Community Management
Ongoing coverage on Community Management.
Latest coverage
War Thunder’s 14th Community Spotlight Shows How Live Service Games Keep Players Creating
War Thunder's ongoing Community Spotlight series, now in its 14th edition, exemplifies how developers can sustain player engagement in live service games through consistent recognition of fan creations. Gaijin Entertainment's approach, which includes rewarding featured creators with exclusive in-game decals and encouraging the integration of physical scale models with digital counterparts, fosters a strong community bond. This strategy offers valuable lessons for other developers on building long-term player retention through genuine community interaction rather than solely relying on monetization or gameplay loops.
Important lessons from running a successful video game crowdfunding campaign
Niina Fujioka of Playable Worlds, Inc. shared key lessons from their successful crowdfunding campaign for the MMORPG Stars Reach. She emphasized the importance of building a community, setting realistic funding goals, and transparently communicating the development journey to backers. Fujioka highlighted that crowdfunding platforms amplify a message but success hinges on understanding the audience and delivering on promises.
The Daily Grind: What’s the most annoying thing about MMORPG forums?
This article discusses the increasing prevalence of AI-generated content and plagiarism on MMORPG forums, which makes it harder for genuine player feedback to be noticed by developers. The author expresses disappointment that this trend could lead to developers ignoring forums altogether. The piece poses the question of what players find most annoying about modern MMORPG forums.
Overwatch Community Called Out for Dev Harassment as Toxicity Crisis Deepens
A Reddit post has highlighted severe harassment directed at an Overwatch developer, sparking a community discussion about escalating toxicity. The article calls for individual accountability and a cultural shift to combat abuse across platforms, emphasizing the negative impact on developers and the gaming community as a whole.
'It's Obvious This DLC Has Failed to Meet Your Expectations' — Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Dev Issues Apology to Disgruntled Fans for Controversial $5 Voice Pack, Offers Refunds and Makes It Free - IGN
Focus Entertainment and Saber Interactive have apologized to Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 players for a controversial $5 voice pack DLC. The developers are making the DLC free and offering refunds due to player backlash over its implementation and perceived false advertising. Despite this issue, the game has been a significant success, leading to the announcement of Space Marine 3.
Games for Change research director unveils training program for community-facing professionals
Games for Change research director Dr. Rachel Kowert has launched the DLC Leadership Program, a new certification initiative aimed at professionalizing moderation and digital leadership within online gaming communities. The program, designed for community managers, moderators, and digital creators, translates research into practical tools to address issues like harassment and burnout, with industry partners including Riot Games and Roblox contributing to its development.
Over 48% of unreleased games have a Discord server, and I'm sure this is all fine and normal and I don't miss…
The article discusses the increasing prevalence of Discord servers for video games, with over 48% of unreleased titles having a server. It highlights concerns about game companies relying on Discord for their entire news cycle and the potential risks associated with data privacy and dependence on a single tech company.
TransmuTowers Launches on Steam with Free Content Update Coming Soon
TransmuTowers, a new tower defense game from developer BlueFire, has launched on Steam. The developers are actively engaging with the community and have announced a free content update within two months that will add a new level, two towers, and complete the game's story mode. This community-first approach, including Discord for bug reporting and volunteer translations, aims to help the indie title stand out in a crowded market.
Activision Launches New Way To Talk With Call Of Duty Fans
Activision has launched a new communication channel, the Call of Duty CM account, to directly engage with fans about the popular First-Person Shooter franchise. This initiative aims to foster better communication regarding game updates, announcements, and community discussions, especially following recent discussions about game leaks and the reception of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.
New Indie Game Wireworks Just Dropped on Steam and the Dev is Actually Listening
The indie game Wireworks has launched on Steam, with developer JJJ actively engaging with the community for feedback and bug reports. This approach is highlighted as a refreshing change in a landscape where many indie developers become unresponsive post-launch. The article discusses the challenges of the indie game market and the importance of ongoing community management for a game's long-term success.
PlanetSide 2 will officially close its forums and move to Discord March 16
PlanetSide 2 is migrating its official forums to Discord on March 16th due to a critical hardware issue. The forums will become read-only, with most categories and discussion threads moving to Discord. Daybreak's Rogue Planet Games will continue to provide updates on the transition.
Minecraft CE Project Deleted After Community Toxicity Spirals Out of Control
The community-driven Minecraft Community Edition project has been deleted by its developers due to overwhelming toxicity from players. The team cited "disgusting toxic" behavior as making the project unmaintainable, highlighting the challenges faced by volunteer-led projects in managing community interactions.
Helldivers 2 players took a charity challenge and turned it into a toxic drama bomb
A proposed charity challenge for Helldivers 2 players to donate to Arrowhead Game Studios' chosen charity devolved into toxic drama and harassment. Miscommunication led to accusations of holding a donation hostage, resulting in the original poster being doxxed and receiving threats. Arrowhead Game Studios denounced the community's behavior, urging players to practice kindness and respect.
Marvel Rivals Dev Threatens Players Who Are 'Maliciously Idling' or Intentionally Throwing Games, Acknowledges 'Disturbing Trend' in the Community - IGN
Marvel Rivals developer NetEase Games has announced a zero-tolerance policy against "incentivized throwing" and malicious idling, threatening permanent bans for players involved with external bounty systems. The developer is implementing a specialized investigation protocol to identify and penalize accounts engaging in disruptive behavior, emphasizing that maintaining a positive and fair gaming environment is a collective responsibility.
Microsoft banned the word 'Microslop' in its Copilot Discord server, then began restricting access after users started posting 'Microsl0p' and other funnies
Microsoft reportedly banned the term 'Microslop' on its official Copilot Discord server, only for users to circumvent the ban with variations like 'Microsl0p' and 'Sloppysoft'. The company appears to have since lifted the ban, with users continuing to use the derogatory term.
Marathon removes Arc Raiders chat censorship, but it's got much bigger issues to solve
Bungie has addressed an issue where text chat in their upcoming game Arc Raiders was initially censored. While the censorship has been removed, the article suggests the game faces larger development challenges.
Marvel Rivals Community Starts Placing Bounties on Griefers
The Marvel Rivals community has resorted to using a third-party website, Intlist, to place cash bounties on players perceived as griefers and "throwers" due to frustration with developer NetEase's perceived inaction on in-game toxicity. This vigilante system, which allows players to profit from retaliating against disruptive players, has reportedly doubled the amount of griefing and is creating a chaotic environment within the game's ranked mode.
Dying Light 2’s Villedor Is Under Siege In New Zombie Outbreak Event
Techland is hosting a zombie outbreak event in Dying Light 2 Stay Human from February 12 to February 19, challenging players to prevent permanent zombie infestations. The event aims to re-engage players with high-stakes cooperative gameplay, though community reactions are divided between excitement for the current game and anticipation for the upcoming title, 'The Beast'.
