Roblox Shares Slide After Q3 Earnings Disappoint

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Roblox(NYSE: RBLX) reported third-quarter results this morning that exposed a fundamental tension in the platform's story. User engagement and monetization are accelerating sharply. Revenue, however, fell well short of expectations, landing at $1.36 billion versus the $1.70 billion consensus estimate. The stock fell more than 12% on the miss, but buyers are trimming that loss, suggesting investors are focusing on the momentum beneath the headline disappointment.

Where the Real Growth Is Happening

The engagement data tells a different story than the revenue line. Daily active users jumped 70% year over year to 151.5 million. Hours engaged surged 91% to 39.6 billion. Bookings, which represent the economic value of transactions on the platform, grew 70% to $1.92 billion. Operating cash flow more than doubled to $546.2 million, and free cash flow reached $442.6 million, up 103% from the year-ago quarter.

Cash on hand increased 69% to $1.02 billion. These metrics reflect a platform firing on multiple cylinders. CEO David Baszucki framed the quarter as progress toward capturing 10% of the global gaming market, crediting "new viral hits" and investments in creator economics and platform performance. The company is clearly executing on user acquisition and retention.

The Revenue Problem

The revenue shortfall raises a critical question: why is engagement exploding while top-line results disappoint? The company guided for Q4 revenue of $1.35 billion to $1.40 billion, suggesting sequential weakness into the holiday quarter. That guidance also implies full-year 2025 revenue of $4.83 billion to $4.88 billion, still representing solid growth but not the acceleration the market may have been pricing in.

Bookings guidance of 50% to 51% year-over-year growth for the full year shows monetization is holding up. The disconnect between bookings growth and revenue growth suggests timing or recognition issues that warrant scrutiny during the earnings call.

Key Figures

Revenue: $1.36B (vs. $1.70B expected); up 48% year over year Net loss per share: $0.37 (vs. estimate of $0.50); loss narrowing Operating loss: $296.5M (vs. $278.9M in Q3 2024) Daily active users: 151.5M; up 70% YoY Hours engaged: 39.6B; up 91% YoY Bookings: $1.92B; up 70% YoY Operating cash flow: $546.2M; up 121% YoY Free cash flow: $442.6M; up 103% YoY

The most striking number here is bookings growth outpacing revenue growth. That gap suggests the company is managing the monetization-to-revenue conversion differently than in prior periods, or that a portion of bookings is being deferred.

Story Continues

What Management Said

Baszucki emphasized the health of the platform and creator ecosystem. His tone was optimistic about the trajectory. The focus on creator economics and discovery improvements signals where the company believes its competitive advantage lies. Management did not offer aggressive commentary on near-term acceleration, instead emphasizing execution and the long-term market opportunity.

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