asterune is a project i started in july of 2022 with the goal of creating a platform for building, sharing and playing games, like roblox. i wanted to create a platform that was more open and flexible than roblox, more focused and oriented towards the community as opposed to being focused on profit and shareholder satisfaction.
roblox, as it stands today, is advanced, but it's built on aging technology and is frequently caught in controversy. one of the major issues is its reliance on 'free labor' from young developers. whether or not roblox is directly responsible for this is a separate debate, but it's clear that the platform is far from perfect. being at the top often means prioritising corporate interests over meaningful change.
see official information about asterune at the solarius help center, this page is more of a personal perspective on the project
what makes asterune different
here are the core principles and features that set asterune apart from roblox. not comprehensive, but its what we're aiming for.
- (will be) open source. anyone can come in and directly contribute to the platform and its development, and the platform itself will be free to use and modify. this is in stark contrast to roblox, which is a closed-source platform whose future is dictated by the company rather than the community.
- privacy and security. asterune will maintain privacy by collecting only essential data and never using it for advertising purposes. while yes, data collection is rampant across many big tech platforms in the US, this remains a major concern for many users. roblox is no exception, has a pretty invasive privacy policy especially for a platform that caters to children.
- focus on quality. asterune will actively curate the content on the platform, ensuring only high-quality games are published. in addition, we'll offer feedback and resources to help developers improve their games. roblox, on the other hand, has a reputation for being a 'dumpster fire' of low-quality games. while this isn't entirely roblox's fault, the platform could do far more to support developers in creating better content and to filter out the bad stuff like skibidi toilet or poop tycoons.
- modern. asterune is being built on modern technologies to ensure efficiency, performance, and compatibility with all platforms. roblox, by contrast, is built on an aging engine, excludes linux users, suffers from a slow and clunky editor, and is riddled with performance issues.
how will you compete with roblox?
the goal of asterune isn't to “compete” with roblox, but rather to be a genuine alternative. we're not wanting to replace roblox or fight for its user base—we simply want to provide another option for those who feel limited or underserved by the current state of roblox.
we hope to attract users that share our values and vision, and to build a community that is supportive, creative and accepting of one another. roblox is a massive platform with a strong brand presence and we know trying to directly compete on its terms would be a futile effort.
our strategy: let the platform grow organically through word of mouth and meaningful relationships. we aren't in a rush, just want to build something that we can be proud of and that others can enjoy.
when will asterune be released?
asterune has been in development for over two years now and we're still a ways off from a public release. we're currently in the process of working on our engine and editor, and we're also building a small library of games to showcase the platform's capabilities upon launch.
below you can see some screenshots of asterune in its current state:
asterune studio (our editor for building games)
asterune client (ingame screenshot in a test game)
~~~
thanks for reading! you can visit asterune at asterune.com. apply to join our early access program at the waitlist page! cya