Discord has launched its Social SDK. This is Discord’s free toolkit that helps game developers add Discord’s social features into their games.

The Social SDK toolkit is meant to make it easier for players to communicate and connect during multiplayer gameplay. Some main features include a friends list that you can access while playing games or on Discord, game invites that let players invite their Discord friends directly to join their game sessions, and a feature that shows what players are doing in games on their Discord profile.

You don’t need a Discord account to use these social features in the game, but linking your accounts can provide better integration and allow you to stay in touch even when you’re not playing. The SDK works with games made in C++, Unreal Engine, and Unity, and is currently available on Windows 11 and macOS. There are plans to support consoles and mobile devices in the future.

The chat is similar and mostly there to provide the basic level of access Discord gives. The way to use the service may change based on the developer, as some may only require users to sign in to the game, and others may only give access to that play session.

In addition to the main features, the closed beta program gives access to extra functions. These include cross-platform messaging, which lets players communicate easily with others on different platforms, even if they don’t have a Discord account. There are also linked channels that connect in-game chat to specific Discord channels, which is great for guilds and groups.

Several game developers started using the SDK early on, and the response has been encouraging. These are well-known studios like Theorycraft Games, Facepunch Studios,1047 Games, Scopely, Mainframe Industries, Elodie Games, Tencent Games, and more. Feedback from these developers has helped make improvements, including better control over online visibility and a better experience for players who don’t have Discord accounts.

With social gaming becoming more popular, it’s crucial for players to connect and build communities. Discord, with over 200 million active users each month, offers a big audience for developers. Early results from Supervive show that players who link their Discord accounts play longer and are more active than those who do not. This shows it’s working and that the SDK is affecting player engagement and making them return for more.

The Discord Activities is what’s interesting to me. This lets developers create, share, and make money from games right on the Discord platform and Quests as a way to promote games to more players.

Discord has always been a go-to for cross-platform chat and just hanging out with friends over gaming. Despite the issues the service has, it’s pretty reliable and safe overall. To see it give up its SDK for developers is not only a prudent business move but also helps gamers stay in touch.

Discord is doing something similar to PlayStation, where the service does not force users to use a Discord account, but there are more benefits to it. This kind of thing seems to go over a lot better with communities, as PlayStation faced a lot of backlash back when that was a requirement for Helldivers 2.

What surprises me is the lack of a price tag. Normally, a service like this would be offered in return for a subscription fee or something similar. Discord is free to use anyway, so it’s clear that’s the business strategy, but this could have gotten a lot more revenue for the company.

Until anything changes, the SDK is free for developers to use and add to their games. You can download Discord’s SDK from the official website.

Source: Discord (1, 2),2 The Verge