The Biggest Problem With Indie Game Marketing!

If you have been developing games for a while, and you are wondering why you can't succeed, then you have come to the right video.
There are 3 main methods to market and promote an indie game, unfortunately most of these methods are not available to most indie game devs. In this video, I will explain these marketing methods and why they seem inaccessible.

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#gamemarketing #indiegame #gamedevelopment

[pixeltroid]

Solo indie developer here. In order for an indie game to get covered and showcased it has to be EXCELLENT, not just good. I contacted around 50 small youtube channels (who cover only indie games) and only 4 people covered my game. I am really grateful for that, but those videos didn't get too many views and so, it didn't translate to sales. Big indie game channels are interested only on the EXCELLENT games (which are usually made by small teams). So unless a solo-developed game looks absolutely amazing, they won't even consider covering it. And as for "self promotion" on social media, it won't work unless you have a large following, or get noticed by an influencer. So looks like us no-name solo developers are on our own.

[semiraco]

In a saturated market like video games, and even more so entertainment as a whole, you have to keep in mind what you as the developer are buying off the potential customer. That is their time. Why should someone spend their time and their money on your game over one they could buy instead or already have? That may sound incredibly cynical and maybe it is, but the truth is that you have to be capable of convincing people that your game is worth that trade offer. The primary way you do it through both social media and steam is first impressions, that means video, screenshots, and the music that goes with it. Because the reality is that if you can't hook them then, you were never going to hook them in the first place.

It is sad to say, but a great story means nothing if just 5 seconds of game play looks so uninspired they click away.

I think the recent Capcom poll said it best when in the "What do you look for in a game" poll "Exhilarating Gameplay" won first, "Unique and Attractive Characters" won second, "Unpredictable and exciting storyline" won third with " Memorable and moving BGM" as a close fourth. This shows clearly what gamers from around the world care about. If you want to sell, meet their desires. Otherwise, don't expect to sell. It is harsh, but is it better to live knowing the truth so you may improve or continue to live in a wishful dream in which you will never succeed? I hope everyone that reads this takes this as an opportunity to work hard and become better at their skills so they may achieve their dreams! Please develop your discerning eyes so they may not be fogged over and work until the work is done; do not give up early when the true valley is just beyond the next summit!

[GameDesignBrain]

As an indie developer, I understand how challenging it is to achieve success. The graph you presented seems fair and applicable to any online business, especially in the creative industry. Considering the vast number of excellent games available, it's extremely tough for us developers. It's about more than just supporting the developers or gaining money, as games are incredibly cheap if you consider the value they offer.

The main challenge is time. Juggling a full-time job, an indie side project, and family responsibilities, I once mentioned to a friend that I only play masterpieces now because there are so many great games to explore. This made me realize how competitive the market has become. On the bright side, the overall quality of games is improving, and the options can be super catered to your taste, but it's becoming increasingly difficult to make a game stand out.

[Antantic_]

You know, it's really challenging. I've been pouring my heart into this little minimalist 2D platformer of mine, but man, it's been rough. Right now, it's just chilling at 46 wishlists. Got any insider tips on how to give it a boost in the marketing department?)

[山本トコミ]

About to set up my steam page for my game. I’m going to market as much as I possibly can in as many ways I can think of, but I know it won’t be easy. But I’m not going to give up!

[Test-ivpm]

Please make a "How To Start Developing For Consoles" type of video

[niknic]

What most indie devs don’t understand when it comes to marketing is that its not about them. Its about your audience. What DO YOU HAVE TO OFFER.
Unless you have an existing audience nobody cares what you did, how much time you spend and how much you care about your game. Everyone looking for a game wants to get something from it so its your job yo show what they can get out of it. To understand that you really need to understand who your audience is.
Otherwise you will fail 100% of the time in marketing.

[saparapatepete]

I was lucky to have lots of testers in and out of my social circle, and glad i got that, because there was a lot to fix and improve during the alpha stage of my game. In the meantime i'm keeping my job and can work on my games part time.

[mandisaw]

Missing 4- Paid marketing. To the main point, you're right that many devs in the "mid" category don't get traction from press or influencers. But that honestly is a preview of how the customers will see it. The truth is that gamers don't care how big your team was, or how much blood & sleep you sacrificed. All they can judge is the game itself - "does this look like something I want to play?".

Unfortunately you're also right that indies don't put their games in front of enough people prior to launch. I'm not saying to quit making a game if it's unpopular, but it's important to gauge interest as you go along, so you know if it's "bread, pizza, or goat penis" LOL

Sending out press inquiries (or influencers, social media, etc) should not be your first inkling of whether the market wants your game.

[developerdaviddelmundo]

I've watched this because I myself made and uploaded a game on steam recently. I've experienced the struggle of self promotion. I only get few views even if I try to give quality content and even put tags or hashtags and any other way to optimize the videos. I understand the struggles we've encounter as an indie game developer.

[CollidingCapsuleStudio]

I feel like the marketing is a silver bullet especially to programmer types.
We'd rather spend time just honing the product than talking about it.

[Beveyboygames]

have you ever tried the feature on youtube, where you can pay to have it viewed a shit ton? idk how well it works

[diegofloor]

Another thing to consider is narrowing down your audience. If you simply target "people who likes games and maybe Zelda too" that's still too enormous of a pool of users, with too many games to choose from. That game will share the shelf with 100s of new games every month, and it's harder to stand out. If you target a super niche audience, one that doesn't get many games too often, you can reach these communities directly. And your game will get a spotlight all for itself, which can be advantageous even if for a smaller audience, because it's a boost to other audiences. Even people outside the niche might start to pay attention.
Case in point, I'm a Thief fan. I know Thief fans, and we all agree that we have not been served a decent Thief-like experience since Thief 2! Lately Gloomwood came along and it gathered a lot of attention because of that. At face value it looks like another boomer shooter, with quake era graphics, and it would have flown under everyone's radar if it were only that. But it stood out because it's actually closer to Thief, and it sold itself on that premise as well.

[GSH.Marketing]

Marketer and an Indie dev here, there's the 4th avenue which is paid ads. you could say the 3rd (your own social media) goes into it, but in reality paid ads is a whole other beast of itself. I've been doing paid ads for a good few years now, with different clients ranging from tiny resturants / content creators /devs, to massive companies biggest one being toyota. I honestly feel like a big part of marketing has to be paid regardless if you want it or not. It's very rare these days to get a product out there with social media and influencers only... and even if you do, you'd need a great deal of luck. Paid ads on the other hand gurantee you'd get eyeballs on your ads and product, It just depends how many and how many of them you convert. Would love to discuss this more if people want to reply to this comment I'll help the indie devs here as much as i can as i'm also in the process of making my dream game altough i come from a marketing background :D

[depavanmeijr]

Aku baru saja membuat akun googleplay console, dan terkena kebijakan baru yang menyulitkan 😭 20 penguji sangat sulit...dan aku bingung harus memasarkan dimana lagi game ku :(

[The-cyber-imbiber]

Marketing to other game devs have always seemed a bit sus to me because it's too small of a slice of the real market that would buy your game.

[MamaWolf]

I’m glad you won’t quit, is there a patreon or something I can donate to, to help you out?

[Kruku]

making games .. not as easy and fun as people think it is ;) same here struggling with getting attention with my project XD

[greguar]

i would wishlist your game if it just looked better... it seems interesting when it comes to mechanics, but it just doesnt LOOK professional. i think that this is a huge issue and its really difficult to just ignore that and move on with marketing or whatever.

[TabbedOutRat]

Who is even going to these "events" is it just other indie devs? Even the ones held on steam. Im genuinely curious not trying to be toxic