Feb 6 (Reuters) - Roblox ( RBLX ) forecast annual

bookings below market estimates on Thursday, sparking fears

growth at the videogame platform was slowing after years of

breakneck progress.

The company said it expects bookings for 2025 to be between

$5.20 billion and $5.30 billion, the midpoint of which was below

estimates of $5.27 billion according to data compiled by LSEG.

Roblox's ( RBLX ) forecast adds to worries about the videogame

industry's health, after a lackluster outlook from Electronic

Arts ( EA ), which blamed weak bookings - a key measure of

in-game spending - on its struggling soccer franchise.

Still, Roblox's ( RBLX ) projection points to a third consecutive

year of roughly 20% growth in bookings, even as rivals grapple

with a slowdown in spending from customers stung by sticky

inflation.

"We're growing at a substantial premium to the overall

gaming market. Right now, gaming is barely growing as a

category," outgoing CFO Michael Guthrie told Reuters.

The overall video-game industry, in comparison, likely grew

by 2.1% in 2024, according to research firm Newzoo.

A push into new game genres, including those for older

players, has fueled rapid growth at Roblox ( RBLX ) over the past two

years and unlocked new revenue streams in ads and e-commerce.

The company has also benefited from a surge in

user-generated content and its free-to-play model, which has

helped Roblox ( RBLX ) buck the broader slowdown in videogame spending.

However, daily active users, a key metric that determines

engagement, fell slightly to 85.3 million in the three months

ended December 31, from 88.9 million in the prior quarter.

Fourth-quarter bookings of $1.36 billion also missed estimates

of $1.37 billion.

Guthrie blamed the weaker growth on tough comparisons with

the year-ago quarter, when Roblox ( RBLX ) launched on Sony's PlayStation

consoles, driving a wave of new sign-ups and higher spending.

He also cited the platform's suspension in Turkey, where it

was banned over safety and child abuse concerns - an issue that

has long dogged Roblox ( RBLX ), drawing lawsuits and public scrutiny.