Few things are more exciting than seeing your game live on Steam, ready to have the masses flood in and hit that “Wishlist” button. Of course, not every game receives such a fevered response, especially if its marketing didn’t benefit from a triple-digit budget or the game isn’t tied to a well-known developer or publisher. Still, when your game is publicly available, it should start to get some attention.

But what if it doesn’t? What if you fall into a category that no developer ever wants to see their passion project land in — the Commercial Flop? Seeing a very slow trickle of interested players (or none at all) can be disheartening. However, it shouldn’t be the end of your journey. Take the data, consider it a learning experience, and then email us for a little help!

During our time working with indie developers on games of all calibers, we’ve pinpointed common oversights that can be directly tied to poor performance at launch. In many cases, it has little to do with the game itself and more with how it’s presented to the public.  

Underutilizing the Steam Page   

In June 2024, our client Triple Espresso excitedly revealed its upcoming football tycoon game, Copa City, at the PC Gaming Show. Though European football is incredibly popular, that it’s a tycoon game puts it in a niche market. However, within a week of the reveal, the game garnered over 25,000 wishlists. Some of that can be attributed to the media coverage, but Copa City had something else going for it — a very strong Steam page with vibrant imagery and audience-focused content. 

It’s tempting to throw up random assets, cobble together a description, and list a few functions of your game just to get your page launched, but that’s doing your game a grave disservice. That wouldn’t let it shine. The images or gameplay presentation are the first thing everyone will see, and they should immediately engage everyone. Add a trailer or two highlighting, at the very least, the basic concept of your game. 

When you write the description and the expanded details in the “About This Game” section, think of a voice and tone that may appeal to your intended audience. Get creative without straying from the point, which is to get people excited about your release. Remember, for many, this may be their introduction to you and the game, so details need to be clear, concise, and enticing. In the “About This Game,” you get to dig deeper into the experience you’re providing to get people excited.

Keep Things Exciting

After the Steam page is launched, show that you’re actively working on it. Triple Espresso kept players involved in the ongoing development process. Every so often, they released a Devlog or posted a gameplay presentation featuring a member of the development team. These kinds of updates, while not mandatory to any game’s success, build anticipation and assure players that their interest is well founded.

Unplanned Marketing Strategy

If you don’t market your game, no matter where you release it, it’s dead in the water, even on Steam, which can provide more organic traffic. The same is true if you have an inefficient or unplanned marketing strategy.

If your idea of marketing is to jump onto Twitter or TikTok every few days and post a random video of gameplay, you’re not making the most of these platforms. Marketing requires a strategy, starting with:

• Know who to post for 
• Knowing what to post
• Knowing when to post

Who is Your Core Audience?

Is your game more kid-friendly? Or did you go all-out grotesque horror? These are two very different audiences, so your social posts would need to cater to them in different ways. For example, for kid-friendly titles, try to appeal to both parents and the player. Younger games have a split audience, where parents are looking for something “safe” for their child. The tone for this would be light, joyous, colorful, and appealing to what parents want in their children’s games: wholesome entertainment.

What Should You Post?

Don’t just rely on gameplay videos. While they can be enticing, it’s easy to come across as a low-quality mobile game when all you’re doing is showing snippets of gameplay. It shows a lack of thought and care, which translates to a potentially poor product.

Tell the story of your game, showcase developer videos, and share how you decided on specific designs. When gamers can connect with the entire process, they’re more likely to become invested through launch and beyond. Dev diaries are a fantastic way to start showing off what you’re working on and building that relationship with your audience. Invested gamers want to see where the product they’re being asked to buy came from, and the love and passion you display will get them excited.

The Best Times to Post 

This is where things get a little trickier. When you should schedule your posts depends on the platform, and it can change as trends evolve. There are general “best times” to post, which we’ll touch on below, but knowing what works for your audience means doing a little research.

As early as you can in the marketing process (before you start posting, if possible), learn how to read social media stats. Yes, it’s a process, but it's an important one for success. When you start posting, you can follow the guidelines below and determine what works best. Not seeing the traffic you expected? Move the times around, tweak your content, and try again. 

When you are starting, consider sticking to this schedule:

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• Twitter/X - Monday & Tuesday - 10 AM to 1 PM
• TikTok - Thursday - 3 PM
• Instagram - Wednesday - 11 AM
• Facebook - Saturday - 7 AM

Relying on Early Access Hype

It seems like we live in the age of early access. So many games are released on Steam in an unfinished format. Often, it feels like the game was rushed out either to drum up financial support or because the developer was overexcited. Sometimes, early access launches are fantastic for a game’s release. However, you can’t hinge the success of your Steam launch on what amounts to an early build of your game. 

Be very specific with the reason you want to do an early access release. If it’s to test the waters and gauge interest, make sure what you’re releasing is fully playable and without glaring issues and bugs. If your early access is laden with problems, you’ll be working against yourself. 

Don’t forget, you’re likely one in a sea of other indie developers vying for attention. You’re not a Bethesda or CD Projekt RED. Your probability for redemption from a disastrous early access is far less than a studio with ample resources.

If you are going to provide early access, be absolutely clear about what’s included in the current build and what players should expect to see in the future. Don’t set unrealistic goals for yourself or mention features you can’t guarantee you’ll deliver on. Early access is a way to build trust. A poor early access release is a way to lose it.

Releasing During a Busy Release Season

Finally, watch the release calendar when deciding when you want to launch. Going up against a AAA launch is a good way to get buried on the Steam store page and social media. You likely don’t have to worry about annual or bi-annual releases like Call of Duty, as they already have their audience. However, new IPs and new concepts from big-name, trusted developers will intrigue the masses and siphon attention from your launch. 

Of course, knowing your audience helps with this. If your game is a sports simulator, you probably don’t need to worry about a new, highly acclaimed horror game. You’re on different ends of the spectrum.

Don’t Make Game Development Harder Than It Needs to Be

We’ve worked with many indie developers over the years and have become very familiar with the difficulty of the development process. Don’t make it any harder on yourself. Marketing is time-consuming when you factor in all the little pieces, like building an audience, communicating with media, developing a social media schedule, and writing a complete Steam page.  

While you worry about the quality of your game, let us worry about expanding your game’s reach. Loopr understands the latest industry practices and trends, ensuring your work receives the attention it needs and deserves. 

Want to start effectively building your Steam page and working on a successful Steam launch? Contact Loopr today to work with the most productive marketing team in indie gaming.