How to build an initial fanbase for a multiplayer-dependent game stuck at zero players?

Help and Feedback Game Design Support
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Hey everyone,

I’ve been working on my game (BLAST TOWER) for a while now. When I playtested it with friends, the core gameplay loop was genuinely fun, but the game strictly relies on having multiple players in a server to work properly.

I tried running ads, but it only brought in 1 or 2 players at a time. Because new visitors join an empty server, they leave immediately, leaving the game sitting at zero active players. It feels impossible to build momentum, and I’m really struggling with how to break out of this cycle.

For creators who have been in this position:

  1. What are the best ways to adapt a multiplayer-dependent game so solo players don’t instantly leave?
  2. How did you build your very first small community or fanbase from scratch without burning money on ads?
  3. What steps should I take to get a reliable group of people playing together at the same time?

Any advice, feedback, or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated!

Game: BLAST TOWER | Play on Roblox

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I would introduce bots that are always active which get replaced by players as the server fills up, a good example of a game that does this is Hypershot, most lobbies have half bots half real people and it doesn’t affect gameplay too much in fact I’d argue it makes it more fun too.

As for gaining popularity on the game itself and you don’t wanna burn money on ads the best way is to just organically build up a community through social media platforms such as youtube or tiktok.

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Ok, Thanks for the feedback i will use this and see if it worked out or not!

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