On social media, false claims can spread like wildfire—even well after the source media has been deleted.
Roblox has denied that it will support XRP payments, despite claims that spread widely on Tuesday, telling Decrypt that any suggestion that gamers could buy Robux to pay for in-game items with Ripple’s XRP token is “inaccurate.”
The rumors began swirling late Monday when payments processor BitPay tweeted that users could begin using Ripple’s XRP token for Xsolla payments in supported games—and tagged the free-to-play games Roblox and Smite.
“Xsolla now accepts XRP with BitPay as a payment method for their games such as Smite and Roblox,” BitPay wrote in a now-deleted post. “You can use your favorite cryptocurrency to buy, play, and enjoy gaming like never before,” the post claimed.
When asked why the tweet was deleted, BitPay CMO Bill Zielke told Decrypt via email: “There was an error in the tweet. We will have more tweets about merchants accepting crypto in the near future. Stay tuned.”
Despite the post’s removal, however, rumors quickly spread, with the news being misinterpreted as Roblox “integrating” XRP into its payment offerings. One tweet from prominent crypto investor Scott Melker, with about 270,000 views at time of writing, creates a false link between Roblox and the cryptocurrency, and further claims that the “news” suggests a better “legal climate” for the token.
But such claims are unverified and lack a valid source. Roblox told Decrypt via email that such claims—including the idea that Roblox is “teaming up” with BitPay to bring XRP to gamers—are simply false.
“The info isn’t accurate,” a Roblox representative told Decrypt.
“Unfortunately, we’ve seen quite a few articles on this and the info is inaccurate,” another Roblox spokesperson told Decrypt, adding that while Xsolla is indeed one of Roblox’s payment providers, Roblox does not enable cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or XRP as a payment method. The rep further noted that BitPay's tweet had been removed due to the incorrect information.
A quick test of the purchase process for Robux in-game currency via Roblox’s website shows the only U.S. payment options are as follows: credit card, debit card, gift card, PayPal, Venmo, Klarna, CVS Pharmacy payments, or a Paysafecard (a type of prepaid cash card).
Reached for comment, a representative for Xsolla told Decrypt via email: “We offer payment options for developers to use across their platforms. BitPay is just one of those.”
Xsolla also stated that it had nothing to do with the now-deleted BitPay post. According to Xsolla’s website, the tech firm provided a gift card solution for Roblox in 2020 and is listed as a payment provider on Roblox’s website for credit card charges. Xsolla also provides payment solutions for numerous other gaming companies like Valve, Twitch, Epic Games, and Krafton, to name a few.
Edited by Andrew Hayward