Discord is used by 200 million people every month for many different reasons, but there’s one thing that nearly everyone does on our platform: play games. But beyond just playing, Discord has become a launchpad where game developers can cultivate thriving communities, connect with passionate players and watch their creations grow.
That’s exactly what happened with Farm Merge Valley, a cozy and social merge-3 game developed by the talented team at CoolGames. Their story illustrates the power of Discord as a platform and the incredible opportunities it offers to developers. By embracing the platform’s community-driven environment, Farm Merge Valley built an engaged player base, exceeded growth expectations, and achieved a strong launch, unlocking six-figure revenue in its first month on Discord. This successful start, combined with a game experience that keeps players coming back every day, highlights the potential of Discord for developers.
Let’s dig into how they did it.
Cultivating Community: Why CoolGames Planted Roots on Discord
CoolGames has a strong track record of crafting engaging HTML5 games, having collaborated with notable brands like Monopoly Sudoku, Battleship (Hasbro) and Angry Birds. But when it came to launching Farm Merge Valley, they saw an opportunity to do something different - not just release a game, but grow an active player community in a way that traditional platforms couldn’t offer. Recognizing the potential of Discord's diverse and highly engaged community, their founder, Laurens Rutten, saw an opportunity to bring Farm Merge Valley to a new audience. This strategic decision to launch on Discord proved to be a pivotal moment in the game's success story.
Discord has evolved into a platform where users seek a variety of experiences, including relaxing and casual games, to enjoy between more intense gaming sessions. CoolGames recognized this desire and leveraged Discord's potential to create a cozy and social environment with Farm Merge Valley, perfectly complementing the diverse needs of the Discord community.
Fertile Ground for Social Engagement
At its core, Farm Merge Valley is a charming game where players merge adorable animals, harvest crops, and fulfill orders, and it has found remarkable success on Discord. One of the key factors contributing to this success is the game's integration of social features that resonate with Discord's community-driven environment. While the game is inherently enjoyable as a solo experience, features like events, visiting the farms of other people on Discord, and the ability to tackle challenges collaboratively in a vibrant social environment transform it into a virtual farm extravaganza, perfect for Discord's social ecosystem. Players can merge various items in the game, including animals, crops, materials, and tools, to create higher-rank items. The game also involves unlocking and clearing land, repairing buildings, producing resources, and strategically clearing space using energy or enlisting the help of friends.
In its first six months, the official Farm Merge Valley Discord server has blossomed into a vibrant community with nearly 300,000 members. This thriving community serves as a central hub for players to connect, share strategies, and provide invaluable feedback to the CoolGames team. Another testament to the game’s vibrant community is the impressive number of users actively playing together. There are often over 300 concurrent users in voice chats playing live with each other at any given time on this server. CoolGames actively engages with the community, building strong connections that not only enhance the game’s appeal but also foster longevity.
Thriving Through Monetization
While the community has been a key factor in Farm Merge Valley’s success, it’s also been a major driver of revenue. CoolGames saw firsthand how building a dedicated community on Discord can translate into impressive financial results. In its first month, Farm Merge Valley achieved six-figure revenue - and it's on track to generate seven-figures on Discord within its first year.
Discord’s integrated payment system made monetization seamless for both CoolGames and its players. With a user-friendly experience and easy integration, the game’s community-driven growth naturally led to higher conversion rates. In fact, players on the official Farm Merge Valley Discord server have a 56% higher Average Revenue Per Daily Active User (ARPDAU) than those playing on other servers - showing that community engagement on Discord can not only increase player retention but significantly boost monetization.
Why Discord is the Ultimate Platform for Your Game
- Massive and Diverse Audience: Discord's user base extends beyond hardcore gamers, encompassing a wide range of interests and demographics, helping your game find its ideal audience.
- Effortless Integration: Discord’s developer-centric platform can make launching your game a seamless and efficient process.
- Engagement Amplified: The platform’s rich social features such as Direct Messaging, Server Communities, Voice Chat, the Friends System, etc, helps players feel empowered to connect, collaborate, and share their passion for your game, fostering a thriving community and boosting engagement.
- Community-Driven Development: With an active and passionate player base providing invaluable feedback, you can continuously refine and improve your game based on real player insights.
- Monetization Made Easy: Discord’s integrated payment system streamlines monetization efforts, providing a user-friendly experience for players and easy integration for developers.
Key Takeaways from the Farm Merge Valley Experience
CoolGames' journey with Farm Merge Valley offers important lessons for any developer looking to tap into the power of Discord:
- Embrace the Discord Community: Building a dedicated Discord server for your game fosters a sense of belonging among players, provides a direct line of communication for feedback, and creates opportunities for community-driven events and activities. A key part of building a thriving community is seeding it with users by leveraging in-game calls to action to join the community server. This is a seamless integration, as everything happens within Discord, allowing for organic community growth and engagement. Developers can also leverage existing communities they may have off-platform or from other games to bring momentum and excitement to their new Discord server.
- Engage Players with Organic Community Growth: Provide a direct line of communication for feedback and create opportunities for community-driven events and activities. Use clear calls to action within the server to encourage players to engage with the game, offering incentives like giveaways to keep them coming back for more.
- Adapt to the Discord Player: Discord users often engage in shorter gameplay sessions compared to players on other platforms. Tailoring your game's balance and progression speed to accommodate these shorter sessions can significantly enhance player engagement and satisfaction.
- Clear Communication is Key: Maintaining open and transparent communication with your community is essential for building trust and fostering a positive relationship with your players. Keeping your community informed about updates, issues, and A/B testing ensures they feel valued and involved in the development process.
The Future of Farm Merge Valley and Beyond
Looking ahead, CoolGames is committed to sustaining the success of Farm Merge Valley on Discord, with plans for new features, content updates, and a dedicated live ops strategy. They're also exploring new projects and titles for Discord, with two more games in soft launch, ready to make their debut soon. This highlights their confidence in Discord as a platform that’s not just delivering results today but driving long-term growth.
The CoolGames and Discord relationship exemplifies the power of community, social engagement, and a developer-friendly platform in achieving remarkable success in the gaming world. Discord is the fertile ground you've been searching for if you're ready to cultivate your game's success and watch your player base flourish.
Ready to cultivate your game’s success? Plant your first seed on Discord, and let’s grow something amazing together.
