In December 2022, we hosted our annual Hack Week. Throughout this week, Robloxians put our values into motion by pursuing tasks that drive fast innovation. This was our largest annual self-organized occasion up to now, 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 develop 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 large dangers and asking large questions. “We’re speaking about reimagining the way in which individuals come collectively,” shares Dave Baszucki, Founder & CEO. “We’re speaking concerning the evolution of communication know-how, all the way in which from cellphone to video to immersive 3D. I feel 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 12 months, tasks reached all elements of the platform and technical stack. Listed here are a few of this 12 months’s tasks to indicate 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 information to drive avatars within the expertise.
A picture filter element that can enable our builders to govern their photos so their experiences have a particular fashion.
A framework to carry out frequent debugging and testing actions that might be accessible on all consumer platforms.
A dashboard to investigate the official Creator Documentation and supply details about the best way to enhance its protection and high quality.
Including a New Degree of Competitors
“Hack Week is certainly not per week off. It’s a week on for the people who find themselves collaborating,” says Claus Moberg, VP of Engineering and Hack Week organizer. “We work exhausting at Roblox, however this can be the toughest that any individual works all 12 months. You may have a really quick time interval to get your venture accomplished. And it’s aggressive.”
In previous years, senior leaders evaluated and hand-selected tasks that have been notably revolutionary to share out with the whole firm. This 12 months, we developed a judging and scoring course of to determine the most effective of the most effective. 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 12 months’s final City Corridor, the finalists introduced, answered questions, after which awaited closing placements.
As one of many judges, Claus regarded for a few attributes in every venture. “I’m actually excited to see all the things from huge long-term innovation to near-term tactical options. Total, I’m in search of tasks that talk to our core firm values and have affect 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 venture centered round bringing stay performances to Roblox. Whereas successful was nice, his favourite half about Hack Week was, “… actually concerning 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 12 months, 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 concerned with. “Our venture has been one thing I’ve been occupied with doing for a extremely very long time, so it was simply actually thrilling to see it come to fruition.”
In accordance with Claus, it’s not all about successful. “There are such a lot of tasks which might be unimaginable and that actually are the way forward for the platform. All the work that folks have put in is being acknowledged by leaders on the firm and goes to be shared with the groups which might be liable 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 de facto core to our tradition of innovation. Yearly, we see tasks that blow our minds. The way in which our groups assault these large questions and discover options to issues no person has constructed earlier than… Hack Week is without doubt one of the best examples of Roblox’s strategy to innovation.”
Take a look at a spotlight reel of the successful groups and their tasks:
