These are crazy times in the social media world, right?as Twitter Having first encountered a host of technical and policy problems, a new wave of potential users is proliferating and taking root elsewhere. Some of these newer platforms are niche spaces, while others are backed by some of the biggest names in tech, both individuals and businesses.
The video game industry has long used Twitter to communicate with players. For more than a decade, publishers and developers alike have been harnessing the chaotic power of Twitter, seen as a community-building tool and a direct route to critical updates and technical assistance. So what do video game developers think of the current state of Twitter, run by Elon Musk? We sat down and chatted with some of the folks at Develop 2023 to find out.
“We’ve moved away from Twitter,” says Conor Clarke, marketing and communications manager for Gang Beasts developer Boneloaf, whose multiplayer PvP fighting game has been around for nearly a decade and has entertained millions online with its uniquely wacky fighting style. audience.
“It was a conscious decision, late last year we saw a lot of changes to the platform thanks to very high profile leadership changes that I personally don’t like […] I try to avoid all that dark stuff, all those algorithms that bring Andrew Tate and shit to the fore. So I don’t like that at all. “
While developers like Bone Loaf left Twitter during this turbulent time, other platforms welcomed it with open arms. TikTok in particular (as a short-form video platform) has clearly brought huge success to the game despite its outdated status.
“We found out that Gang Beasts is very popular on TikTok! We’ve never actually been there, but we had over a billion views there, and we were like, ‘Wow, this is incredible!’ Obviously TikTok is a young audience, we talked to some TikTok people to establish our own presence there. It all started to take off, and the discoverability there is amazing.
“You know, all the social media companies are evil and they’re going to get all your data. So, in a way, there’s no way to be ethically good on these platforms in a sustainable way. But the worst is TikTok, where we have a lot of fun making content for our community.”
Mike Rose, chief executive of independent publisher No More Robots, also expressed dissatisfaction with Twitter’s status quo. Ross is quick to point out that there are stark differences between the Twitter of yesteryear and the online version of today, thanks in large part to business decisions made by current owner Elon Musk.
“He’s just an idiot, isn’t he?” Ross said. “The problem was I stupidly built part of my business on Twitter. A big reason we did so well, especially in the early days of No More Robots, was because I played the Twitter game really well. I could See, we sometimes sell a thousand copies of the game because of a series of tweets. That was pretty powerful for me. Then, of course, he showed up and screwed everything up. Now it’s kind of a no-brainer to me meaning.”
Since No More Robots’ Twitter account has neither Twitter Blue nor an official company badge, the company’s social media strategy for the platform takes on a somewhat laissez-faire tone. Informal and not business focused. “Honestly, I told Zayaan, our amazing social media guy, a while ago, ‘Stop worrying about it, just post it,’ so he’s posting cats every day,” Ross said dejectedly.
But what about bigger developers? While smaller developers have a longer tradition of direct community interaction on platforms like Twitter, is there still a sense of lost value among developers from larger budget companies? Yes, it turns out. As a creative industry, even those who don’t have much direct connection to the community still use it as a source of encouragement.
Josh Grier, Emberlab’s COO, spoke to me about Keener: Bridge of Souls’ release period and how social media gave the studio an idea of how the game was being received. “We were so excited on Twitter after the game launched. We had a great community manager, the personal connection with the players and the positive feedback we got was really helpful to the team both pre-launch and post-launch. It was like; well, It’s cool that we made something that impacts people and we can see that touchpoint, so it would be a shame to lose it.”
However, for Arctic7 COO John Burns (a studio whose own projects have yet to be released in these unsettling times), there is little to worry about: With decades of industry experience, innovation and adaptability are his key features. core of the methodology.
“It’s marketing, PR, communicating with players,” Burns said. “You always need to innovate. 20 years ago, it was all about film advertising, or outdoor advertising, or print magazine advertising. Today, it’s all about going digital and using different channels. And look, digital channels are always about the product they offer. Change, you know? The market is changing.
“Just in the last few weeks we’ve seen a new social media platform with Threads, right? So I’m sure it’s going to be a big deal.”
Well, the feelings around Twitter seem mixed. While some developers and publishers mourn the loss of Twitter’s text-friendly microblogging settings, others are excited about the future of other social media platforms. Twitter may not be as attractive as it once was, but many industry veterans are happy to sink with the ship. You can say that.
If you’re looking for more developer features from Develop 2023, we’ve got a feature on what developers think about Game Pass and PS+ for you to read!
