Community Building

One of the most meaningful traits of RKL was leading with community first. Unlike traditional game studios that build quietly behind the scenes, we built RKL in public and our community was there every step of the way.

They celebrated the wins, called out the misses, and many of them have been with us since mint day. Keeping that energy alive for nearly three years before the game was even released was one of the toughest, yet most rewarding, challenges of the game.

Every activation, product iteration, and campaign moment was designed to promote, connect, and make our players feel heard, and part of something bigger.

Empowering the
Community

To harness our fanbase’s talent and dedication, we launched the Builder Collective, a space dedicated to community-driven projects using our IP.

We encouraged members to pitch their own ideas and gave them tools, support, and funding to explore real-world execution.

So far, we were pitched a toy line, a podcast, a Kong-Identity AR filter, a children’s book, an animated series, a news channel, and more.

The goal is to guide and elevate these ideas, turning fan passion into living extensions of the RKL brand.

Toy Lines by @Willow408

Animated Short by Lampost.eth

Turning Players
into Creators

UGC played a key role in our growth strategy. We used community-driven content to spark conversations, build visibility, and keep the hype alive.

Members engaged in contests and created game content, fan art, videos, podcasts, comic books, toys, spicy sauces, and even revamped a local court in the Philippines.

Recognition gave creators a kickstart to participate, and as the program evolved, creators began posting organically, building their own brands and channels by tapping into RKL’s highly engaged community.

Street Meet-ups

The most powerful connections happen when digital worlds spill into the real one. Hosting events in person gave our community the chance to meet face to face, deepen friendships, and solidify members active brand ambassadors.

NBA All-Star
Weekend 2025

RKL stepped onto the biggest basketball stage of the year with the Battle of the Brands tournament at NBA All-Star Weekend in San Francisco.

Powered by Gatorade and HoopBus, the event brought together some of the most iconic names in basketball culture, including LIDS, SLAM, Dope Era, and Veniceball.

We assembled a squad of five community members to represent RKL and show what Kong strong really looks like.

Battle for NYC 2024

Hosted by Magic Eden, the Battle of NYC tournament brought together top Web3 brands for a real-life basketball showdown. We called on our community, selected five players to represent RKL, and sent them into their first-ever game together.

What happened next was pure magic. The synergy was instant and one win after another led to RKL being crowned champions. It was a perfect example of a strong community culture coming together in the real world.

Discord as the Core

Our core community lives on Discord. It’s where RKL members hang out every day.

We tailored our server to give people space to talk not just about the game, but about whatever mattered to them.
Surprisingly, it’s not always basketball or games.

Over time, many of them became real friends. They organize their own tournaments, run contests, meet in real life, and keep the energy alive with healthy competition and inside jokes.

The Community Council

We selected a group of core community members and gave them an official role as the voice of the broader RKL player base.

The Community Council helped us test ideas, preview prototypes, and gauge sentiment on major decisions.

They also brought forward ideas, concerns, and opportunities from the community, helping shape both the product and the way we approached social engagement.