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Roblox death sound effect
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The Roblox oof (also known simply as “oof”) is a sound effect that plays when a player dies or resets in the online video game platform Roblox. It originated from the 2000 video game Messiah, and was later adopted by Roblox as the platform’s default death sound. The sound became an Internet meme due to its humorous nature. Video game composer Tommy Tallarico claimed ownership of the copyright to the sound in 2019, and stated the use of the effect was copyright infringement. Tallarico also claimed that he had personally created the sound, despite Messiah's credits also crediting Joey Kuras, a sound designer then employed by Tallarico, as designing the game’s sounds with Tallarico, and the sound effect’s metadata crediting Kuras with its creation. Roblox removed from the platform as a free sound on July 2022, though an agreement was reached to offer it as a paid one. In November 2022, British video essayist Hbomberguy published an exposé which disputed Tallarico’s claim that he had created the sound effect. In July 2025, Roblox announced that they would bring back the oof sound in a video posted on their social media accounts nearly 3 years after its removal and replacement.

Origin

The original sound was first used in 2000 computer game Messiah by American video game developers Shiny Entertainment and Interplay Entertainment, with video game music composer Tommy Tallarico and sound designer Joey Kuras, then an employee of Tallarico’s, credited for designing the sound effects.[1][2][3][4] Tallarico has at times claimed that Kuras created the sound, that it was a collaboration between the pair, and that he created it himself.[2][5] In June 2019, Tallarico noted that the sound effect’s metadata credited Kuras, indicating its origin in Messiah.[6] Hbomberguy found in his own investigation that the metadata solely credited Kuras and not Tallarico, though he did not consider this definitive proof that Kuras had created the sound alone.[7]

History

Tommy Tallarico (pictured in 2009) claims the copyright to the “Roblox oof” sound, and claimed to have personally produced it.

In 2019,[8] the American video game developer Roblox Corporation was contacted by the owner of the action-adventure video game Messiah,[9] and was later involved in a copyright dispute with American video game composer Tommy Tallarico.[10][11] Tallarico claimed Roblox obtained the sound effect from an illegal sound effects website and was using it without his permission.[4] Roblox denied this in a public statement, saying that the sound had instead come from a CD-ROM of stock sound effects which the game’s original creators had purchased for use.[12] An agreement between the two was later reached around late 2020.[13] In July 2022,[14] Roblox made a post addressing a new update on Twitter, saying “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”.[9][15] They removed the sound after the release of the Developer Marketplace, and re-implemented it as a purchasable sound asset for 100 Robux.[8][16] Tallarico made four sound design libraries.[13] The removal of the sound was met with mixed reactions from the community, with players expressing that the “life” in Roblox had been “sucked out”.[15][17] In November 2022, British YouTuber and video essayist Harry Brewis, also known as Hbomberguy, published “ROBLOX_OOF.mp3”,[7] a video essay which documented and disputed many claims Tommy Tallarico had made concerning his career, including being the creator of the “oof” sound effect at the heart of the Roblox legal dispute.[5][18]

2025: Oof sound return

On July 18, 2025, Roblox officially announced that the original “Oof” sound would return on the Roblox Creator Hub. Roblox uploaded a video on Twitter/X of a character walking into the camera, promptly exploding into pieces with the classic “Oof” sound playing.[19]

See also

References

  1. ^ Shiny Entertainment. Messiah. Interplay Entertainment. Scene: Credits. Sound Effects; Tommy Tallarico, Joey Kuras
  2. ^ a b Meers, Whitney (July 27, 2022). “Roblox’s iconic ‘oof’ sound removed due to licensing”. PCGamesN. Archived from the original on November 18, 2022. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
  3. ^ “Roblox: Why has the ‘oof’ sound effect gone?”. BBC Newsround. July 27, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  4. ^ a b Dinsdale, Ryan (July 27, 2022). “Roblox’s Famous ‘Oof’ Sound Has Been Removed from the Game”. IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on August 2, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2026.
  5. ^ a b Yarwood, Jack (November 18, 2022). “New Video Examines The Many Lofty Claims Of Tommy Tallarico”. Time Extension. Archived from the original on November 20, 2022. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  6. ^ Takahashi, Dean (June 23, 2019). “Roblox’s famous ‘oof’ death sound allegedly came from a Tommy Tallarico game”. GamesBeat. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
  7. ^ a b Brewis 2022.
  8. ^ a b Prescott, Shaun (November 10, 2020). “Roblox users borrowed its ubiquitous ‘oof’ sound from obscure action game Messiah”. PC Gamer. Archived from the original on July 18, 2025. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  9. ^ a b Robertson, Joshua (July 26, 2022). “Roblox’s Infamous “Oof” Sound Effect Has Been Removed Due To A “Licensing Issue”“. TheGamer. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  10. ^ Parrish, Ash (February 16, 2024). “Tommy Tallarico’s never-actually-featured-on-MTV-Cribs house is for sale”. The Verge. Archived from the original on February 22, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  11. ^ Wakefield, Jane (November 11, 2020). “Roblox game-makers must pay to die with an oof”. BBC. Archived from the original on March 18, 2026. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  12. ^ Roblox 2020.
  13. ^ a b Henry, Joshua (November 12, 2020). “Roblox Players Will Have To Pay For The Game’s Iconic “Oof” Death Sound”. TheGamer. Archived from the original on March 23, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  14. ^ Roth, Emma (July 27, 2022). “Roblox’s new “oof” sound is a big oof”. The Verge. Archived from the original on February 22, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2026.
  15. ^ a b Kenna, Francis (July 27, 2022). “‘Roblox’ removes “oof” death sound that inspired a Post Malone set”. NME. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  16. ^ Beckhelling, Imogen (November 12, 2020). “Roblox will soon charge for the memey “oof” death noise”. Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved March 27, 2026.
  17. ^ Davis, Griffin (July 26, 2022). “Roblox Iconic “Oof” Sound Replaced by New Default Audio! Here’s Why It Was Removed”. Tech Times. Retrieved March 27, 2026.
  18. ^ Bevan, Rhiannon (February 13, 2023). “Tommy Tallarico Website Redirects To The Two Hour Video Taking Him Down”. TheGamer. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  19. ^ Lowry, Brendan (July 18, 2025). “Surprise! The iconic Roblox ‘oof’ sound is back—the beloved meme makes “a comeback so good it hurts” after three years of licensing issues”. Windows Central. Future Plc. Retrieved March 27, 2026.

Primary sources