Quick Summary
- Sloclap wanted to stress test Rematch’s servers at scale while gathering feedback from players before launch
- They ran five tests, scaling from 1,000 to 10,000 simultaneous players
- The tests generated 140,000+ player feedback data points, helping Sloclap make some changes to game’s mechanics elements like controls and match length
- Rematch went on to top Steam’s sales charts in its first week, earn a Best Sports/Racing Game nomination at the Game of the Year Awards and win Sports Game of the Year at the D.I.C.E. Awards
Pre-Beta Test
When Sloclap approached us about their upcoming title Rematch, they needed help stress-testing their servers with thousands of simultaneous players while gathering feedback on the game experience.
We began with a pilot session of 1,000 players targeting European sports game fans. Since servers needed to be focused in one region to avoid latency issues, we concentrated on building a strong European player base first.
For the pilot test, we followed this process:
- Created a comprehensive 50-60 question survey covering control schemes, tutorials, art style, match length and pricing
- Ran user acquisition campaigns through our existing player community and paid media across Meta, Google, and Reddit, featuring gameplay footage and custom poster designs
- Funneled players through our platform where they signed up, signed NDAs and received their Steam keys with specific participation times
- Set up a Discord server as the central communication hub and handled moderation throughout the session
- Distributed raffle prizes after the session concluded
The first stage went well and we were ready to scale up.
Increasing Complexity and Scale
The second session doubled to 2,000 players with more structured gameplay testing. Instead of open play, we guided players through specific activities:
- 10 minutes of character customization
- 5 minutes exploring the in-game store
- Solo play sessions
- 20 minutes of squad-based cooperative play
This required real-time coordination from our moderation team. We built custom Discord bots to automatically group players into squads of four, created dedicated channels for team formation and guided the community through different testing phases throughout each session.
From there, we continued scaling: 4,000 players, then 6,000 and finally a 10,000-player simultaneous test. Across 5 total sessions, the Discord community grew to over 22,000 members, including players who remained engaged from previous sessions.
Player Insights
Across all sessions, we collected approximately 140,000 data points from player feedback. This comprehensive dataset covered every aspect from the first-time user experience to technical issues found during gameplay.
The Sloclap team incorporated some of the feedback into their launch strategy, including adjustments to physics, tutorials, art style, match length and control schemes.
While stress testing was the primary objective, the sessions created an engaged community of 20,000+ players who experienced the game early, provided feedback and saw their suggestions implemented.
This community became invested in the game’s success well before launch. They understood what Rematch was trying to achieve, they’d contributed to shaping it and they were ready to champion it when it launched.
The Launch and Beyond
Rematch launched successfully, reaching the top of Steam sales charts in its first week. The title was nominated for Best Sports/Racing Game at the Game of the Year Awards and won Sports Game of the Year at the 29th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards.
The Sloclap team’s approach to development, running extensive player testing and listening to feedback, demonstrated how validating your game with real players throughout development leads to better outcomes.
The stress tests ensured their technical infrastructure was ready for launch, but just as importantly, they validated that the team was building something players wanted to play.
The early community built through these tests created momentum that carried through to a strong launch and continued success.
