Discord Apps Anywhere

Discord challenged us to create something short but powerful: a bumper announcing the launch of Apps Anywhere, a recent feature that brings games and apps directly into text chats. More possibilities, more activity, more ways to connect with friends, anywhere across the platform.  We set out to craft an energetic, immediate, and memorable story, positioning the new launcher as the key to unlocking an entire world of experiences.

The outcome? Six seconds of pure action, drawing viewers straight into the magic of a single button. A fast-paced, visually striking piece infused with Discord’s unmistakable vibe: playful, quirky, and a little nerdy.  The goal was clear: show users that they can do so much more with their friends, before, during, and after gaming

Visually explosive

We turned the simplest gesture — pressing the apps button — into a spark that unleashes an entire world. An explosion of 2D and 3D elements illustrates the waves of possibilities: from pure gaming to entertainment, all the way to creative and community tools. Each world comes alive with its own set of props, from the familiar to the delightfully absurd, bringing each section’s content to life.  Don’t believe it? Just take a look at the gaming props but watch out for the dragon, he’s not always so friendly!

The first look matters

The visual language had to be both fun and functional: not just a product spot, but an experience that hints at the vast range of activities available, without drowning in technical details.

The impact had to be immediate (under five seconds) and leave a strong impression, perfectly aligned with Discord’s new identity.

At the heart of it all, a continuously morphing coin: from a retro joypad, to a wild drum, to a multifunctional device. A metamorphosis that embodies the versatility of apps.

The mix of frame-by-frame character animation, dazzling 3D props, and hand-drawn 2D FX made every transition a surprise, fast-paced yet punctuated by slowdowns that let viewers savor the details.

mixing worlds through mixed media

We deliberately pushed the mixed-media approach to the extreme, getting the best of both worlds. Sometimes 3D objects were first animated in 2D and then redrawn; other times we used compositing to add texture and noise to the cel animation. All seamlessly blended together.

A media for every place!

We also produced a variety of assets to effectively communicate the initiative, making sure to always adapt the format to the platform, like square layouts, Instagram Stories, Reels, TikTok, the website, and even the changelog.

Behind the scenes, here we go!

A video like this opens up countless creative possibilities, and our team explored many directions before arriving at the final result.

Here are some of the concepts, studies, and sketches we developed to shape this dynamic world of activities and fun, designed to be experienced together with friends on the most colorful platform on the web.  Settle in and take a look: there’s plenty of material to discover.