Shares of Roblox jumped as much as 16% in a long-awaited public trading debut that left the online gaming company with a $44 billion valuation.

Roblox, the platform for user-generated games, will go public through a direct listing of its shares on March 10.

Executives at gaming giant Roblox pushed the company's planned IPO back to 2021, as they reportedly sought a higher initial listing price.

The move comes shortly after Roblox decided to postpone its planned 2020 IPO until next year to seek a higher price, given the strong investor demand for high-growth tech IPOs.

When does the Roblox direct listing go live? Originally announced in February, Roblox will go public on Wednesday, March 10, 2021. The company will being trading under the RBLX ticker.