Strong year over year growth in Daily Active Users, Hours Engaged and Bookings

SAN MATEO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Roblox Corporation (NYSE: RBLX), a global platform bringing millions of people together through shared experiences, released its fourth quarter and full year 2022 financial and operational results today as well as key metrics for the month of January 2023. Separately, Roblox posted a letter to shareholders and supplemental materials on the Roblox investor relations website at ir.roblox.com.

Fourth Quarter 2022 Financial and Operational Highlights

  • Revenue was $579.0 million, up 2% year-over-year, and up 3% year-over-year on a constant currency basis1
  • Net cash provided by operating activities was $119.2 million and free cash flow was $(38.0) million
  • Bookings were $899.4 million, up 17% year-over-year, and up 21% year-over-year on a constant currency basis1
  • Average Daily Active Users (DAUs) were 58.8 million, up 19% year-over-year
  • Hours engaged were 12.8 billion, up 18% year-over-year
  • Average bookings per DAU (ABPDAU) was $15.29, down 2% year-over-year, and up 2% year-over-year on a constant currency basis1

Full Year 2022 Financial and Operational Highlights

  • Revenue was $2.2 billion, up 16% year-over-year, and up 17% year-over-year on a constant currency basis1
  • Net cash provided by operating activities was $369.3 million and free cash flow was $(58.4) million
  • Bookings were $2.9 billion, up 5% year-over-year, and up 9% year-over-year on a constant currency basis1
  • Average DAUs were 56.0 million, up 23% year-over-year
  • Hours engaged were 49.3 billion, up 19% year-over-year
  • ABPDAU was $51.29, down 14% year-over-year, and down 11% year-over-year on a constant currency basis1

January 2023 Key Metrics

  • Estimated revenue was between $213 million and $216 million, up 22% – 24% year-over-year, and up 24% – 26% year-over-year on a constant currency basis1, 2
  • Estimated bookings were between $267 million and $271 million, up 19% – 21% year-over-year, and up 22% – 24% year-over-year on a constant currency basis1
  • Average DAUs were 65.0 million, up 19% year-over-year
  • Hours engaged were 5.0 billion, up 19% year-over-year
  • Estimated ABPDAU was between $4.11 and $4.17, up 0% – 2% year-over-year, and up 3% – 4% year-over-year on a constant currency basis1

“2022 was a year of innovation and invention for Roblox,” said David Baszucki, Founder and CEO of Roblox. “With 65 million daily active users in January, we are driving towards our vision to reimagine the way people come together by enabling deeper forms of expression, communication and immersion.”

“Bookings accelerated meaningfully in December and January, with year over year growth exceeding 20% in both months. Growth was strong across all geographies and age groups with particular strength among users above 17 years old,” said Michael Guthrie, Chief Financial Officer of Roblox. “As bookings re-accelerated late in 2022, we saw immediate improvements in adjusted EBITDA margins. For the full year, we were able to make important investments in infrastructure and trust and safety largely out of cash flow from operations.”

Discontinuation of Monthly Key Metrics Releases

Following the expected release of March 2023 monthly metrics in April 2023, the Company will cease publishing monthly metrics. By April 2023, we will have published monthly metrics over our first eight quarters as a public company. While we think that has provided incremental information to investors regarding the seasonality of the business, we have decided to cease providing monthly metrics to align our reporting cadence with our value of taking the long view. Key metrics will continue to be published on a quarterly basis aligned with the Company’s other quarterly disclosures, including its shareholder letter and other quarterly publications.

Earnings Q&A Session

Roblox will host a live Q&A session to answer questions regarding their fourth quarter and full year 2022 results on Wednesday, February 15, 2023 at 5:30 a.m. Pacific Time/8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. The webcast will be open to the public at ir.roblox.com or by clicking here.

____________________

1

Constant currency is calculated by converting our current period revenue, bookings and ABPDAU into U.S. dollars using the comparative prior period’s monthly exchange rates for our non-USD currencies, rather than the actual average exchange rates in effect during the current period. Particularly during 2022, the strengthening of the U.S. Dollar against foreign currencies, most notably the Euro and British Pound, has had an adverse impact on revenue, bookings and ABPDAU. By adjusting revenue, bookings and ABPDAU for constant currency, we are able to provide a framework for assessing how our business performed excluding the effect of foreign currency rate fluctuations.

2

During the quarter ended March 31, 2022, the Company updated its paying user life estimate from 23 months to 25 months. As a result of this change in estimate, January 2022 estimated revenue (as reported on February 15, 2022) was adjusted down by approximately $32 million. The year over comparisons are based on the adjusted revenue number for January 2022 using the 25 month life.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including but not limited to, statements regarding our vision to connect people, our business, product, strategy and user growth, our investment strategy, including our capital allocation strategy, our opportunities for and expectations of improvements in financial and operating metrics, our expectation of successfully executing such strategies and plans, our expectations for our quarterly and monthly financial and operational results, disclosures and future growth rates, and our expectations of future net losses and net cash generation from operating activities, and statements by our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date they were first issued and were based on current plans, expectations, estimates, forecasts, and projections as well as the beliefs and assumptions of management and our plans for publishing monthly Key Metrics. Words such as “expect,” “vision,” “anticipate,” “look,” “maintain,” “should,” “believe,” “hope,” “target,” “continue,” “project,” “plan,” “goals,” “opportunity,” “estimate,” “potential,” “predict,” “may,” “will,” “might,” “could,” “would,” “intend,” “shall,” and “suggest,” and variations of these terms or the negative of these terms and similar expressions are intended to identify these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which involve factors or circumstances that are beyond our control. Our actual results could differ materially from those stated or implied in forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including but not limited to risks detailed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including our annual reports on Form 10-K, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other filings and reports we make with the SEC from time to time. In particular, the following factors, among others, could cause results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements: our ability to successfully execute our business and growth strategy; the sufficiency of our cash and cash equivalents to meet our liquidity needs; the impact of our senior notes and any future indebtedness on our business, financial condition and results of operations; the demand for our platform in general; our ability to increase our number of new users and revenue generated from users; our ability to retain and expand our user base; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and other macro economic trends (including currency exchange rates and inflation) on our business and the easing of restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic; the impact of changing legal and regulatory requirements on our business; the fluctuation of our results of operations and our key business measures on a quarterly basis in future periods, including as a result of changes in our accounting estimates; our ability to successfully develop and deploy new technologies to address the needs of our users; our ability to maintain and enhance our brand and reputation; our ability to hire and retain talent; news or social media coverage about Roblox, including but not limited to coverage that presents, or relies on, inaccurate, misleading, incomplete, or otherwise damaging information; any breach or access to user or third-party data; and our ability to maintain the security and availability of our platform. Additional information regarding these and other risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations is included in the reports we have filed or will file with the SEC, including our annual reports on Form 10-K and our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.

The forward-looking statements included in this press release represent our views as of the date of this press release. We anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause our views to change and all of our monthly financial results and operational metrics are subject to normal quarter end review and potential adjustments. We undertake no intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results and quarterly performance may materially differ from aggregation of the monthly financial and operating metrics for each month within the quarter.

ROBLOX CORPORATION

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(in thousands, except par values)

(unaudited)

 

 

As of

 

 

December 31,

 

December 31,

 

 

2022

 

2021

 
Assets
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents

$

2,977,474

 

$

3,004,300

 

Accounts receivable—net of allowances

 

379,353

 

 

307,349

 

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

 

61,641

 

 

32,091

 

Deferred cost of revenue, current portion

 

420,136

 

 

406,025

 

Total current assets

 

3,838,604

 

 

3,749,765

 

Property and equipment—net

 

592,346

 

 

271,352

 

Operating lease right-of-use assets

 

526,030

 

 

221,285

 

Deferred cost of revenue, long term

 

225,132

 

 

137,524

 

Intangible assets, net

 

54,717

 

 

59,666

 

Goodwill

 

134,335

 

 

118,071

 

Other assets

 

4,323

 

 

2,933

 

Total assets

$

5,375,487

 

$

4,560,596

 

Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable

$

71,182

 

$

64,395

 

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

 

236,006

 

 

180,769

 

Developer exchange liability

 

231,704

 

 

163,906

 

Deferred revenue—current portion

 

1,941,943

 

 

1,758,022

 

Total current liabilities

 

2,480,835

 

 

2,167,092

 

Deferred revenue—net of current portion

 

1,095,291

 

 

616,834

 

Operating lease liabilities

 

494,590

 

 

194,616

 

Long-term debt, net

 

988,984

 

 

987,723

 

Other long-term liabilities

 

10,752

 

 

1,408

 

Total liabilities

 

5,070,452

 

 

3,967,673

 

Stockholders’ Equity
Common stock, $0.0001 par value; 5,000,000 authorized as of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, 604,674 and 585,878 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively; Class A common stock—4,935,000 shares authorized as of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, 553,337 and 534,541 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively; Class B common stock—65,000 shares authorized as of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, 51,337 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021

 

59

 

 

58

 

 
Additional paid-in capital

 

2,213,603

 

 

1,568,638

 

Accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss)

 

671

 

 

62

 

Accumulated deficit

 

(1,908,307

)

 

(983,941

)

Total Roblox Corporation stockholders’ equity

 

306,026

 

 

584,817

 

Noncontrolling interests

 

(991

)

 

8,106

 

Total stockholders’ equity

 

305,035

 

 

592,923

 

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

$

5,375,487

 

$

4,560,596

 

 

ROBLOX CORPORATION

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(in thousands, except per share amounts)

(unaudited)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended
December 31,

 

Twelve Months Ended
December 31,

 

 

2022

 

2021

 

2022

 

2021

Revenue(1)

$

579,004

 

$

568,769

 

$

2,225,052

 

$

1,919,181

 

Cost and expenses:
Cost of revenue(1)(2)

 

142,432

 

 

151,988

 

 

547,658

 

 

496,870

 

Developer exchange fees

 

182,115

 

 

159,717

 

 

623,855

 

 

538,321

 

Infrastructure and trust & safety

 

198,505

 

 

135,989

 

 

689,081

 

 

456,498

 

Research and development

 

248,407

 

 

173,570

 

 

873,477

 

 

533,207

 

General and administrative

 

79,704

 

 

59,383

 

 

297,317

 

 

303,020

 

Sales and marketing

 

29,740

 

 

27,772

 

 

117,448

 

 

86,363

 

Total cost and expenses

 

880,903

 

 

708,419

 

 

3,148,836

 

 

2,414,279

 

Loss from operations

 

(301,899

)

 

(139,650

)

 

(923,784

)

 

(495,098

)

Interest income

 

21,636

 

 

33

 

 

38,842

 

 

92

 

Interest expense

 

(10,008

)

 

(6,998

)

 

(39,903

)

 

(6,998

)

Other income/(expense), net

 

1,988

 

 

14

 

 

(5,744

)

 

(1,796

)

Loss before income taxes

 

(288,283

)

 

(146,601

)

 

(930,589

)

 

(503,800

)

Provision for/(benefit from) income taxes

 

3,202

 

 

656

 

 

3,552

 

 

(320

)

Consolidated net loss

 

(291,485

)

 

(147,257

)

 

(934,141

)

 

(503,480

)

Net loss attributable to the noncontrolling interest

 

(1,559

)

 

(3,959

)

 

(9,775

)

 

(11,829

)

Net loss attributable to common stockholders

$

(289,926

)

$

(143,298

)

$

(924,366

)

$

(491,651

)

Net loss per share attributable to common stockholders, basic and diluted

$

(0.48

)

$

(0.25

)

$

(1.55

)

$

(0.97

)

Weighted-average shares used in computing net loss per share attributable to common stockholders – basic and diluted

 

601,859

 

 

581,535

 

 

595,559

 

 

505,858

 

(1)

In Q1 of 2022 our estimated user life changed from 23 months to 25 months. Subsequently, in Q3 of 2022 our estimated user life changed to 28 months. Based on the carrying amount of deferred revenue and deferred cost of revenue as of December 31, 2021, these changes resulted in a $344.9 million decrease in revenue during the twelve months ended December 31, 2022 and a $79.3 million decrease in cost of revenue during the same period.

(2)

Depreciation of servers and infrastructure equipment included in infrastructure and trust & safety.

 

ROBLOX CORPORATION

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(in thousands)

(unaudited)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended
December 31,

 

Twelve Months Ended
December 31,

 

 

2022

 

2021

 

2022

 

2021

Cash flows from operating activities:
Consolidated net loss

$

(291,485

)

$

(147,257

)

$

(934,141

)

$

(503,480

)

Adjustments to reconcile net loss including noncontrolling interests to net cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash provided by operations:
Depreciation and amortization

 

42,538

 

 

22,183

 

 

130,083

 

 

75,622

 

Stock-based compensation expense

 

169,456

 

 

120,220

 

 

589,498

 

 

341,942

 

Operating lease non-cash expense

 

19,985

 

 

11,858

 

 

69,100

 

 

43,794

 

Other non-cash charges/(credits)

 

395

 

 

(457

)

 

361

 

 

680

 

Amortization of debt issuance costs

 

321

 

 

216

 

 

1,261

 

 

216

 

Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of effect of acquisitions:
Accounts receivable

 

(192,427

)

 

(138,130

)

 

(72,479

)

 

(61,044

)

Accounts payable

 

18,633

 

 

23,599

 

 

10,302

 

 

23,369

 

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

 

8,835

 

 

5,908

 

 

(33,769

)

 

(13,593

)

Other assets

 

(1,719

)

 

2,821

 

 

(1,221

)

 

(1,367

)

Developer exchange liability

 

63,337

 

 

46,150

 

 

67,798

 

 

82,994

 

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

 

12,578

 

 

20,711

 

 

19,560

 

 

58,809

 

Other long-term liability

 

10,738

 

 

(167

)

 

10,159

 

 

(1,189

)

Operating lease liabilities

 

(14,886

)

 

(10,688

)

 

(47,875

)

 

(34,743

)

Deferred revenue

 

325,450

 

 

203,552

 

 

662,378

 

 

819,927

 

Deferred cost of revenue

 

(52,530

)

 

(38,296

)

 

(101,719

)

 

(172,828

)

Net cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash provided by operating activities

 

119,219

 

 

122,223

 

 

369,296

 

 

659,109

 

Cash flows from investing activities:
Acquisition of property and equipment

 

(157,205

)

 

(44,942

)

 

(426,163

)

 

(93,273

)

Payments related to business combination, net of cash acquired

 

(7,223

)

 

 

 

(13,388

)

 

(45,692

)

Purchases of intangible assets

 

 

 

 

 

(1,500

)

 

(7,856

)

Net cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash used in investing activities

 

(164,428

)

 

(44,942

)

 

(441,051

)

 

(146,821

)

Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from issuance of common stock

 

3,046

 

 

13,899

 

 

45,752

 

 

76,177

 

Payment of term license related obligations

 

(1,236

)

 

 

 

(1,656

)

 

 

Payment of withholding taxes related to net share settlement of restricted stock units

 

 

 

 

 

(150

)

 

 

Net proceeds from issuance of preferred stock

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

534,286

 

Proceeds from 2030 Notes

 

 

 

990,000

 

 

 

 

990,000

 

Payment of debt issuance cost

 

 

 

(2,339

)

 

(154

)

 

(2,339

)

Payments related to business combination, after acquisition date

 

 

 

 

 

(150

)

 

 

Net cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash provided by financing activities

 

1,810

 

 

1,001,560

 

 

43,642

 

 

1,598,124

 

 
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash

 

(634

)

 

(100

)

 

1,287

 

 

(55

)

 
Net increase in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash

 

(44,033

)

 

1,078,741

 

 

(26,826

)

 

2,110,357

 

Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash
Beginning of period

 

3,021,507

 

 

1,925,559

 

 

3,004,300

 

 

893,943

 

End of period

$

2,977,474

 

$

3,004,300

 

$

2,977,474

 

$

3,004,300

 

 

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release and the accompanying tables contain the non-GAAP financial measures bookings, free cash flow, and Adjusted EBITDA.

We use this non-GAAP financial information to evaluate our ongoing operations, for internal planning and forecasting purposes, and ongoing operating trends for purposes of analyzing the covenants specified in the indenture governing our senior notes due 2030. We believe that this non-GAAP financial information may be helpful to investors because it provides consistency and comparability with past financial performance.

Bookings is defined as revenue plus the change in deferred revenue during the period and other non-cash adjustments. Substantially all of our bookings are generated from sales of virtual currency, which can be converted to virtual items on the Roblox Platform. Sales of virtual currency reflected as bookings include one-time purchases or monthly subscriptions purchased via payment processors or through prepaid cards. Bookings also include an insignificant amount from advertising and licensing arrangements. We believe bookings provide a timelier indication of trends in our operating results that are not necessarily reflected in our revenue as a result of the fact that we recognize the majority of revenue over the estimated average lifetime of a paying user. The change in deferred revenue constitutes the vast majority of the reconciling difference from revenue to bookings. By removing these non-cash adjustments, we are able to measure and monitor our business performance based on the timing of actual transactions with our users and the cash that is generated from these transactions. Free cash flow represents the net cash provided by operating activities less purchases of property, equipment, and intangible assets acquired through asset acquisitions. We believe that free cash flow is a useful indicator of our unit economics and liquidity that provides information to management and investors about the amount of cash generated from our core operations that, after the purchases of property, equipment, and intangible assets acquired through asset acquisitions, can be used for strategic initiatives, including investing in our business, making strategic acquisitions, and strengthening our balance sheet. Adjusted EBITDA is a measure of operating performance used in certain covenant calculations specified in the indenture governing our senior notes due 2030 that is not calculated in accordance with GAAP and may not conform to the calculation of EBITDA in other circumstances. We believe that, when considered together with reported amounts, Adjusted EBITDA is useful to investors and management in understanding our ongoing operations and ongoing operating trends for purposes of analyzing the covenants specified in the indenture governing our senior notes due 2030.

Non-GAAP financial measures have limitations in their usefulness to investors because they have no standardized meaning prescribed by GAAP and are not prepared under any comprehensive set of accounting rules or principles. In addition, other companies, including companies in our industry, may calculate similarly titled non-GAAP financial measures differently or may use other measures to evaluate their performance, all of which could reduce the usefulness of our non-GAAP financial information as a tool for comparison. As a result, our non-GAAP financial information is presented for supplemental informational purposes only and should not be considered in isolation from, or as a substitute for financial information presented in accordance with GAAP.

A reconciliation table of the most comparable GAAP financial measure to each non-GAAP financial measure used in this press release is included at the end of this release. We encourage investors and others to review our business, results of operations, and financial information in their entirety, not to rely on any single financial measure, and to view these non-GAAP measures in conjunction with the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure.

The following table presents a reconciliation of revenue, the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP, to bookings, for each of the periods presented:

Three Months Ended
December 31,

 

Twelve Months Ended
December 31,

2022

 

2021

 

2022

 

2021

(dollars in thousands)

 

(dollars in thousands)

Reconciliation of revenue to bookings:
Revenue

$

579,004

 

$

568,769

 

$

2,225,052

 

$

1,919,181

 

Add (deduct):
Change in deferred revenue

 

325,450

 

 

203,552

 

 

662,378

 

 

819,927

 

Other

 

(5,020

)

 

(2,205

)

 

(15,172

)

 

(13,402

)

Bookings

$

899,434

 

$

770,116

 

$

2,872,258

 

$

2,725,706

 

 

As used in the press release, constant currency is calculated by converting our current period financial results into U.S. dollars using the comparative prior period’s monthly exchange rates for our non-USD currencies, rather than the actual average exchange rates in effect during the current period.

The following table presents a reconciliation of net cash from operating activities, the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP, to free cash flow, for each of the periods presented:

Three Months Ended
December 31,

 

Twelve Months Ended
December 31,

2022

 

2021

 

2022

 

2021

(dollars in thousands)

 

(dollars in thousands)

Reconciliation of net cash from operating activities to free cash flow:
Net cash provided by operating activities

$

119,219

 

$

122,223

 

$

369,296

 

$

659,109

 

Add (deduct):
Acquisition of property and equipment

 

(157,205

)

 

(44,942

)

 

(426,163

)

 

(93,273

)

Purchases of intangible assets

 

 

 

 

 

(1,500

)

 

(7,856

)

Free cash flow

$

(37,986

)

$

77,281

 

$

(58,367

)

$

557,980

 

Acquisition of property and equipment primarily includes servers, infrastructure equipment and tenant improvements.

Contacts

Stefanie Notaney
Roblox Corporate Communications
press@roblox.com

Read full story here

Fonte BUSINESS WIRE