Overview
Paralives has one of the most active community-funded development models in the indie gaming space. Rather than relying on a traditional publisher or a one-time crowdfunding campaign, Paralives Studio has built its development around sustained Patreon support and continuous community engagement. This approach gives fans a direct stake in the game's direction and has allowed the small team to grow from a single developer to roughly 15 people over the course of several years.
Patreon Campaign
Why Patreon
When Alex Masse launched the Patreon page in 2019, he deliberately chose it over one-time crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo. His reasoning was that Paralives is an ongoing, long-term project that would benefit more from predictable monthly revenue than a single funding spike. He was partly inspired by the indie game Ooblets, which had found success with a Patreon-based funding model.
Growth and Revenue
The campaign grew steadily from its launch in 2019. By November 2023, the Patreon had surpassed 15,000 active supporters and was generating over $35,000 per month. This revenue directly funds the studio's salaries, software licenses, and other development costs. Because the team has no external investors or publisher, the Patreon income (along with future game sales) represents the entirety of their funding.
Tier Structure and Rewards
The Patreon offers multiple tiers ranging from $3 to $50 per month. Rewards scale with contribution level:
Tier Range | Rewards |
|---|---|
$3/month (entry) | Access to the Paralives Discord server, participation in community polls |
Mid tiers | HD wallpaper downloads, in-progress screenshots, behind-the-scenes content |
$50/month (top) | Weekly video chats with the development team, priority feedback channels |
All Patreon supporters, regardless of tier, gain access to the private Discord channels where development updates are shared before they reach public social media.
Community Brainstorming Sessions
One of the most distinctive aspects of the Paralives community is the structured brainstorming program. The studio hosted 16 community brainstorming sessions across Discord and Reddit, each focused on a specific gameplay theme. During these sessions, fans submitted detailed suggestions, debated ideas, and voted on features they wanted to see in the game.
Brainstorming themes included:
Session Theme | Topics Covered |
|---|---|
Relationships | Romance, friendships, family dynamics, social interactions |
Careers and Jobs | Career paths, part-time work, self-employment, promotions |
Food and Cooking | Recipes, cooking skill, restaurants, food spoilage |
Generations | Aging, inheritance, family trees, generational gameplay |
Town Services and Businesses | Shops, fire services, utilities, community buildings |
Basic and Complex Needs | Hunger, energy, hygiene, emotional needs, mental health |
Dogs, cats, horses, pet care, animal interactions |
The Pets session was the 16th and final brainstorming event. The team announced that they had gathered enough community input on major features and shifted focus to internal development and playtesting.
Social Media Presence
Paralives maintains an active presence across multiple platforms, each serving a slightly different role in community engagement:
Platform | Description |
|---|---|
Discord | Official server with over 85,000 members. Primary hub for real-time discussion, brainstorming, development updates, and Patreon-exclusive channels. |
r/Paralives subreddit with approximately 50,000 members. Created by Alex Masse. Used for brainstorming threads, fan art, speculation, and longer-form discussion. | |
Twitter / X | @ParalivesGame account used for development screenshots, trailer announcements, and brainstorming event promotion. |
YouTube | Official channel featuring gameplay reveal trailers, dev diary videos, and feature showcases. |
Paralives Facebook page for announcements and community engagement. | |
Steam Community | Discussion forums on the Paralives Steam store page for player feedback and general discussion. |
The Paralives Hub
The Paralives Hub (paraliveshub.com) is a fan-run community website that serves as an unofficial forum and news aggregator for the game. It provides a space for fans to discuss ideas, share fan art, track development progress, and connect with other Paralives enthusiasts outside of the official Discord and Reddit channels. The site has been an important gathering point for the community, particularly for players who prefer traditional forum-style discussion over Discord's real-time chat format.
Content Creator Community
A separate Discord server exists specifically for Paralives modders and content creators. This community focuses on preparing custom content, tutorials, and creative projects for when the game's modding tools become available. Content creators share techniques, collaborate on projects, and build resources that will benefit the broader player base at launch and beyond.
How Community Feedback Shapes Development
The Paralives development model treats community feedback as a core design input rather than an afterthought. Key ways in which fans influence the game include:
Feature polls: Patreon supporters vote on specific feature priorities, helping the team allocate development time to the most requested systems.
Brainstorming sessions: Structured community events where hundreds of detailed suggestions are collected, reviewed, and incorporated into design documents.
Playtesting programs: Selected community members participate in closed playtests, providing direct feedback on stability, balance, and user experience. Feedback from a larger playtest group in late 2025 led to the decision to delay Early Access from December 2025 to May 2026.
Social media dialogue: Alex Masse and team members regularly respond to questions and suggestions on Discord, Reddit, and Twitter, creating a two-way conversation between developers and fans.