“It’s become pointless” – Video game devs speak up about the slow death of Twitter, and what comes next

It’s a wild time in the world of social media, right? As Twitter runs headlong into a multitude of technical and political problems, a new wave of potential users is spreading and taking root elsewhere. Some of these newer platforms are niche spaces, while others are championed by some of the biggest names, both individual and corporate, in the tech world.

The video game industry has long used Twitter to communicate with its players. Seen as a community-building tool and a direct route to deliver critical updates and technical support, publishers and developers have harnessed the chaotic power of Twitter for more than a decade. So what do game developers think about the current state of Twitter with Elon Musk in charge? We sat down and talked to a few at Develop 2023 to find out.

“We don’t really use Twitter anymore,” says Conor Clarke, marketing and communications manager at Gang Beasts developer Boneloaf. Its multiplayer PvP brawler has been around for almost a decade and has entertained countless viewers online with its particular insane combat style.

“That’s a conscious decision as, at the end of last year, we saw a lot of changes to the platform thanks to a very high-profile change in leadership that I personally don’t like. […] I tried to avoid all that dark stuff, all that algorithms that push Andrew Tate and shit to the forefront. So I don’t like it at all.”

While developers like Bone Loaf have steered clear of Twitter in this period of turmoil, other platforms have welcomed it with open arms. TikTok especially (as a short-form video platform) has apparently brought great success to the game, despite its aging state.

“What we found is that Gang Beasts is very popular on TikTok. We never had a presence there, but we had over a billion views there, and we were like ‘wow, that’s awesome!’ Obviously TikTok is a younger audience, and we talked to some TikTok people to build our own presence there, it all took off, the discoverability there is amazing.

“You know, all the social media companies are bad and they take all your data. So in a way, there’s no way to be ethically right on these platforms sustainably. But the best of the bad bunch is TikTok, where we have a lot of fun. create content for our community.

Mike Rose, CEO of independent publisher No More Robots, has also shared his disgust with the current state of Twitter. Rose was quick to point out the stark differences between the Twitter of the past and today’s online version, thanks in large part to business decisions made by now-owner Elon Musk.

“He’s just a jerk, isn’t he?” says Rose. “The thing is, I stupidly built a part of my business on Twitter. A big reason why we did so well, especially in the early days of No More Robots, was because I played the Twitter game so well. I could see in days that we sold a thousand copies of a game due to a series of tweets. It was very powerful for me. And then, of course, he showed up and screwed everything up. And now it’s become a bit useless for me.”

As the No More Robots Twitter account does not have Twitter Blue or an official company branding, the company’s social media strategy for the platform has taken on a somewhat laissez-faire tone. Informal and not focused on business. A frustrated Rose states, “Honestly, I told our amazing social media guy Zayaan a while ago, ‘don’t worry about it anymore, post whatever you want.’ So he posted cats every day.”

But what about the bigger developers? While smaller developers have a longer legacy of direct engagement with the community on platforms like Twitter, is there still a sense of lost value in the minds of those at bigger-budget companies? Yes, as it turns out. As a creative industry, even those who did not have such a direct connection to their community used it as a source of encouragement.

Emberlab COO Josh Grier talked to me about the release period for Kena: Bridge of Spirits and how social media allowed the studio a window into the game’s reception. “We took to Twitter for the launch of the game. We had a great community manager, and the personal connection with the players and the positive feedback we received was very helpful to the team pre-launch and post-launch. It was like, okay, great, we did something that shocked people and we got to see that touchpoint and stuff, so it would be a shame to lose it.”

However, for Arctic7 COO John Burns (a studio with its own projects yet to launch in these difficult times) there is nothing to worry about: with decades of experience in the industry, innovation and adaptability are paramount. for his methodology.

“It’s marketing, public relations and player communication,” Burns says. “You always need to innovate. 20 years ago, it was all about movie advertising, outdoor advertising or print magazine advertising. Today, it’s all about digital and using different channels. And look, digital channels are always changing in terms of what they offer, you know, the market moves.

“Just in these last few weeks, we’ve seen a new social media platform with Threads, right? So that’s going to be something, I’m sure.”

So the sentiment around Twitter seems to be mixed; While some developers and publishers lament the loss of the text-friendly microblogging Twitter setup, others are excited about what the future holds when it comes to other social media platforms. Twitter may not have the same appeal that it used to, but many industry veterans are happy to go down with the ship. So to speak.

If you’re looking for more Develop 2023 developer features, we’ve got this feature on how developers feel about Game Pass and PS+ for you to read.