Fanscaling
A reader kindly sent me a note about MOR is DOA:
Totally agree Sean. So how do we swim to the correct "smaller audience"? This is something I've been working on for my whole career.I think for me, it's socialization and getting to know the players/customers personally and then letting word of mouth move them towards what we're building. But man. That's a LOT of socialization (which then becomes cringe at scale) to get the right players to your door.
What's your solution?
So here is my response:
Thanks for the note. I think you're right that it starts with knowing players personally. The hard part is making those relationships compound so that every new one doesn't depend on you.
Some of that cringe might be a useful signal: are we asking people to identify with something before they've found their own reason to care?
My working answer has three parts.
1. Start with a specific group of players.
Who are we building for, what do they want that they aren't getting, and where do they already gather? Use early conversations and small playable experiments to sharpen the answer. I watch for who comes back, what they care about, and who they bring with them.
2. Build an experience with increasing depth.
- Play: a core loop that makes the first interaction worthwhile.
- Progress: a sense of purpose that gives people a reason to return.
- Participate: opportunities for identity, expression, recognition and creation, both in the game and around it.
A satisfying moment, a reason for another session, and a longer arc of belonging.
3. Design for fanscaling.
Give people a natural path towards deeper involvement:
- Passer-by: make their initial attention worthwhile.
- Pop-in player: earn trust through repeat experiences.
- Casual fan: offer ways to express identity and earn recognition.
- Superfan: offer meaningful ways to contribute.
Not everyone needs to become a superfan. The point is to leave room for people who want to go deeper.
Participation is where more of the introductions can start happening without you. A shared challenge, a player creation worth passing on, or a recurring community event gives people reasons to bring others in and build relationships with each other. It still needs nurturing, but every connection no longer has to run through you.
That's why I see so much opportunity at the intersection of distribution, coordination and participation: how people discover something, gather around it, and make it part of their lives.
I don't have a universal solution, but that's the direction I'd pursue: know a small group deeply, build something distinctly for them, and give them reasons to carry it further.