Theorycraft Games is setting a new standard in game development and community building. Their innovative use of Discord for their game, SUPERVIVE, demonstrates the power of community-driven development. Theorycraft Games leveraged the Discord Social SDK to seamlessly implement Discord-powered features directly into SUPERVIVE. They've created a unique and interconnected experience for their players, creating a strong sense of community.
What is SUPERVIVE?
SUPERVIVE is where MOBA meets Battle Royale and Hero Shooter. Jump, glide, shoot, punch, bounce, nuke, and spike your enemies in this free-flowing, chaotic battleground in the sky. Face off in all-out, multi-squad teamfights, take down boss monsters for big loot, achieve victory, and come back for more. But SUPERVIVE is more than just exciting gameplay. A rich narrative lies beneath the surface, adding depth and intrigue to the experience. And the best part? You can play it for free on Steam.
Why Discord?
From the outset, Theorycraft Games envisioned a game with a thriving community, where players would forge lasting friendships, share epic moments, and return for more. They needed a platform that could not only support this vision but also amplify it, and Discord was the perfect fit. Choosing Discord as their primary platform for community development was a strategic decision based on several key factors:
- Practical and Scalable Solution: The Discord Social SDK's user-friendly interface and intuitive features made it the ideal choice for Theorycraft Games. They could build and scale their community without the need for complex enterprise solutions, allowing them to focus on what truly mattered: creating a fantastic game and uniting a vibrant community around it.
- Intuitive Choice for Gamers: As Jon Belliss (Executive Producer, Theorycraft Games) explains, "For us, this was an intuitive, strategic, and practical choice all in one." The team at Theorycraft Games, being gamers themselves, were already deeply immersed in the Discord ecosystem. They understood its power to connect and engage players, recognizing it as more than just a platform - it’s the social hub for players, creators, and playtesters alike.
- Strategic Advantage: Theorycraft Games recognized Discord's strategic importance in the gaming world. "Creators were telling us to add them on Discord; players were more likely to join our Discord or reach out to us on Discord than follow us on X or Instagram combined; and whenever any playtester wanted to build a community of their own, inevitably they started with Discord," says Belliss. Embracing Discord allowed them to connect with their target audience on their preferred platform.
Leveling Up with the Discord Social SDK
Taking their collaboration with Discord a step further, Theorycraft Games partnered with Discord as early adopters of the Discord Social SDK, bringing Discord directly into SUPERVIVE. This deeper integration allows players to easily connect with their Discord friends and access social features within the game, keeping the community active and engaged even after the match has ended. The Discord Social SDK offers cross-platform support, so friends can connect across mobile, desktop, and console platforms.
From the first few weeks of integrating the Discord Social SDK in SUPERVIVE by Theorycraft Games, they found that their players who linked their Discord accounts show a marked increase in playtime, exceeding those who haven't linked their accounts by over 65%. Additionally, these connected players had a nearly 25% higher frequency of active days in the game, further highlighting the SDK's potential to have a positive impact in creating a more connected and immersive gaming experience. That’s the kind of player-to-player influence we believe is unique to Discord: where excitement can turn into action, and social connections can drive deeper engagement.
The introduction of provisional accounts has significantly broadened the SDK's reach, allowing players without existing Discord accounts to seamlessly engage in social interactions within the game. SUPERVIVE’s data reveals a clear increase in in-game social activity due to provisional accounts. These users are actively participating in social features, demonstrating the SDK's effectiveness in fostering communication and community building among players who have not yet created Discord accounts. While other factors may contribute to this engagement, the SDK is successfully facilitating communication and community building among a wider audience.
These early findings showcase the potential of the Social SDK to enhance the social experience within SUPERVIVE. As Theorycraft Games continues to leverage the SDK's features and gather more data, they are excited at the prospect of even greater engagement, retention, and community growth. The team is particularly excited about leveraging Discord's social graph to help players connect and form squads, a crucial element for the success of SUPERVIVE. This feature makes it easier for players to find friends and group up, enhancing the overall gameplay experience and encouraging player retention. More information regarding the Discord Social SDK can be found here.
Quest for Victory
Along with integrating Discord's Social SDK, Theorycraft Games also ran a promotional campaign using Discord Quests. Discord Quests are a premium advertising solution that allows game developers to promote their games on Discord and engage with the community. They incentivize players to try games by offering rewards, such as obtaining exclusive in-game items for completing specific tasks. To further drive discovery and engagement, Theorycraft Games launched a Play Quest on Discord, coinciding with the launch of a major content update in SUPERVIVE. The Quest, which targeted fans of MOBAs, incentivized players to try SUPERVIVE by offering an enticing reward: the Hunter Crysta, unlocked after just 15 minutes of gameplay.
The campaign proved to be a resounding success, demonstrating the power of Quests to attract new players and boost engagement. Over 50% of Quest participants were new SUPERVIVE players, and the game saw a 45% increase in its player count during the week of the Quest. To learn more about the various types of Quests and how they can benefit your game, click here.
Harnessing the Power of Discord's Platform and Community
Theorycraft Games has deeply integrated Discord into both its external community building and internal development processes. Discord's private servers enabled secure playtesting under NDA with SUPERVIVE while maintaining direct interaction with players. The SUPERVIVE Discord server, with over 120,000 members, showcases the platform's scalability. Discord's tools have been essential in managing this growth, enabling large-scale events and showmatches that highlight the game's competitive spirit. Theorycraft Games utilized features like Discord Stages to create a sense of belonging and inclusivity within their large and growing community.
Discord also became essential to Theorycraft Games' internal development process as a fully-remote studio. They recreated the collaborative environment of a traditional office through personal desk channels for casual conversations and topic-themed channels for focused discussions. Discord's streaming capabilities proved invaluable, allowing team members to easily share gameplay footage, review clips for feedback, and resolve balance issues.
Theorycraft Games prioritized early playtesting, starting with a manual process of signups, emails, and assigning roles through spreadsheets. This hands-on approach allowed for direct interaction with playtesters and rapid iteration based on feedback. As the community and the game grew, Theorycraft Games transitioned to larger-scale playtests, leveraging Discord's tools to manage the increased complexity. Developers and players would gather in Discord to discuss the game, share experiences, and build camaraderie. This enabled a sense of intimacy and collaboration within the community, which has been key to SUPERVIVE's success.
The Future of SUPERVIVE and Discord
Looking ahead, Theorycraft Games is committed to growing SUPERVIVE into a community-driven powerhouse. With the continued use of Discord's features and the Social SDK, they plan to integrate features like Linked Channels, Discord Voice Chat, and Cross-Platform Messaging, to create a more connected and engaging player experience.
The success of Theorycraft Games and SUPERVIVE showcases the power of community-driven development and Discord's ability to connect developers and players. For game developers seeking to build a strong, engaged community, exploring the Discord Social SDK is your next step. Learn more and integrate your game here.
