Alex Balfanz
{{short description|American video game developer}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Alex Balfanz
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1999|05|5}}
| birth_place = Orlando, Florida
| nationality = American
| other_names = badcc, badccvoid
| occupation = Video game developer
| years_active = 2008-present
| known_for = Programmer and co-creator of the Roblox game Jailbreak
| notable_works =
}}
Alex Balfanz, (born May 5, 1999) known online as badcc, is an American video game developer who is the programmer and co-creator of the Roblox game Jailbreak.
Early life
Born in 1999, Balfanz began to code games using Roblox Studio at the age of 9.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/16/technology/roblox-tweens-videogame-coronavirus.html|title=You May Not Know This Pandemic Winner, but Your Tween Probably Does|website=The New York Times|last1=Browning|first1=Kellen|date=August 16, 2020|access-date=August 17, 2020}} Balfanz's father worked as a programmer, which Balfanz cites as one of the main reasons for his early interest in coding. He attended high school at the Trinity Preparatory School. Prior to releasing Jailbreak, Balfanz had made several other games on Roblox, which he stated had made him "maybe a couple thousand" dollars.{{cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/23/college-student-video-game-creator-made-millions-from-jailbreak.html|title=This 20-year-old is paying for college (and more) off an amateur video game he made in high school|website=CNBC|last1=Huddleston Jr.|first1=Tom|date=September 23, 2019|access-date=September 3, 2020}}
Career
In January 2016, Balfanz and his business partner, who goes by "asimo3089", created the game Volt, an open-world game in which players complete minigames.
In January 2017, Balfanz, along with asimo3089, uploaded Jailbreak, a cops-and-robbers game, to Roblox. On its first day of release, it reached 70,000 concurrent players, a number which Balfanz later said had shocked him. It quickly became one of the most popular games on the platform, and made Balfanz a millionaire.{{cite web|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/roblox-the-booming-video-game-that-s-now-bigger-than-minecraft-1.4333989|title=Roblox: The booming video game that's now bigger than Minecraft|website=The Irish Times|last1=Power|first1=Ed|date=August 19, 2020|access-date=September 2, 2020}}
Personal life
Balfanz attended Duke University, where he paid off his college debt using funds from his games.{{cite web|url=https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2018/12/how-the-jailbreak-computer-game-made-sophomore-alex-balfanz-millions|title=How the Jailbreak computer game made sophomore Alex Balfanz millions|website=Duke Chronicle|last1=Fang|first1=Shannon|date=December 10, 2018|access-date=September 2, 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20180323-how-video-games-make-some-teens-millionaires|title=How video games turn teenagers into millionaires|website=BBC|last1=Lufkin|first1=Bryan|date=March 24, 2018|access-date=September 3, 2020}} Balfanz has also been a YouTuber since 2011, maintaining a channel with over 90,000 subscribers (and allegedly over 100,000 at one point) and seven million views. The content uploaded includes Roblox building and scripting content, custom musical pieces, and showcases of new Jailbreak content.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/c/BadccVoid/videos|title=
Alex Balfanz|website=YouTube|last1=Balfanz|first1=Alex|date=November 14, 2011|access-date=August 1, 2022}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Roblox Corporation}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balfanz, Alex}}
Category:American video game programmers
Category:Duke University alumni