How I coded a Twitch Rivals event - SquidCraftGames, a $100,000 Twitch Rivals tournament
Published on Jan 20, 2022
Overview
SquidCraftGames was one of the largest Twitch Rivals events ever produced — a full recreation of Netflix’s Squid Game inside Minecraft, with:
- 🎮 150 Spanish streamers
- 👁️ 2 million+ concurrent viewers and 10+ million total views
- 💰 $100,000 prize pool
- ⚙️ Custom game mechanics, real-time voice chat, and fault-tolerant backend infrastructure
As Software Developer and Infrastructure Engineer, I was responsible for designing and maintaining the technical foundation that sustained the event’s explosive growth and flawless execution under massive live traffic.
Impact
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| Peak concurrent viewers | 2.1M+ |
| Total event views | 10M+ |
| Participants | 150 creators |
| Server uptime | 100% during live event |
| DDoS attacks mitigated | 3 major attempts blocked |
Beyond its scale, the event became a cultural phenomenon in the Spanish-speaking Twitch community, trending globally on Twitter and being featured on major gaming media outlets.
“SquidCraft Games … became the most watched Twitch Rivals event in history.”, “Over 15 million hours were watched over 6 days” — Twitch Rivals
It’s official! 🦑🥳
— Twitch Rivals (@TwitchRivals) February 2, 2022
SquidCraft Games with @Komanch @auronplay & @Rubiu5, became the most watched Twitch Rivals event in history.
Over 15 million hours were watched over 6 days, concluding with @OllieGamerz battle vs @elxokas. Thanks for making history! @TwitchES @TwitchLatam pic.twitter.com/9xT0SCHbEw
My Contributions
Game Mechanics
Developed and implemented interactive challenges inspired by the Netflix series, including:
- Red Light, Green Light
- Tug of War
- Glass Bridge
- Marbles and Final Games
These were built on a customized PaperMC server, optimized to handle 150 concurrent players with precise timing and synchronized logic.
Voice Chat System
Integrated a custom Fabric mod to enable real-time, proximity-based voice chat:
- Captured and compressed player audio streams client-side.
- Implemented a server-controlled distribution system to ensure low latency and clarity.
- Added in-game broadcast messages and ambient sound triggers for immersive event storytelling.
Infrastructure & Reliability
- Deployed dedicated bare-metal servers for optimal CPU and memory performance.
- Configured dynamic scaling, caching, and rate-limiting mechanisms to ensure 0 downtime.
- Designed and implemented DDoS protection and mitigation, successfully blocking multiple live attacks during peak hours.
- Built automated monitoring tools to visualize player activity and server metrics in real time.
Outcome
The project’s success established a new benchmark for large-scale interactive live events on Twitch.
It showcased the power of real-time multiplayer engineering and creative storytelling — all built on an open, moddable platform.
SquidCraftGames continues to inspire similar large-scale Twitch integrations and Minecraft-based events across the world.
Reflection
This project taught me how to:
- Design systems that hold under extreme, unpredictable load.
- Balance creative design with technical precision.
- Collaborate with large, multidisciplinary teams under intense time pressure.
And, most importantly, how to turn a simple idea into a global experience seen by millions.