Skip To...
Remember that scene in Forrest Gump where his shrimping boat was the only one that thrived after a huge storm destroyed all other shrimping boats? It’s a bit of a fitting comparison for Warframe and its community. It has been going strong in live-service for 12 years in a video game format that even AAA studios are labeling as unsuccessful. Warframe has practically been skateboarding that uphill battle for more than a decade.
So out of curiosity, we asked the people behind Warframe how they did it and what contributed to their success (among many other things). To our enraptured exaltation, they answered! Hence, we present you with insights from Senior Community Manager Danielle Sokolowski and Live Ops Manager Taylor King in an interview about Warframe.
Meeting & Interacting with Players In-Game
The Nerd Stash (Sid Natividad): As community managers, how often are you online or playing with other players? Any heartwarming or funny reactions from players encountering you in-game?
Danielle Sokolowski, Senior Community Manager, Warframe: I would say almost daily! Sometimes it’s a quick Void Relic lunch run or an after-work cooldown session in 1999 trying to (unsuccessfully in my case) rizz up a Hex member. The community team also has weekly Friday group sessions, where we play together and help each other out, and then, of course, we have our Thursday Prime Time streams with the community every week.
Often, our focus is on upcoming updates, and we end up spending a lot of our time on the test build to prepare, but in between that (and life in general), we thoroughly enjoy hanging out with other fellow Tenno as often as we can!
“I remembered we had told players when a bug happens in-game, we type ‘banana’ in chat so we can find the error in the logs later. Two players in that banana squad had been playing for almost a decade, and the third had started a couple of years ago at the recommendation of their friends.”
I’ve personally had countless hilarious run-ins with players, as have many others on the DE team. Someone not too long ago said in chat, “Thanks for helping make the best root’n’tooty’point’n’shooty,” and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it because it made me laugh so hard.
Another squad asked me if we still used the “banana method,” and I was genuinely so confused by the hilarity of the question out of context. Eventually, I remembered we had told players when a bug happens in-game, we type “banana” in chat so we can find the error in the logs later. Two players in that banana squad had been playing for almost a decade, and the third had started a couple of years ago at the recommendation of their friends.
They were avid watchers of our streams, and the way they interacted with one another made it clear they had been friends for a long time. I ended up sticking around for an extra 10 rounds of Defense because I was enjoying the conversation so much.
They were so lovely, people are just so darn nice! We have a company chat channel where we share some of those lovely, heartfelt encounters, this community is full of such spirit lifters.
Then there are other smaller interactions that have had a big impact. I’ve been in public hubs like the Relays or Höllvania’s Mall, complementing players on their Warframe fashion, and without a beat, someone will send their Look Link in chat to me, which is basically a way for me to directly copy their color scheme, skin, and attachments. There’s definitely a mutual appreciation for one another, Digital Extremes and the community, that makes every encounter feel like an opportunity to bond over the game we love to make.
Taylor King, Live Operations Manager, Warframe: I play at least several times a week, if not daily. If you publicly matchmake into a mission with a [DE] tag in your name, there’s a good chance someone will notice and say something in chat. Even idling in your Orbiter will result in DMs with anything from sweet notes to requests to buff their favourite Warframes.
One type of interaction that really sticks out to me is the ones who comment on how often they play with staff — “I’ve been playing since 2015, and this is the first time I came across a dev!” — especially those who have a running list of the other staff they’ve seen. Some of them even remember it down to the update or day, it’s so sweet: “I played with [DE]Rebecca in March 2023, and [DE]Sam when 1999 launched” as an example.
For some, squadding up with a dev is a chance to ask for free Plat or any sort of development spoilers, and that can be fun in its own way, but for others, it can be a really memorable moment.
Knowing that, I try to engage with players as much as I can. I’ve roleplayed gushing over my favourite On-Lyne x Big Bytes pizza collab, answered questions about updates, shared fashion/builds, jumped into impromptu Captura sessions, and taken bug reports — the sky’s the limit. Whether they recognize my name or are just jazzed to be talking to staff, their excitement for Warframe is infectious, and I’m happy to be the conduit for that however I can.
Warframe’s Secret Sauce
The Nerd Stash (Sid Natividad): It’s no secret that Warframe‘s devs listen to players, and that’s part of what maintains the game’s success, but do you think there have been any other recent ingredients for Warframe‘s success that other live-service games can look upon? Especially in these troubled times in the industry.
Taylor King, Live Operations Manager, Warframe: I wish we had a step-by-step formula we could hand out to other studios to help them with their live-service games. There are too many titles I’ve loved and, unfortunately, struggled to find their footing. In all honesty, I might be too insulated to be able to offer anything conclusive — I’ve been at DE since I graduated university, so Warframe is all I know.
Personally, there are two things that come to mind (outside of luck, of course) that can’t be undervalued: consistency and the ability to take risks. Being able to break away from our comfort zone in that way keeps things fresh, not only for the players but also for the team itself. There’s a running joke in the community that we’re on something like “Warframe 4” at this point — the game and its world have been twisted in so many weird and interesting ways it’s become practically unrecognizable at several points in its history
Danielle Sokolowski, Senior Community Manager, Warframe: Maybe not so much about adding in something new, but more so fine-tuning what we know has worked for us – such as establishing a release pacing that is manageable for the team and predictable for the players.
When we take stock of what the team is capable of putting together and evaluate what needs more time to marinate, it builds confidence within the team. Players end up benefitting in the end because we can permit ourselves to share our plans with them. Livestreaming has been another key ingredient in our pantry since the early days.
“Like a family cookbook that’s been passed down over generations.”
Giving players access to soon-to-be-released update details while demonstrating it in real time with the devs keeps players invested because they are part of the conversation. Which has proven to be invaluable to us because, more often than not, their reactions lead to vital tweaks ahead of launch.
We’re celebrating our 12th anniversary this year, so I feel like our recipe at this point has got to be 100+ ingredients long, with scratched-out measurements and notes scribbled all over the margins. Like a family cookbook that’s been passed down over generations. Keeping up with a live-service game is a tremendous task, and we have nothing but respect for the studios out there working hard to find their place in this often turbulent industry. We’re very aware of how lucky we are and never want to take it for granted!
Placating Unhappy Players
The Nerd Stash (Sid Natividad): How do you deal with community disappointment? For example, the recent Protoframes are non-romanceable. I’m sure there are some strong community opinions about that, aren’t there?
Taylor King, Live Operations Manager, Warframe: Disappointment comes from expectations — after 12 years, there’s a certain standard we’re expected to meet, and the community holds us to it. If there’s a large amount of unanimous outcry, usually it’s a sign we missed a step: we changed a disruptive meta but didn’t buff an underpowered mechanic to compensate (the ol’ hug and kick method, as it were); we released a game mode that isn’t as polished as it should be, or maybe is too grindy, etc..
It’s not fun if players are disappointed, but it can be a clear indicator we need to iterate more. And I like to think that we’re successful at acting on it.
With Protoframes, the only context players had for them had been that they’re datable, so it’s completely understandable the community would think the new ones would be too — and may be upset to find out they’re not. Sometimes, the content we make does not take the exact shape players were hoping for. I personally think that’s part of Warframe’s strength, but it can be a hard pill to swallow when the Protoframes are just so damn hot, haha.
“Ultimately, the best practice we’ve had in dealing with it has been keeping the community a part of the conversation and being transparent about our intentions and reasoning.”
Taking a risk, though, going beyond what is expected, opens you up to possible disappointment, and with that comes the responsibility of setting the right expectations both narratively and in the community itself. We know and accept that, and we’re committed to keeping the trust with our players we’ve built up over the last 12 years.
Danielle Sokolowski, Senior Community Manager, Warframe: A lot of it comes down to understanding why players are disappointed and taking a moment to digest it. It feels silly to say something so obvious, but we don’t relish disappointing players. So when it happens, we take it seriously and look for spaces where it makes sense to iterate. But there have been moments where we can only meet them halfway, so it can get tricky!
Ultimately, the best practice we’ve had in dealing with it has been keeping the community a part of the conversation and being transparent about our intentions and reasoning.
As for the Protoframes, there were definitely strong but also very reasonable opinions. The romance system in 1999 was extraordinarily popular with players, and who wouldn’t want to schmooze up to the new cast? The expectation had been set for players that the introduction of new Protoframes would include some kind of a romanceable arc, so the reaction was understandable.
The team decided to experiment with the potential of the chat system, which is risky with an already successful system. We just hope that players will enjoy a different narrative experience that has them playing a very different but important role in these characters’ lives.
Who’d They Swipe Right To
The Nerd Stash (Sid Natividad): On the topic of romance, who’s your favorite among The Hex? Why or why not Eleanor? (I’m going off on community votes, because she’s the favorite based on a survey)
Taylor King, Live Operations Manager, Warframe: I’ve only romanced Arthur, so I can’t really answer beyond that. I was originally planning to break up with him and try the others so I could collect kissing cinematics with them all, but I just don’t have the heart to do it. My in-game alignment may be neutral, but dumping a man to get with his twin sister is a step too far, y’know.
Danielle Sokolowski, Senior Community Manager, Warframe: So far, I’ve romanced Quincy and Eleanor, but I ranked up to the dateable stage with all of them because I just couldn’t stop chatting with them in the KIM system. So at this point, I have six Hex suitors, which, hey, is pretty great. I won’t lie though, I have felt a bit odd thinking they’re just watching me jump from person to person, so Quincy will remain my main man for the foreseeable future, hahaha.
The Elusive Red Text Dev
The Nerd Stash (Sid Natividad): Are you the ones responsible for the quirky red text during updates? If so, the community thinks highly of you and even looks forward to your every update. What do you think of that? If not, then who are they so we can build a community plaque in their name?
Taylor King, Live Operations Manager, Warframe: The hunt for Red Text is a long and storied one, starting all the way back in 2014. If you have any leads on their identity, please let us know.
Danielle Sokolowski, Senior Community Manager, Warframe: Red Text is an elusive, faceless, nameless entity thriving in the chaos that is Region Chat. Always in the shadows, lying in wait for the next time they can jump scare chat to share a groan-inducing pun.
What Changed with the Warframe Community?
The Nerd Stash (Sid Natividad): In general, how much has the Warframe community evolved? It was a rather niche game back in its release and even a few years after. Is there something you’ve noticed that changed dramatically with the community once that game has reached a more popular status?
Taylor King, Live Operations Manager, Warframe: I think any shifts would probably be too gradual for me to notice. With that said, I’m really glad there are parts of our community that haven’t changed: players are welcoming, eager to teach new players, excited about Warframe whenever it’s mentioned, and remain far too good at memeing on us.
Parting Words
The Nerd Stash (Sid Natividad): What are some of the most memorable messages you’ve received from players or the community as a whole? And in return, what would you like to say to Warframe players through the countless years of memes, ships, and fanfics?
Taylor King, Live Operations Manager, Warframe: This is such a good problem to have, but there are way too many to count. Staff share sweet messages from players in our Slack on a weekly basis at this point — it’s a blessing, one we don’t take for granted. I’ve been working on Warframe for almost a decade now, so I could probably write pages and pages on the individual moments I cherish.
“The Warframe community knows no limits to their kindness.”
To save everyone’s time, I’ll leave you with this: it’s an incredible experience to help such talented, amazing people make a game, and then see the resulting torrent of passion from the playerbase — to know they love it almost as much as you do. It’s downright magical
Danielle Sokolowski, Senior Community Manager, Warframe: Oh man, I’ll rub the letters off my keyboard if I start writing everything down. Each week, there are a number of interactions with players that make us smile. The Warframe community knows no limits to their kindness. I will say though, some of the most memorable moments I’ve had were at TennoCon and TennoVIPs, where we can actually hang out with players and give our appreciation back to them.
To the Warframe community: We are so grateful for your years of support. You have made being a part of this game an incredible adventure in growth and connection. Your passion for every part of this game inspires us, y’all are a phenom! From the experimental mod builds to the Captura edits, fan art, song covers, and diabolical memes we can’t show on Prime Time streams half the time, thank you, Tenno!
A Simple Equation to Live-Service Success
Sadly, the Warframe devs have to go, it’s a busy year for the game. However, their answers have been consistently hinting at some of what contributed to Warframe‘s success. It basically boils down to actually playing the game and even playing with the community.
In hindsight, it makes sense. The best way to implement improvements to a live-service video game or video games, in general, is to join the players on the ground and step into their shoes. That has somehow allowed them to make the game they want, along with the players.
And while the “Banana Method” might not be around anymore, its general notion likely remains within Warframe‘s development circle. That idea is to play the game, have fun with the players, and take note of what needs to change, with or without a banana.
