Splitting Point: From a Basement in Nelson to Roblox Stardom

Few stories in gaming begin as modestly as that of Janzen Madsen, who, at 19, turned a casual experiment into a studio recognized on one of the world’s largest gaming platforms. What started in his parents’ basement in Nelson, New Zealand, has become Splitting Point, an award-winning Roblox game studio with billions of visits and an audience that stretches far beyond its humble origins.

From Curiosity to Creation

In 2017, Madsen attended a small party where friends introduced him to Roblox, the global platform where users build and play games created by one another. Intrigued by the creative possibilities, he downloaded RobloxStudio the very next day. With no formal training in programming or design, he began experimenting with ideas and learning through trial and error.

What set Madsen apart was his instinct for community-driven gameplay. He quickly realized that Roblox wasn’t just a playground for kids; it was a creative ecosystem where millions of players could co-create, share experiences, and influence trends in real time. Within a year, his prototypes started attracting attention, and Splitting Point was born.

Building a Studio, One Pixel at a Time

Operating from a small corner of his family home, Madsen assembled a small team of collaborators from around the world, many of them fellow Roblox creators. Together, they built games that balanced fast-paced action with easy-to-learn mechanics, catering to both seasoned gamers and newcomers.

Their early success came with multiplayer titles that emphasized teamwork, quick reflexes, and replay value. Over time, Splitting Point established a reputation for creating immersive experiences that pushed the boundaries of what Roblox’s engine could handle. The studio’s titles have now recorded more than 6.5 billion visits, a staggering achievement for a company that began as a one-person experiment.

Recognition on the Global Stage

In 2024, Splitting Point’s journey reached a new milestone at the Roblox Innovation Awards, where it won Best Studio and its flagship title, Gunfight Arena, received the People’s Choice Award. The accolades placed Madsen and his team alongside some of the most influential creators in the Roblox ecosystem, confirming their status as innovators shaping the future of user-generated gaming.

For Madsen, the awards were not just a validation of creative effort but a recognition of how far community-built games have evolved. Gunfight Arena, with its blend of competitive shooting and collaborative strategy, exemplifies Roblox’s new generation of experiences, highly polished, socially interactive, and commercially viable.

Collaboration with Global Brands

Beyond entertainment, Splitting Point has also ventured into educational and socially driven projects. The studio has collaborated with Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind Sesame Street, to develop family-friendly, educational experiences on Roblox. These projects aim to teach cooperation, empathy, and problem-solving through interactive storytelling.

This partnership reflects a broader trend in gaming where major cultural institutions are turning to platforms like Roblox to reach younger audiences. For Splitting Point, it marks a move toward games that are not only engaging but also meaningful, where play becomes a medium for learning and connection.

Redefining Game Development from New Zealand

Splitting Point’s success is also significant for New Zealand’s growing creative-tech scene. The country has produced acclaimed studios in film, animation, and software, but Madsen’s story introduces a new model, one where global reach does not require massive budgets or traditional publishing.

From Nelson, a relatively small coastal city, Splitting Point manages distributed teams and international collaborations entirely online. Its operations highlight how digital creativity has flattened geography, allowing young developers to compete globally from anywhere with an internet connection.

Madsen often credits New Zealand’s supportive tech community for nurturing his ambitions. Local mentors, online collaborators, and grassroots gaming forums provided the encouragement he needed to expand Splitting Point from a hobby into a sustainable business.

The Future of User-Generated Worlds

As Roblox continues to evolve into a metaverse platform with millions of daily active users, studios like Splitting Point stand at the forefront of its transformation. The company is experimenting with new genres and advanced scripting techniques, pushing the visual and interactive limits of the platform.

Madsen envisions Splitting Point as both a creative studio and a training ground for the next wave of game developers. He hopes to inspire other young creators to view Roblox not as a pastime but as a launchpad for professional careers in design, engineering, and storytelling.

A New Chapter for Play

From his parents’ basement to international recognition, Janzen Madsen’s journey encapsulates the spirit of modern game development: independent, community-driven, and global. Splitting Point’s success proves that with imagination, persistence, and the right digital tools, even a single idea born at a party can shape an industry.

As the studio continues to grow, its story serves as a reminder that the future of gaming may not belong solely to corporate giants, but also to small teams with big dreams teams like Splitting Point, building worlds one block at a time.