THIS is Why Most Indie Games Fail

As indie developers, we're constantly reminded of the importance of marketing our games. With game development becoming increasingly accessible, the competition for attention is fierce. But why do some games soar while others barely make a ripple?

Join us on a journey through Steam's Top Wishlisted page as we dissect the elements that draw players in. From the sprawling landscapes of "Light No Fire" to the serene charm of "Tiny Glade" and the whimsical world of "MOUSE," each game has its own unique appeal.

But what sets these games apart? It's more than just marketing—it's about creating an experience that resonates. From stunning visuals to captivating soundtracks and tight gameplay mechanics, the key lies in delivering excellence on every front.

So, whether you're a solo developer or part of a small team, remember: make your game the best it can be. Polish every aspect, play to your strengths, and watch as your efforts pay off. Because in a sea of games, it's the ones that truly shine that capture hearts and minds.

If you're new to our channel, we're Brandon & Nikki from Sasquatch B Studios. We sold our house to start our game studio, and work full time on building our business and making our game Samurado.

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[GameMakersGuild]

There is useful information here, but I would say, do not get discouraged by looking at this video if its going to be your first game, some of these game's dev team already released games before or have experience. If you are a solo game dev or releasing your first game, just keep up with the motivation and learn as you go!

[GoeTeeks]

Unless you go digging into why other games aren't getting wishlisted, you're only getting about 30% of the story on how to make your game succeed. You need to look at failures and mids as well.

[jumpkut]

Considering your audience, it’s too bad you didn’t showcase some more ‘scrappy’ looking indie games, even if you had to go lower on the list to find them. It’s no surprise, but all the games (you showcased) that are on the top wishlisted just look amazing. They have great art and art direction and look appealing. This is very hard to emulate for most game devs who are not already artists. So this video may be a bit discouraging. Then again, a top 10 wishlisted game is no small feat and not a realistic goal for most devs. That said, I’m not sure what you meant for the takeaway of this video to be for a solo dev except something like ‘try your hardest to make your game extremely visually appealing’.

[SenkaZver]

Going to take a before video guess and my thoughts: marketing is important but the main reason is quality.
A lot of indies copy other indies, so they're competing against each other, use minimal innovation or new ideas, and don't make something worth playing.

Why should I play your farming simulator or roguelite deck builder over the other 500 indie games of those genres?

[teodorasutka]

I feel like this video is just a less specific and less useful version of the video made by Eastshade studios "Marketing is NOT Why Most Indie Games Fail". It's just some examples of top wishlisted games picked in no order in particular to get some abstract conclusion that "uhhhh, polish matters". Yeah, no shit.
Saying that a lot of indies are "not going to get where they want to go", and then exclusively analysing the tippity top of wishlisted games just seems like handing another recipe for failure to small indie teams.

Eastshade studios has a really nice introductory video on the topic of analysing a genre that you wish to make a game for and then identifying the revenue bracket for which you would like to make the game, analysing the genre's deep cuts and top-sellers, what the standards are in the different brackets. Some of the presentation of this video just seems straight up ripped off but without the substance. I don't think that abstract content like this serves anyone.

[IdealIdleIncremental]

Marketing is probably the hardest thing for me personally. It's much easier to make a game than to market it. And it's even harder if the game you are working on is not really marketable, like in my case. But I'm doing my best to learn...

[SurockGames]

Marketing as a multiplier: If you multiply zero, you get zero. :)

[TheArghnono]

Many years ago I wrote a post mortem on a mid sized game that had done ok-ish in the market. Our conclusion then, and I believe this is true still, is that if anything in your game isn't excellent, leave it out. Every part has to be top notch. If you can't afford/don't have the skills to make an element look excellent, you should leave it out. Your graphic shapes should be properly anti-aliased. Your fonts should be professional. Your music should not be from the local elevator. If you include an element that is just so-so and think 'this is a peripheral thing, nobody will care' you are wrong. It will stick out, the players will focus on it, and it will hurt you badly.

[mz_eth]

I honestly think the best thing you can do for your game and for your sanity is to keep the scope small. Think less about making your dream game and more about making your dream mechanic

[ITR]

Was confused since I thought I had already seen this video, but apparently Eastshade Studios just made a video with the exact same title and thumbnail a few days ago. I thought for sure I had seen the thumbnail with CotL though, but guess that's just dejavu

[LightShellDev]

I've been making my first 2D metroidvania game for more than a year now, good luck to everyone!

[the_elder_gamer]

I think you have to define success here. Is success earning a living wage from development or is it earning enough money to retire from a single game? Of the ~60K games on Steam with the "indie" tag, nearly 1000 have revenue of more than a million and about 3500 have revenue over $100K. On the flip side, roughly 50K made less then $10K. But you have to ask yourself, how many of those 50K games are hidden gems, great games that _should_ have a big audience but don't. I set out to figure that a few years ago and contrary to what you might think, at least based on my criteria, there is no such thing as a "hidden" gem. Sure, there are always one or two outliers, games with a devoted fanbase and very low sales, but in the vast majority of cases, good games get purchased and played. The question going forward is about genre saturation, competing against past successes, and to what height the bar of entry will be raised to as the space gets increasingly crowded, but the takeaway should be that _original ideas_ and polished execution will almost always lead to some kind of "success" (see the first sentence).

[elchris]

i actually would of love to play cult of the lamb but its too satanic for me and im not down to cross those lines i fear God

[bankiey]

Most games suck, indie or not. The path is wide, but the gate is narrow

[theastralproject]

I think most fail because the devs are beginning and when you start out you make generic cookie cutter games. We don't need more pixel platforms, we need innovative and risky games, unfortunately most indie devs like myself don't have the knowledge or resources to pull it off, but i have hope.

[firiam]

"Why most indie games fail - because they're bad/unpolished". Boom 7 minutes saved. Some of your videos are useful and informative but this is just not it...

[ThePancakeJedi]

Making is best selling game is extremely simple: just have amazing graphics, music, game play and marketing. Be original and unique and familiar at the same time. Offer many hours of content, multiplayer, customization and replayability. That's all. You can't lose. Easy.

[_GhostMiner]

*As someone once said:*
*Your game fails if it doesn't get through these 3 filters:*
1. Unfinished
2. Unknown
3. Unliked

i know it should be "disliked" but that doesnt fit with the rest. 🤓

[vast]

When there is hundreds of (well made) games released per year, quality is not going to cut it. Its a lot of luck involved (getting featured by a large streamer for example) and word of mouth by people who find that game in the vast onlines. Or a marketing budged that is likely out of reach for Indy titles.

[my_noname_channel]

Summary: If you don't have money and skills on really cool art, Sasquatch won't even look at your game