In 2021, I started building minecraft.global with a long-time collaborator after we noticed how the biggest Minecraft server list websites were outdated and poorly designed, yet were still earning over $60,000 a month through ads. Most of them hadn’t been updated in years, and their entire business model relied on SEO manipulation—bot-generated backlink networks and keyword stuffing—rather than improving the actual player or server-owner experience. So, we decided to build a better one.

Over the next few months, I designed and built two full versions of our platform’s frontend using modern web frameworks. We introduced features no other server list had at the time: real-time server analytics, cleaner search and filtering, verified server profiles, mobile-first UI, account systems for server owners, and dynamic ranking that wasn’t pay-to-win. We actively spoke with server owners and players, shipped updates weekly, and built a platform that was technically superior to every existing alternative.

From 2021 to 2024, the site served over 300,000 users, and connected more than 200 servers to about 20,000 new players. While generating steady revenue, we did not have enough capital to advertise or form partnerships with larger Minecraft networks, and couldn’t scale it beyond a niche community. Even so, the project was among the first large-scale projects that I built, and also taught me a lot more about how product superiority wasn't always enough to succeed.