The iconic (and meme-worthy) “oof” sound from Roblox was removed from the game Tuesday after what the developer is calling a “licensing issue.” This isn’t the first time Roblox has faced copyright issues with this sound, but it looks like this time it will be gone for good.
The soundbite was originally created by sound designer Tommy Tallarico in 2000, for a game called Messiah. Though the sound has been used in Roblox since 2006, Tallarico settled a copyright dispute with Roblox over the sound in 2020. The result of this first dispute meant the sound would still be available in-game, but cost the equivalent of about $1 in in-game currency to use.
Now it seems the agreement has either expired or another dispute has come up, leaving Roblox no choice but to remove the sound completely.
The sound, an abrupt “oof” less than one second long that plays when the player dies, has become not only a staple sound in the game but also a well-known meme across several platforms. The “oof” has made it into many TikToks and YouTube videos, mostly used as a reaction sound.
Moving forward, Roblox put out a tweet with the announcement saying that they are reworking how sounds will appear in the game, allowing creators within Roblox to get them directly from those who made the sounds. In terms of licensing, the party responsible for that will also have a part in the transaction.
This will hopefully serve to avoid any copyright disputes in the future.
Roblox also stated part of their future plans for the game include adding more sound customization options and making sounds available in the Avatar Shop. By having more assets in the shop, Roblox stated that they are “building towards a future where all creators can thrive.”
While the legendary “oof” sound may be gone indefinitely, it will certainly live on for years to come outside of the game. It sounds like Roblox is gearing up to release even more iconic sounds in the future.
