Pivoting From a Gaming App to Community Platform

Most startups fail not because they don’t have a good product, but because they solve the wrong problem. They build something people don’t really need, or they target an audience too small to sustain growth.

That’s exactly what happened with Discord in its early days.

Today, Discord is the go-to community platform, with over 150 million monthly active users across gaming, business, education, and hobbyist groups.

But what most people don’t know is that it started as a failed gaming app that almost didn’t survive. So how did it go from near failure to becoming the dominant platform for online communities?

And more importantly, what can you learn from this if you are building a startup?

The Big Idea:

Discord’s Early Failure

Back in 2012, Jason Citron, Discord’s founder, was building Fates Forever, a mobile game inspired by League of Legends. He raised $8 million for his game studio, thinking he was sitting on a goldmine.

But the game flopped. Players didn’t stick around. Revenue was nowhere near expectations. The studio was bleeding money.

At this point, most founders would pivot to another game or shut down.

But Citron saw a different opportunity.

The real problem wasn’t the game itself. It was how gamers communicated.

Gamers were using tools like Skype, TeamSpeak, and forums to coordinate. The experience was clunky, laggy, and painful.

So instead of making another game, Citron solved the communication problem. That’s when Discord was born.

Today, Discord is something changing lives in many ways - jobs, like-minded discussions, and beyond what we can do as a community.

So, how did Discord pull this off as a gaming app initially?

Behind the Magic:

Gaming App to a Universal Community Platform

At first, Discord was built for gamers. If you weren’t into gaming, you probably never even considered using it.

Fast forward to today, and Discord is home to crypto groups, startup founders, AI researchers, students, musicians, writers, and even businesses.

It’s not just for gaming anymore.

It’s the go-to community platform for anyone building an engaged audience. So, how did they make this transition without alienating their original user base?

It wasn’t an accident but was a carefully executed pivot, and there’s a lot to learn from it if you build your product.

1. Solved a Problem That Was Bigger Than Gaming

They shifted from Voice Chat for Gamers to The Best Place for Online Communities. In its early days, Discord’s main selling point was lag-free voice chat for gamers.

But as more people used it, they found that the core problem Discord solved wasn’t just for gamers. It was for anyone trying to build an online community.

Here’s what was happening in the broader online world:

• Slack was built for work, but too formal for casual communities.

• Facebook Groups were too slow and lacked real-time interaction.

• Reddit & Forums felt outdated and passive.

People needed a place to have real conversations, build relationships, and create a true sense of belonging. Discord was already doing this for gamers.

So why not everyone else?

This realization set the stage for Discord’s massive expansion.

And here’s how Discord now works:

Umm… you didn’t let the tech jargon like servers disturb you, did you?

How can you do this?

1. Identify the deeper problem your product solves.

   Your users might be using your product in ways you didn’t intend. Pay attention to that. Ask yourself: Are there other groups of people struggling with the same problem?

2. Find hidden demand before pivoting.

   Look for signs of organic interest before going all-in on a broader market. In Discord’s case, non-gamers already used it before they officially pivoted. If people outside your target market already use your product, it’s a sign to explore expansion.

3. Focus on what makes your product unique, not who it's for.

   Discord didn’t change its core product. It just removed the gamer-only label so that others could join. Instead of saying “We are a gaming chat,” they shifted to “We are the best real-time community tool.”

2. They Rebranded Subtly Without Losing Gamers

For years, Discord’s tagline was Chat for Gamers. Then, in 2020, they made a subtle but powerful change, which said, Your Place to Talk.

This one move did two things at once:

1. It signaled to non-gamers that Discord was for them too.

2. It reassured gamers that Discord wasn’t abandoning them.

Discord also changed its website, app interface, and marketing to make it feel less gaming-specific while keeping features gamers loved.

and this is how the platform grew overtime - one feature at a time:

What can you do?

1. Make your rebrand feel natural, not forced.

   If you suddenly pivot too hard, you risk losing your core users. Instead, make gradual changes like adjusting messaging, website copy, and positioning before making any major product shifts.

2. Don’t push your original users away.

   Even as Discord expanded, it kept gamers front and center. Ensure your earliest customers still feel valued if you grow.

3. Test new positioning before fully committing.

   Before the official rebrand, Discord soft-tested the idea with non-gaming groups. You can do the same - experiment with landing pages, ads, or messaging before going all in.

3. They Let New Communities Adopt Discord Organically

Unlike most tech companies, Discord didn’t try to force itself into new markets with ads or big PR campaigns. Instead, they did something wise: They ensured Discord was the best tool for community builders and let them come naturally.

Here’s how:

• They improved features that any community would love (like better text chat, video calls, and moderation tools).

• They built a better onboarding experience so new users instantly saw value.

• They didn’t remove gaming features, but they added more general-purpose tools.

Over time, crypto groups, founders, musicians, teachers, and niche communities started using Discord because it was simply better than the alternatives.

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