount that reflects the consideration that the Company expects to be entitled to. Cost of Revenue —Cost of revenue primarily consists of payment processing fees charged by various distribution channels, as well as costs associated with the printing of prepaid cards. Deferred Cost of Revenue —The Company defers contract costs that are direct and incremental to obtaining user contracts (i.e., sales of Robux). Deferred cost of revenue consists of payment processing fees charged by third-party payment processors. Payment processing fees are amortized over the estimated period of time the virtual items are available to the user on the Roblox Platform (based on the nature of the virtual item as either consumable or durable) in proportion to the revenue recognized. The Company classifies deferred cost of revenue as short-term or long-term based on when the Company expects to recognize the expense. Deferred cost of revenue is periodically reviewed for impairment. Concentration of Credit Risk and Significant Customers —Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments, long-term investments and accounts receivables. Cash is deposited with high quality financial institutions and may, at times, exceed federally insured limits. Management believes that the financial institutions that hold the Company’s cash deposits are financially creditworthy and, accordingly, minimal credit risk exists with respect to those balances. Generally, these deposits may be redeemed upon demand and, therefore, bear minimal interest rate risk. As it relates to cash equivalents, short-term investments, and long-term investments, the Company’s investment policy limits the amount of credit exposure in its portfolio by imposing credit rating minimums and limiting purchases by security type and sector. The Company uses various distribution channels to collect and remit payments from users. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, one distribution channel accounted for 30% and 37% of our accounts receivable, respectively, while a second distribution channel accounted for 26% and 19% of our accounts receivable, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, one distribution channel processed 30%, 32%, and 35% of our overall revenue transactions, respectively, and a second distribution channel processed 17%, 18%, and 19% of our overall revenue transactions, respectively. Fair Value Hierarchy —Assets and liabilities recorded at fair value in the consolidated financial statements are categorized based upon the level of judgment associated with the inputs used to measure their fair value. Hierarchical levels, which are directly related to the amount of subjectivity, associated with the inputs to the valuation of these assets or liabilities are as follows: Level 1 —Inputs that are unadjusted, quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities at the measurement date. Level 2 —Inputs (other than quoted prices included in Level 1) that are either directly or indirectly observable for the asset or liability through correlation with market data at the measurement date and for the duration of the instrument’s anticipated life. Level 3 —Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities and which reflect management’s best estimate of what market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability at the measurement date. Consideration is given to the risk inherent in the valuation technique and the risk inherent in the inputs to the model. In determining fair value, the Company utilizes valuation techniques that maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs to the extent possible as well as considers counterparty credit risk in its assessment of fair value. Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash —Cash and cash equivalents primarily consisted of cash in hand and money market instruments with maturities of 90 days or less from the date of purchase. We had no restricted cash balances as of December 31, 2023 and 2022. Short-Term and Long-Term Investments —Realized gains and losses for all investments are determined using the specific-identification method and are reflected as a component of other income/(expense), net in the consolidated statements of operations. Debt Securities Short-term and long-term investments include corporate debt securities, commercial paper, U.S. Treasury securities, U.S. agency securities, foreign government securities, and certificates of deposits. Based on our intentions, all debt investments are classified as available-for-sale and are reported at fair value with unrealized gains and losses recorded as a separate component of other comprehensive income, net of tax. The Company determines the appropriate classification of its investments as short-term or long-term at the time of purchase and reevaluates such determination at each reporting period based on their respective maturity dates and the Company’s reasonable expectation with regard to those investments (e.g. expectations of future sales or redemptions). For debt securities in an unrealized loss position, we first consider whether we intend to or it is more likely than not that we will be required to sell the individual security prior to recovery of its amortized cost basis and if so, we adjust the carrying value of security down to its fair value, with the amount of the write-down recorded as a realized loss within other income/(expense), net. Otherwise, we determine whether a decline in fair value is attributable to a partial or full credit loss by reviewing factors such as the extent to which the fair value is less than the amortized cost basis, changes in interest rates since the purchase of the security, the financial condition of the issuer, including changes in credit ratings, the remaining payment terms of the security, as well as any adverse conditions specifically related to the security, the issuer’s industry or its geographic area. If a credit loss exists, we adjust the carrying value by recording expense within other income/(expense), net equal to the amount of the credit loss, with such amount limited to the amount of the unrealized loss. Subsequent recoveries of fair value originally attributed to a credit loss are subsequently recognized as income within other income/(expense), net. Finally, any unrealized loss not deemed to be attributable to a credit loss is recognized as component of other comprehensive income/(loss), net of tax. For purposes of identifying and measuring credit losses, the Company excludes any related accrued interest from both the fair value and amortized cost basis of the investment. Accrued interest receivable, net of the allowance for credit losses (if any), is recorded as a component of prepaid expenses and other current assets in our consolidated financial statements. Equity Securities with Readily Determinable Fair Value Short-term investments include mutual fund investments related to the Company’s nonqualified deferred compensation plan, which are held in a rabbi trust. The Company classifies these investments as trading securities as the rabbi trust actively manages the asset allocation to match the participants’ hypothetical fund allocations. The Company considers investments held in the rabbi trust to be restricted given their withdrawal and general use is legally restricted. All equity inve stments are reported at fair value, with unrealized gains and losses recorded within other income/(expense), net in our consolidated statement of operations. Accounts Receivable and Related Allowances — Accounts receivable represent amounts due to us based on contractual obligations with our customers. Payments made by the Company’s users are collected by payment processors and remitted to the Company generally within 30 days of invoicing. The Company maintains allowances for potential credit losses when deemed necessary. The Company has not experienced any material credit losses to date. In cases where the Company is aware of circumstances that may impair a specific customer’s ability to meet its financial obligations, it records a specific allowance as a reduction to the accounts receivable balance to reduce it to its net realizable value. In addition, the Company holds a reserve for chargebacks and refunds based on historical data and current trends and projections. Specific allowances, chargeback, and refund reserves have not been material for any of the periods presented. Property and Equipment—Net — Property and equipment are recorded at historical cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation and amortization are recorded on a straight line basis over the estimated useful lives of the respective assets. Repair and maintenance costs are expensed as incurred. The estimated useful life for each asset category is as follows: Property and Equipment Estimated Useful Life Servers and related equipment 5 years Computer hardware and software 2 - 5 years Furniture and fixtures 2 years Leasehold improvements Shorter of remaining lease term or estimated useful life Goodwill and Intangible Assets —Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of net assets acquired in a business combination and is allocated to reporting units expected to benefit from the business combination. Goodwill is not amortized but rather tested for impairment annually in the fourth quarter, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that goodwill may be impaired. When conducting our annual goodwill impairment assessment, we perform a quantitative evaluation by comparing the estimated fair value of our single reporting unit, determined using the Company’s market capitalization as of the testing date, to its carrying value. Goodwill impairment is recognized when the quantitative assessment results in the carrying value exceeding the fair value, in which case an impairment charge is recorded to the extent the carrying value exceeds the fair value. There were no impairment charges to goodwill during any of the periods presented. Intangible assets with finite lives are carried at cost, less accumulated amortization. Intangible assets with finite lives are generally amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of the respective asset, generally up to 5 years, or in the case of acquired patents, up to 10 years. Business Combinations and Asset Acquisitions —To determine whether a transaction is accounted for as an asset acquisition or business combination, the Company applies a screen test to evaluate if substantially all of the fair value of the gross assets acquired is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or group of similar identifiable assets. If the screen test does not result in substantially all of the fair value concentrated in a single identifiable asset or group of similar identifiable assets, the Company performs a second test to evaluate whether the assets and activities transferred include inputs and substantive processes that together, significantly contribute to the ability to create outputs, which would constitute a business. If the result of the second test indicates that the acquired assets and activities constitute a business, the Company accounts for the transaction as a business combination. For business combinations, the purchase consideration is allocated to the tangible assets acquired, liabilities assumed, and intangible assets acquired based on their respective estimated fair values. The excess of the fair value of purchase consideration over their fair values is recorded as goodwill. The Company’s estimates of fair value are based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable, but which are inherently uncertain and unpredictable, and as a result, actual results may differ from estimates . As a result, during the measurement period, which may be up to one year following the acquisition date, if new information is obtained about facts and circumstances that existed as of the acquisition date, the Company may record adjustments to the fair value of these assets and liabilities, with the corresponding offset to goodwill. Upon the conclusion of the measurement period or final determination of the values of assets acquired or liabilities assumed, whichever comes first, any subsequent adjustments are recorded within the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. The Company accounts for a transaction as an asset acquisition when substantially all of the fair value of the gross assets acquired is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or group of similar identifiable assets, or otherwise does not meet the definition of a business. Asset acquisition-related costs are capitalized as part of the asset or assets acquired. Software Development Costs —The Company incurs costs related to developing the Roblox Platform and related support systems. The Company capitalizes development costs when preliminary development efforts are successfully completed, management has authorized and committed project funding, and it is probable that the project will be completed and the software will be used as intended. Development costs meeting the Company’s capitalization criteria were not material during the periods presented. Impairment of Long-Lived Assets— The Company periodically evaluates the carrying value of long-lived assets to be held and used when indicators of impairment exist. The carrying value of a long-lived asset to be held and used is considered impaired when the estimated separately identifiable undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use of the asset and its eventual disposition are less than the carrying value of the asset. In that event, an impairment loss is recognized based on the amount by which the carrying value exceeds the fair value of the long-lived asset. Significant judgment is required to estimate the amount and timing of future cash flows and the relative risk of achieving those cash flows. Assumptions and estimates about future values and remaining useful lives are complex and often subjective. They can be affected by a variety of factors, including external factors such as industry and economic trends, and internal factors such as changes in the Company’s business strategy and internal forecasts. Developer Exchange Fees Expense —The Company has established an incentive program for developers and creators to build and operate virtual experiences within the Roblox environment. Developers and creators can earn Robux through the sale of access to their experiences and enhancements in their experiences, the sale of content and tools between developers through the Creator Store, and the sale of items to users through the Marketplace. Developers can also earn Robux through our engagement-based reward program that rewards developers based on the share of time that Roblox Premium subscribers engage in their experience. Under certain conditions, and in compliance with applicable law, these developers and creators are eligible to receive a cash payout based on the amount of accumulated earned Robux through our Developer Exchange Program. In order to be qualified for our Developer Exchange Program and eligible to exchange earned Robux for real-world currency, developers and creators must meet certain conditions, such as having earned the minimum amount of Robux required to qualify for the program, a verified developer account, and an account in good standing. On January 31, 2022, we reduced the minimum amount of earned Robux required to qualify for the program from 100,000 Robux to 50,000 Robux and subsequently on January 31, 2023, we further reduced the minimum requirement from 50,000 Robux to 30,000 Robux. The Company recognizes the expense associated with the Developer Exchange Program as Robux are earned by developers and creators that are qualified and registered in the Developer Exchange Program. Infrastructure and Trust & Safety Expense —Infrastructure and trust & safety expense consists primarily of expenses related to the operation of our data centers and technical infrastructure in order to deliver our Platform to our users and are expensed as incurred. Infrastructure expenses also include personnel costs and allocated overhead for employees and team members whose primary responsibilities relate to supporting our infrastructure and trust & safety initiatives. Research and Development Cost — Research and development costs consist primarily of personnel costs and allocated overhead and are expensed as incurred. Research and development costs also include expenses associated with our Game Fund program, which funds certain developers up front to develop new types of experiences for the Platform. Stock-Based Compensation Expense — The Company measures and recognizes stock-based compensation expense for all stock-based awards, including stock options, unregistered restricted stock awards (“RSAs”), restricted stock units (“RSUs”), and performance stock units (“PSUs”) granted to employees, directors, and non-employees, and stock purchase rights granted under the 2020 ESPP to employees, based on the estimated grant date fair value of the awards. The fair value of each stock option and stock purchase right granted is estimated using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model and is recognized as compensation expense on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the awards. The Black-Scholes option pricing model requires certain subjective inputs and assumptions, including the fair value of the Company’s Class A common stock, the expected term, risk-free interest rates, expected stock price volatility, and expected dividend yield of our Class A common stock. The assumptions used to determine the fair value of the option awards represent management’s best estimates. These estimates involve inherent uncertainties and the application of management’s judgment. These assumptions and estimates are as follows: • Fair value of Class A common stock— Prior to the Direct Listing, the fair value of the shares of Class A common stock underlying the stock options and RSUs has historically been determined by the Company’s Board of Directors along with management as there was no public market for the underlying common stock. The Company’s Board of Directors along with management determined the fair value of the Company’s common stock by considering a number of objective and subjective factors including: contemporaneous third-party valuations of its common stock, the valuation of comparable companies, sales of the Company’s common and convertible preferred stock to outside investors in arms-length transactions, the Company’s operating and financial performance, the lack of marketability, and the general and industry specific economic outlook, amongst other factors. After the completion of the Direct listing, the fair value of the Company’s Class A common stock is determined based on the NYSE closing price on the date of grant. • Expected term—The expected term represents the period that stock-based awards are expected to be outstanding. The expected term assumptions are determined based on the vesting terms, estimated exercise behavior, post-vesting cancellations and contractual lives of the awards. • Risk-free interest rates—The risk-free interest rate is based on the implied yields in effect at the time of the grant of U.S. Treasury notes with terms approximately equal to the expected term of the award. • Expected stock price volatility— Prior to the Direct Listing, the Company used the historical volatility of the Class A common stock price of similar publicly-traded peer companies. After the completion of the Direct Listing, the Company continues to use the historical volatility of the stock price of similar publicly traded peer companies since it has not established sufficient public trading history. • Expected dividend yield—The Company utilizes a dividend yield of zero, as it has no history or plan of declaring dividends on its common stock. RSUs granted by the Company prior to March 2021 vest upon the satisfaction of both a service-based vesting condition, which is typically four years, a |
