Coins on the books: bookings and revenue

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Paid for, not yet earned

Theo closes the month: players paid US$100,000 for coins. Kai asks how much the studio earned. Theo's answer: not all of it, yet. A coin is a promise. Until it buys something, the studio still owes the player.

Three numbers

Quick check

In March, players pay US$100,000 for coins and spend none of them. How much is March's revenue from them?

  1. None yet: it all waits in deferred revenue
  2. US$100,000
  3. US$50,000
Show the answer

None yet: it all waits in deferred revenue

Until the coins buy something, the studio hasn't delivered anything. The money waits in deferred revenue.

Used up, or kept

Roblox's annual report gives its rule. Items that get used up become revenue when they are used. Items that last are spread over "the average lifetime of a paying user": 27 months at the end of 2025.

A pot that lasts

A golden pot stays in the garden. Theo estimates that Shard Garden's paying players stay about 24 months, so a pot bought for US$24 becomes revenue a little at a time, month by month.

Do the math

one sale
golden pot     US$24player life    24 months

A player buys the pot in January. How much revenue does Theo record for it in January?

  1. US$1
  2. US$24
  3. US$0
Show the answer

US$1

US$24 spread over 24 months is US$1 a month. A seed used up the day it is bought would count at once.

Watch bookings too

Revenue trails what players are paying today. Roblox reports bookings as well, because they "provide a timelier indication of trends". The cash arrives at once, minus the store's fee: a studio can hold cash it has not yet earned.

Quick check

Kai sees revenue rising, but bookings falling for three months in a row. What does it mean?

  1. Sales are falling, and revenue will follow
  2. Everything is fine: revenue is up
  3. The accounts are wrong
Show the answer

Sales are falling, and revenue will follow

Revenue is past sales being earned. Bookings are today's sales, and they are falling.

Quick check

Money paid for coins counts as revenue the moment the player pays.

Show the answer

False

It is booked at once, but becomes revenue only as the studio delivers what the coins buy.

Paid by someone else

Some of a free game's money comes from advertisers, not players.

Bolt says: Next: ad mediation and bidding.

Fact-checked 12 October 2026