Roblox is a sandbox game creation tool that is apparently played by "over half" of kids in the US. Like any massive platform for user-generated content, most of its users don't know (or don't care) about copyright, but it's still surprising that a sound from the obscure 2000 action game Messiah has managed to become one of Roblox's most iconic sounds.
The Roblox 'oof' can be sampled here, while the original Messiah implementation can be heard here. Yep, it's the same sound, and the creator of that sound, Intellivision Entertainment CEO Tommy Tallarico, happened to notice last year.
"It's an honor that something I created 20 years ago has become so iconic and a part of pop culture," he wrote on Twitter. "I just need to be fairly compensated and I've never been cheap :)"
Over a year later, VentureBeat reports that the ensuing dispute is over, and it's bad news for the ongoing ubiquity of "oof". Soon the sound will be replaced by a new audio track, and using "oof" in a Roblox creation will cost a license fee of $1 (or 100 Robux). It's yet to be seen whether the userbase's fondness for "oof" will result in actual cash being paid out for its use.
But wait, there's more: Tallarico, whose company will soon release the Intellivision Amico console, will be allowed to sell "oof" merchandise through Roblox's Amazon store. Not only that, but Tallarico has created four sound libraries for Roblox (they'll cost you between $10 and $250).
In other recent Roblox news, Lil Nas X is playing an in-game concert on Friday the 13th.
