HELIKA

Engage, retain, and deepen fandom with AI mascot characters.

[HELIKA @Helika_AI]

Across four years of Super Bowl ad testing, brand characters consistently beat celebrities on appeal, recognition, and commercial impact: 3.8 stars versus 2.7 (@System1Research).
A familiar character builds memory in a way a human spokesperson rarely does.

[HELIKA @Helika_AI]

Long before Duolingo killed its owl, Planters killed Mr. Peanut.
January 2020. Mr. Peanut "died" at 104, sacrificing himself to save Wesley Snipes. Less than two weeks later, at the Super Bowl, he came back as Baby Nut.
A brand that owns a character can do things no campaign budget can buy.

[HELIKA @Helika_AI]

In February 2025, Duolingo killed its mascot.
By the company's own numbers: 1.7 billion impressions in two weeks, and more social conversation than any single one of 2025's top 10 Super Bowl ads.
That's what owning a cultural character looks like.

[HELIKA @Helika_AI]

The longer a brand's relationship with its audience, the more it compounds. Mascots build that relationship over time. The research reflects it.
Decade-long campaigns with a character: 41% market share gain. Without: 29.7%. Profit: 34.1% vs 26.2%. New customers: 40.9% vs 32%.
That's why the brands quietly winning in 2026 all run on characters.

[HELIKA @Helika_AI]

Tens of millions of people now spend hours each day talking to AI characters — most of them modeled on existing IP from games, films, anime, books, and music. Almost none of it is licensed. The audience skews young, the engagement is sustained, the demand is established. These conversations are already happening. The IP holders just aren't in them.

[HELIKA @Helika_AI]

Most brands still treat Discord as a gaming channel. The platform's own usage data tells a different story.
Only one in five users still uses Discord exclusively for gaming. The rest are running study groups, AI communities, fandoms, creator hubs, and remote teams. The platform's largest server isn't a game at all — it's an AI tool. And voice activity outside gaming servers keeps growing year over year.
A gaming-only read of Discord misses most of the room.

[HELIKA @Helika_AI]

Most content strategies still treat audiences as viewers who sit, consume, and wait for the next release.
The data tells a different story.
Passive scrolling on social platforms is now a fringe behavior, not a default. And interactive content keeps pulling further ahead of static formats on every engagement metric. The gap was 2x a few years ago, and it's still widening.

[HELIKA @Helika_AI]

The first week determines whether a Discord server becomes an active space or stays quiet.
– Active communicators make up just 5–15% of members in most servers
– Discord's Partner Program requires 20% week-1 retention to qualify
– First-week experience is one of the strongest predictors of long-term retention
A big server doesn't always mean an active one.

[HELIKA @Helika_AI]

We’re a bit late with this one. Still catching up after GDC week.

It was a genuinely great (and intense) week.

For Helika, a few key moments:
→ first live showcase of our Publishing Engine
→ intro of Alice. If you want to talk to her: https://t.co/Nn88C7qxeI
→ accelerator graduation at PGC SF

Packed schedules, side events, and a mix of planned and spontaneous conversations that turn into real opportunities.

If we crossed paths – really glad we did. Let’s keep it going 🤝

[HELIKA @Helika_AI]

GDC Day 4

@Xbox dropped Project Helix. @Kojima_Hideo pre-ghosted his own keynote. @nvidia keeps generating frames with DLSS (number went up again). @expedition33 is about to win everything tonight because Game Developers Choice Awards.

Meanwhile the Helika team is on the floor — come talk publishing, the Publishing Engine, or how to bring your IP to life. If you bump into @AbugovIlya or @BHelika — say hi and ask away!

[day four. still standing.]

[HELIKA @Helika_AI]

@nahxdahmed @AbugovIlya Jajaja he totally was!

[HELIKA @Helika_AI]

Aaand it’s on!

Demo Day 2026 has begun!

[HELIKA @Helika_AI]

GDC Day 3 — and what a week it’s been.

We opened strong with the reveal of our Publishing Engine. Last night, we watched the industry celebrate its best cinematic work at the Cinematic Awards — congratulations to @HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN, and to the teams behind @Fortnite , @expedition33, @adhocstudio, @MarathonTheGame and @Battlefield 6!

The conversations on the floor have been exactly what we came for. If you’re thinking about self-publishing or breathing new life into existing IP — find us. We built something for that.

PS: DM us or go find @AbugovIlya and @BHelika if you want to talk!

[HELIKA @Helika_AI]

Day 2 at GDC and we’re not slowing down.

If you’re in SF and want to talk about our Publishing Engine — or about bringing your IP to life with an always-on AI-powered digital character like Alice, which we showed at Demo Day — drop us a DM.

Ilya @AbugovIlya and Anton @BHelika are on the ground, so say hi if you see them.

[HELIKA @Helika_AI]

We did it ❤️

What a day. Huge thanks and love to our cohort and colleagues, and everyone who showed up to share this special day with us.

CC @wagyugames @imaginus_2d @luminoriatactic @predictfully_ @PlayTakeover

You are amazing.

[HELIKA @Helika_AI]

Ilya is watching

#pgc2026
#demoday
#helika

[HELIKA @Helika_AI]

The second panel of the day! And it’s quite a scorcher — Ai in Games, from behavioral trees to LLMs

#pgc2026
#demoday
#helika

[HELIKA @Helika_AI]

And the game that will make you oversleep important meetings and get very serious about time management (the matches are lightning fast, it’s just that addictive) — @luminoriatactic!

#pgc2026
#demoday
#helika

[HELIKA @Helika_AI]

LISTEN UP

[HELIKA @Helika_AI]

And now — @PlayTakeover is taking over the stage.

Ok this pun is horrible, but the game is crazy good.

#pgc2026
#demoday
#helika