In a note to clients on Tuesday, Oppenheimer analysts posed the question as to whether Roblox (NYSE:RBLX) can take on WeChat or WhatsApp.
The company revealed Roblox Connect last Friday, which is a video call feature that enables users to directly call each other.
"The calls are Facetime fashion, only the live video feed are replaced by motion-tracked, real-time rendered Roblox avatars in virtual 3D spaces," the analysts explained.
"We believe the release of Roblox Connect (scheduled for November) could be a major milestone for the platform. It gives Roblox a new identity as a primary communication tool," they added.
While they see Roblox Connect as one of the "first tangible examples of the long-term potential of Roblox's unified technology architecture," they don't expect it to replace Discord/WeChat/WhatsApp out of the gate.
"The company has unique challenges regarding content moderation and restricted user access (only verified, 13-year-and-older users can do voice chat). Further, it will take time for non-Roblox users to start using Roblox Connect as a primary communication tool," concluded the analysts.