Goodbye to Roblox on Linux with their new anti-cheat and Wine blocking:
You might have seen recently that I covered the upcoming updates for Roblox*, and now it's here blocking Wine with their new anti-cheat. This means you won't be able to play it on Linux any more, at all, unless you find some sort of special workaround.
Previously the roll-out of this update was being tested only with some users. Now though it's here for everyone giving a 64 bit client and introducing their Hyperion anti-cheat software which they are intentionally blocking Wine with. Naturally plenty of Roblox fans on Linux are upset by this, asking their team for updates on what their plans are.
In a fresh statement on their official developer forum one of their staff said this, in reply to users asking about updates in regards to Linux support:
Hi - thanks for the question. I definitely get where you're coming from, and as you point out, you deserve a clear, good-faith answer. Unfortunately that answer is essentially "no."
[...] Again, I'm personally sorry to have to say this. Way back in 2000 I had a few patches accepted into the kernel, and I led the port of Roblox game servers from Windows to Linux several years ago. From a technical and philosophical perspective, it would be a wonderful thing to do. But our first responsibility is to our overall community, and the opportunity cost of supporting a Linux client is far, far too high to justify.
They're clearly not going to be releasing a Native Linux build, which I think most people probably already knew, but at least previously they repeatedly said that Wine was a "priority" to support but now it doesn't sound as likely going by the above.
What is Roblox? Roblox is an app that allows users to play a wide variety of games, create games, and chat with others online. It combines gaming, social media, and social commerce. Billing itself as the “ultimate virtual universe,” Roblox experiences are places where users can socialize, build their own spaces, and even earn and spend virtual money.
Apparently, it is very "popular with kids".
(Score: 1) by whatevs on Wednesday May 17, @01:03AM
My kids really like Roblox, but they only have Linux on their desktops. It was a pain to get working, it would occasionally break, but I kept it running for them because, like I said, they *really* enjoyed it. As a reward for doing their chores and good behavior I've also been providing them with a steady stream of Robux cards.
On the one hand, I look forward to not having to deal with the random breakages and spending money on something I think is a waste of time, but I do regret that they wont be able to continue playing something they enjoy so much.