Roblox, and Tencent has announced a strategic partnership to help fuel the next generation of Chinese creators.
Roblox is on a mission to bring the world together through play by inspiring imagination, creativity, and learning through shared online experiences. Roblox will accelerate these efforts in China through a strategic partnership with Tencent. Together, the companies will establish a joint-venture company with an initial focus on education to teach coding fundamentals, game design, digital citizenship, and entrepreneurial skills. Based in Shenzhen, the joint venture will create opportunities for local Chinese developers to leverage the global Roblox ecosystem, with the ultimate goal of bringing Roblox to China.
“I’m extremely excited to partner with Roblox. We believe technological advancement will help Chinese students learn by fueling their creativity and imagination. Our partnership with Roblox provides an engaging way to reach children of all ages across China to develop skills like coding, design and entrepreneurship,” said Tencent senior vice president Steven Ma.
To kick-off the joint venture’s new Education Initiative, Roblox and Tencent announced a scholarship fund to sponsor 15 young creators from China to attend week-long creator camps at Stanford University this summer. Taught by iD Tech, the world’s largest and most trusted name in quality summer tech education, students will create 3D worlds, learn game design, and practice programming fundamentals using the Roblox developer tools and Lua code.
“Tencent is the perfect partner for Roblox in China. They have a deep understanding of the Chinese market and share our belief of the power of digital creation and our vision to bring the world together through play,” said Roblox founder and CEO Dave Baszucki.
Together with the China Association for Educational Technology (CAET), Roblox and Tencent are calling for applications from young creators throughout China. Students aged 10-15 can apply to the program, and CAET encourages teachers to nominate and support students. Applications for the scholarships can be submitted at the official site and winners will be selected by CAET experts. Submissions close on June 14, and scholarship recipients will be notified on June 28.
The first camp will run the week of 23 July with a second session the week of 18 August. Students will be provided with food and lodging at the prestigious Stanford University in the heart of Silicon Valley, California.
“Tencent and Roblox are providing an invaluable opportunity for Chinese youth to learn at a prestigious university. We look forward to Roblox and Tencent’s continued efforts to fuel the creativity of Chinese students through local programs,” said Peking University School of Education deputy, and CAET expert committee chairman Shang.
These efforts are the first of a multi-year investment from the joint venture that will ultimately reach all connected Chinese students. Future programs will include local coding camps as well as training programs for instructors to build customized educational experiences for their students. The goal of the initiative is to foster innovation among the next generation of students and teachers who are pioneering STEM learning and education in China.
Education is a fundamental part of Roblox, and through the company’s educational programs, kids and teens around the world are learning STEM skills. Roblox recently added support for Chinese languages and made its coding curriculum available for free in Chinese.