In December 2022, we hosted our annual Hack Week. Throughout this week, Robloxians put our values into motion by pursuing tasks that drive speedy innovation. This was our largest annual self-organized occasion thus 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 tasks. We take no matter has piqued our curiosity all year long and act on it. A number of previous tasks have gone on to turn into fully-implemented merchandise or options on the platform.
So, what’s the key to lining up an superior Hack Week venture? It’s all about taking massive dangers and asking massive questions. “We’re speaking about reimagining the best way folks come collectively,” shares Dave Baszucki, Founder & CEO. “We’re speaking in regards to the evolution of communication expertise, all the best way from cellphone to video to immersive 3D. I feel one of many greatest 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, tasks reached all components of the platform and technical stack. Listed here are a few of this yr’s tasks to point out the breadth of what groups labored on:
- Supporting stay performances in Roblox with the creation of an open-source plugin that enables streaming of audio and movement seize knowledge to drive avatars within the expertise.
- A picture filter element that may permit our builders to control their photos so their experiences have a particular model.
- 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 learn how to enhance its protection and high quality.
Including a New Stage of Competitors
“Hack Week is certainly not every 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 onerous at Roblox, however this can be the toughest that any person works all yr. You may have a really brief time interval to get your venture carried out. And it’s aggressive.”
In previous years, senior leaders evaluated and hand-selected tasks that have been significantly progressive to share out with your complete firm. This yr, we developed a judging and scoring course of to determine the perfect of the perfect. Throughout registration, groups chosen one of many 4 firm values for his or her tasks, 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 tasks to finalists. On the yr’s final City Corridor, the finalists offered, answered questions, after which awaited closing placements.
As one of many judges, Claus seemed for a few attributes in every venture. “I’m actually excited to see all the pieces from large long-term innovation to near-term tactical options. Total, I’m searching for tasks that talk to our core firm values and have influence on our customers, staff, and on Roblox as an entire.”
The Winners
Hack Week closed with an awards celebration the place the finalists discovered 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 crew that took house the 2nd place trophy within the Take the Lengthy View class. His crew’s venture centered round bringing stay performances to Roblox. Whereas profitable was nice, his favourite half about Hack Week was, “… actually in regards to the crew and the way we got here collectively. All six of us had completely different ability units with very completely 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 often collaborating with was my favourite half,” says Kevin. “Nick and I’ve been on the identical crew previously, however over the past yr, we’ve labored on various things. Hack Week gave us the prospect to come back again and work on one thing collectively.”
For Nick, Hack Week created house to pursue one thing he’s been excited by. “Our venture has been one thing I’ve been fascinated with doing for a very very long time, so it was simply actually thrilling to see it come to fruition.”
In line with Claus, it’s not all about profitable. “There are such a lot of tasks which might be unimaginable and that basically are the way forward for the platform. All the work that individuals have put in is being acknowledged by leaders on the firm and goes to be shared with the groups which might be chargeable for these areas. Each single venture has the potential to tell how our product is constructed shifting ahead.”
Claus continues, “Hack Week at Roblox is actually core to our tradition of innovation. Yearly, we see tasks that blow our minds. The best way our groups assault these massive questions and discover options to issues no one has constructed earlier than… Hack Week is likely one of the best examples of Roblox’s strategy to innovation.”
Try a spotlight reel of the profitable groups and their tasks:
