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Episode Summary

You did everything they said to do. You set up the Discord. You posted consistently. You asked — no, you begged — anyone who would listen to please wishlist your game. And then launch day came. And it went quiet.

Here’s the truth most indie devs learn a little too late: followers don’t always mean fans.

In this episode, I’m joined by Mallory Loar, CEO and Founder of KindaSorta Studios and one of the first marketing hires at Discord — where she built the Hype Squad, a superfan program that scaled from a handful of passionate fans to millions of members globally. Before that she was building communities on Tumblr back in 2011, before indie game community building was even a phrase people used. And most recently she did it again at Bolt.new, running a hackathon that hit 100,000 participants.

The through-line in all of it? Making people feel seen. Not marketed to. Seen.

Whether your Discord has zero members or three hundred, this episode is going to change how you think about indie game community building. We get into how to find your first 100 players without spending anything on ads, how to turn lurkers into genuine super fans, how to build a mod squad that actually runs itself, and why transparency might be the most underrated tool in your indie game marketing strategy right now.

Your super fans are out there. Let’s go find them.

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Meet Our Guest: Mallory Loar, KindaSorta Studios

Mallory Loar started her career the way a lot of great community builders do — by being an obsessive fan first. Back in 2011, she couldn’t find anyone in real life who loved the same games she did (Fallout: New Vegas, BioShock, the good stuff), so she started a Tumblr gaming blog. Overnight she had followers. Then she had a community. Then she had a career.

From Tumblr she landed at Discord as one of their first marketing hires, where she created and scaled the Hype Squad — a superfan program that grew from a small group of passionate Discord users to millions of members worldwide. After Discord she went to SteelSeries, then took on the challenge of building community at Bolt.new, where she ran a hackathon that attracted over 100,000 participants. Today she runs KindaSorta Studios, a marketing and community consultancy helping brands build the kind of fandoms that actually stick.

She also played 350 hours of Hello Kitty Island Adventure this year and personally convinced multiple friends and their kids to play it. That’s what a real fan looks like — and it’s exactly what she’s going to help you build for your indie game.

Website: kindasortastudios.com

Substack: malloryloar.substack.com

LinkedIn: Mallory Loar

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Key Takeaways

“Real fans come from shared values, inside jokes, spontaneous rituals, messy human interactions. You can’t growth-hack community. You’re building a fandom. And fandoms are emotional.”

— Mallory Loar

• Followers and fans are not the same thing. A follower has awareness of your game. A fan is in your Discord, reading your patch notes, AND texting their friends saying “you have to play this.” Mallory plays Hello Kitty Island Adventure obsessively and has personally convinced multiple friends and their kids to play it this year. That’s a fan. The goal of your indie game Discord strategy isn’t a big number — it’s people who care enough to spread the word on your behalf.
• Start where your players already are. The most effective indie game community building from scratch doesn’t start with building your own room. It starts with finding the rooms where your ideal players already hang out — niche subreddits, Discord servers for similar games, cozy game communities. Discord itself grew out of a Final Fantasy subreddit. Lead with values, not links. Be genuinely helpful. Be a fan of other devs and players first. Earn the right to invite people before you ask them for anything.
• Start building community yesterday. The annoying answer is the true one. Products and games are increasingly being built on the backbone of a community that already existed. Even if you’re a one-person team, start a Discord, figure out where your ideal player lives online, and show up there. Community-oriented indie game marketing without a budget compounds over time in a way paid ads never will.
• Make the first experience unforgettable. When someone joins your Discord, DM them. When they react to one of your posts, acknowledge it. I send every new FCI newsletter subscriber a personal welcome video — not a template, a real one. You know what word shows up in almost every reply? Surprised. Not impressed. Not grateful. Surprised. Because nobody actually does this. That reaction is your opportunity. One DM costs two minutes and will stick with them longer than any campaign you run.
• Your moderators are already inside your community. Look for the people already showing up consistently — welcoming new members, answering questions, keeping the vibe right. That’s your mod squad in waiting. Building a moderator team for your indie game doesn’t require a budget. Reward them with free game access, early builds, merch, a shoutout. They’ll help you scale what you genuinely can’t manage alone. Mallory’s first hire at Discord was a super fan straight from the community — not a paid employee.
• Give people something to share. Badges, referral incentives, visible achievements — something that makes being in your community feel like belonging to something real. The Hype Squad started with stickers and swag at high school gaming clubs and college LAN events. It scaled to millions because a badge on a Discord profile meant something. Think about what the equivalent is for your game. What makes someone want to say “I was here first”?
• Keep community and customer service separate. If you’re not addressing player frustrations through a dedicated process, that negativity leaks into your community and poisons the vibe. The Discord CX team was one of their biggest staff teams for exactly this reason. Run both in parallel. Respond to the good AND the bad on every platform not just Discord. Transparency about what’s broken is not a weakness. It’s what builds trust — and trust is what converts followers into indie game super fans.
• Celebrate the kills. Discord built an entire game store for a year and then shut it down. Leadership framed it as a win: they learned a lot, and they made the call before it became a bigger problem. If something isn’t working in your community, killing it early is a skill. Continuing to invest in something you know isn’t valuable for your players is the real failure.
• Transparency is the most underrated tool you have. Don’t over-promise. Let your fans feel like they’re part of the journey, not just the hype train. Give them a peek behind the curtain. When you mess up, tell them — you’ll earn more respect than you lose. Transparency isn’t just good ethics. It’s one of the most powerful indie game word of mouth marketing tools you have.

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Show Notes & Mentioned Resources

About Mallory & KindaSorta Studios

• KindaSorta Studios: Mallory’s marketing and community consultancy — helping brands build real fandoms
• Mallory’s Substack: Where she writes about community, marketing, and building things that last

Communities & Platforms Discussed

• Discord: Where Mallory built the Hype Squad — and where most indie devs should be building their player community
• Bolt.new: Mallory’s most recent community project — a hackathon that hit 100,000 participants
• Bonjoro: The tool I use to send personal welcome videos to every new FCI newsletter subscriber — highly recommend it

Games & Examples Mentioned

• Hello Kitty Island Adventure: Mallory’s current 350-hour obsession — and a masterclass in superfan building

Key Frameworks from This Episode

• Lead with values, not links: Show up in communities as a genuine fan and helpful contributor before you ever promote your indie game
• The first experience principle: The moment someone joins your community is the most important moment you have with them. Don’t waste it.
• The mod squad playbook: Find the people already showing up, reward them early, let them help you scale
• Followers vs. fans framework: Awareness doesn’t equal investment. Build for investment.

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