Discord announced the launch of its new Social SDK on Monday, offering game developers a powerful toolkit to integrate advanced social features directly into their games.
This free software development kit aims to enhance in-game social experiences for players, whether they have a Discord account or not.
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Discord SDK: In-game social tools for developers
The Discord Social SDK provides developers with tools to create a unified friends list, serving as the foundation for in-game social interactions.
Players can access their Discord friends within the game and vice versa, fostering seamless connectivity across platforms. The SDK also enables deep-linked game invites, allowing players to invite friends to join their party or lobby directly.
Stan Vishnevskiy, Discord co-founder and CTO, emphasised the importance of this release: “For game creators from indie to AAA, Discord is where you can connect with the world’s largest and most engaged community of players to fuel the growth of your game before, during, and after launch”.
Cross-platform communication features
The SDK introduces cross-platform messaging capabilities, enabling players to maintain conversations across desktop, console, and mobile devices. Additionally, it supports voice chat functionality and allows users to link in-game chats to specific Discord channels on their servers. These features aim to create a more integrated and seamless social experience for gamers.
The Discord Social SDK is compatible with C++, Unreal Engine, and Unity and currently supports Windows 11+ and macOS. Future releases plan console and mobile support.
Several prominent developers, including Theorycraft Games, Facepunch Studios, 1047 Games, and Tencent Games, have already begun implementing the SDK in their projects.
This release builds upon Discord’s growing influence in the gaming industry. The platform boasts over 200 million monthly active users who collectively spend more than 1.5 billion hours playing games on PC each month.
By offering this SDK, Discord aims to solidify its position as the primary social layer for gamers across various platforms.
The introduction of the Social SDK aligns with Discord’s broader strategy to become a comprehensive game development, distribution, and discovery platform.
In a separate announcement, the company revealed plans to launch an Embedded App SDK on Tuesday, allowing developers to create apps and games that can be played directly within Discord.
As game developers integrate these new social features into their titles, players can look forward to more seamless and interactive gaming experiences. The Discord Social SDK represents a significant step towards unifying the social aspects of gaming across different platforms and communities.