Roblox’s iconic “oof” sound effect is removed due to licensing issues

Gone but not forgotten

Roblox is one of the most popular video games in the world, but even for those who don’t play the game, a single sound effect has transcended into meme culture to become instantly recognizable: the “oof” death sound. In the wake of some ongoing licensing issues Roblox has had with sound effects, the team behind the game has announced that the infamous “oof” has been removed from the game entirely. They explained in a tweet from the official Roblox Twitter account that they “created a replacement default sound” and that they “plan to expand [their] Avatar Shop with a whole range of both old and new sounds in the future.”

Related to sounds, due to a licensing issue we have removed the “oof” sound from Roblox and have created a replacement default sound which launches today.
We plan to expand our Avatar Shop with a whole range of both old and new sounds in the future. More to come on this.

— Roblox (@Roblox) July 26, 2022

Roblox‘s trouble with the licensing for the sound started back in 2020, after the “oof” had pervaded online spaces, and video game composer Tommy Tallarico realized that was a sound he created for a game called Messiah. The “oof” was removed from Roblox back then as well, but was reintroduced after Tallarico reached an agreement with the developer, so that creators could buy access to the sound for about $1. It seems that the issue resurfaced and they weren’t able to settle things this time, much to the dismay of fans who love the “oof” sound.

The tweet prior to the announcement of the sound’s removal discusses the new plan for how sound effects will play a role in Roblox moving forward. The developer stated that they will be getting sounds “directly from the creators and licensors,” and that “users will also be able to customize sounds for their avatars in the same way they customize clothing.” That sounds like a pretty interesting step forward for the game, but I have to admit it feels like the end of an era with the “oof” sound effect being gone.