Rewarded Video Ads, APIs & Holiday Themes

Beyond The Blox
19 November 2025
Adam and Fedor looking at a mockup of Roblox UI offering the user a chance to watch an ad for an extra life.
Adam and Fedor looking at a mockup of Roblox UI offering the user a chance to watch an ad for an extra life.

This week has been absolutely packed with announcements for both players and developers. From new revenue streams to massive workflow improvements in Roblox Studio, there is a lot to cover. Let's dive right in.

Rewarded Video Ads for Everyone

First up, Rewarded Video Ads have officially rolled out to all ads-eligible creators. This feature has been in beta for a little while, but now it is available to any public experience with at least 2,000 monthly visitors (provided it meets the other eligibility criteria regarding user creation and AI).

The concept is simple but powerful: players can choose to watch a short video ad in exchange for an in-game reward. We have seen this format work successfully in mobile gaming for years, and it is great to finally see it on Roblox.

It bridges a crucial gap. Previously, if a player fell off a level in an obby and wanted to respawn, their only option might have been to pay Robux. If they didn't have Robux, they were out of luck. Now, they can spend 30 seconds of their time instead. This drives engagement and gives non-paying users access to premium benefits, while developers still get compensated for their work.

Roblox also ensures quality control by managing ad availability—developers have to check if an ad is ready to show before offering it, preventing the spammy "ad after ad" experience often seen elsewhere.

Studio Reimport (Beta)

For the 3D modelers out there, this one is a game-changer. Roblox has launched the Studio Reimport workflow in beta.

If you have ever imported a mesh from Blender into Studio, spent hours setting up textures, welds, and physics, only to realize there is a tiny hole in the geometry, you know the pain. Previously, fixing that meant re-uploading the mesh and re-doing all that setup work in Studio.

With the new Reimport feature, Studio maintains a link to your local files. You can fix the mesh in your modeling software, hit "Reimport" in Studio, and it updates the asset in place without overwriting your properties, materials, or scripts.

There are still some limitations—it doesn't currently support rigs or avatars—but for static meshes, this is a massive quality-of-life improvement that will save developers countless hours.

Content Sharing APIs (Beta)

We have talked about Roblox Moments in previous episodes, and now Roblox is opening up that technology to everyone. The new Content Sharing APIs (now in beta) allow developers to build their own in-experience content creation and discovery systems.

This includes:

  • Upload API: Prompt players to publish their captures to the Roblox cloud.
  • Recommendation API: Build systems to surface that content to other users within your game.

Whether it is a highlight reel from a race or a "best strikes" compilation in a bowling game, you can now keep that social loop entirely inside your experience. Roblox has even open-sourced the code for their Moments experience to help developers get started.

Festive Marketplace Updates

Get ready for the holidays! For the month of December, the "Today's Picks" sort on the Marketplace will be de-prioritized in favor of festive-themed categories.

We will see themes like:

  • Black Friday (Monochromatic/Dark items)
  • Ugly Sweaters
  • Snow Business (Snowy items)
  • Jelly Elves
  • Evergreen (Pine themes)
  • Holiday Party
  • Such a Gift (Boxes and bows)
  • Solid Glow
  • Welcome 2026

This feels like a modern, UGC-driven evolution of the classic Roblox holiday sales we used to love. It is a great opportunity for creators to showcase their seasonal items. Roblox is currently accepting nominations for these categories, so check the links below if you have items to submit.

Studio Script Sync (Beta)

In another win for developer workflows, Studio Script Sync has entered beta. This feature allows you to sync your game's scripts to your local computer, edit them in your preferred external editor (like VS Code, Sublime, or an AI editor like Windsurf), and have changes sync back to Studio automatically.

While tools like Rojo have existed for years to solve this problem, they often require complex configuration and knowledge of Git and file management that can be daunting for newer developers. Studio Script Sync offers a native, "it just works" solution.

You can edit locally to take advantage of better theming, autocomplete, or Copilot features, while Roblox remains the source of truth. It simplifies the process significantly and removes the risk of overwriting your entire replicated storage because of a config error!

Video Previews on Game Pages

The way we showcase our games is changing. The old system of linking a YouTube video for a fee is being replaced by native Video Previews.

Creators can now upload short gameplay clips directly to Roblox to autoplay on their game page. Best of all? It is free, with a quota of three uploads per month.

There is a catch to be aware of: Roblox specifies that these videos must show "real in-game gameplay without misleading edits, off-platform footage, or heavy post-production effects." This means no cinematic drone shots rendered in Blender that look nothing like the actual game. While this might limit some artistic trailers, it is a huge win for players who want to know exactly what they are getting into before they hit play.

"Buy Robux" Pass Bundles

Finally, a really interesting experiment is rolling out widely. Developers can now opt-in to offer a free game pass or developer product to players when they purchase Robux on the website.

If a player has been active in your game and goes to buy Robux, Roblox might present them with an offer: "Buy this Robux bundle and get [Your Game Pass] for free."

This is a win-win. The player gets a free bonus, and the developer gets a user who is now more invested in their game and has fresh Robux to spend. It is a great retention tool that costs the developer nothing in lost revenue (since they wouldn't have made the sale otherwise) but adds significant value.


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