In December 2022, we hosted our annual Hack Week. Throughout this week, Robloxians put our values into motion by pursuing initiatives that drive fast innovation. This was our largest annual self-organized occasion so far, with over 400 staff throughout 225 groups competing for a spot within the prime three in every of 4 classes.
Unleashing Curiosity and Driving Innovation for Our Platform
Hack Week takes place throughout our annual code freeze, which supplies everybody throughout Roblox time to pursue a various set of initiatives. We take no matter has piqued our curiosity all year long and act on it. A number of previous initiatives have gone on to turn out to be fully-implemented merchandise or options on the platform.
So, what’s the key to lining up an superior Hack Week undertaking? It’s all about taking huge dangers and asking huge questions. “We’re speaking about reimagining the best way individuals come collectively,” shares Dave Baszucki, Founder & CEO. “We’re speaking in regards to the evolution of communication know-how, all the best way from cellphone to video to immersive 3D. I believe one of many largest issues that this week does is validate our imaginative and prescient. It’s not 20 years away. It’s one thing that we’re making progress on yearly. Hack Week is the last word definition of innovation at scale.”
This yr, initiatives reached all components of the platform and technical stack. Listed below are a few of this yr’s initiatives to point out the breadth of what groups labored on:
- Supporting stay performances in Roblox with the creation of an open-source plugin that permits streaming of audio and movement seize knowledge to drive avatars within the expertise.
- A picture filter element that can permit our builders to control their photographs so their experiences have a particular type.
- A framework to carry out widespread debugging and testing actions that will probably be accessible on all shopper platforms.
- A dashboard to investigate the official Creator Documentation and supply details about easy methods to enhance its protection and high quality.
Including a New Stage of Competitors
“Hack Week is certainly not per week off. It’s a week on for the people who find themselves taking part,” says Claus Moberg, VP of Engineering and Hack Week organizer. “We work exhausting at Roblox, however this can be the toughest that anyone works all yr. You could have a really brief time interval to get your undertaking achieved. And it’s aggressive.”
In previous years, senior leaders evaluated and hand-selected initiatives that have been notably progressive to share out with all the firm. This yr, we developed a judging and scoring course of to determine one of the best of one of the best. Throughout registration, groups chosen one of many 4 firm values for his or her initiatives, which additionally decided the judging classes. To submit, groups created a three-minute-long video that showcased their work. A panel of over a dozen judges – senior leaders from throughout Roblox – evaluated every submission, narrowing down the initiatives to finalists. On the yr’s final City Corridor, the finalists introduced, answered questions, after which awaited last placements.
As one of many judges, Claus appeared for a few attributes in every undertaking. “I’m actually excited to see every little thing from huge long-term innovation to near-term tactical options. Total, I’m searching for initiatives that talk to our core firm values and have influence on our customers, staff, and on Roblox as a complete.”
The Winners
Hack Week closed with an awards celebration the place the finalists realized about their placements of their respective classes and claimed their Hack Week trophies. Stef Corazza, Head of Studio Engineering – Creator, was a member of the workforce that took house the 2nd place trophy within the Take the Lengthy View class. His workforce’s undertaking centered round bringing stay performances to Roblox. Whereas profitable was nice, his favourite half about Hack Week was, “… actually in regards to the workforce and the way we got here collectively. All six of us had totally different ability units with very totally different backgrounds.”
Two highlights caught out for first place winners of the We’re Accountable class Kevin Koleckar and Nicholas Choi. “Attending to collaborate with somebody that I’m not normally collaborating with was my favourite half,” says Kevin. “Nick and I’ve been on the identical workforce prior to now, however during the last yr, we’ve labored on various things. Hack Week gave us the possibility to return again and work on one thing collectively.”
For Nick, Hack Week created area to pursue one thing he’s been desirous about. “Our undertaking has been one thing I’ve been fascinated with doing for a extremely very long time, so it was simply actually thrilling to see it come to fruition.”
Based on Claus, it’s not all about profitable. “There are such a lot of initiatives which can be unbelievable and that actually are the way forward for the platform. The entire work that folks have put in is being acknowledged by leaders on the firm and goes to be shared with the groups which can be chargeable for these areas. Each single undertaking has the potential to tell how our product is constructed transferring ahead.”
Claus continues, “Hack Week at Roblox is admittedly core to our tradition of innovation. Yearly, we see initiatives that blow our minds. The best way our groups assault these huge questions and discover options to issues no one has constructed earlier than… Hack Week is among the biggest examples of Roblox’s method to innovation.”
Try a spotlight reel of the profitable groups and their initiatives:
