3 Days After My Game Was Published, Marketing Isn't Working
After a long journey of developing a game on my own, I feel fortunate to have a programming background. At least I wasn't starting from scratch, and I learned all the technical aspects of game development along the way.
Then came the day I sought feedback for my game. I released the demo here. Since I didn't post from my personal account, but from a new game studio account I created, the game didn't get indexed. Yes, the account is new.
I've set up Unity Analytics in the game, and there's a popup at the end directing players to a Google form survey I've made. That form is connected to Mailchimp for email marketing. I prepared all of this, but I got zero downloads. Not a single one.
So, I tried driving external traffic to the game's itch.io page. I posted on Twitter, TikTok, and shared the link in several Discord communities I'm part of. The most disappointing platform was Reddit, which I thought had the perfect audience for my game. I did get one valuable comment on a post, but all my other Reddit posts were removed. I don't fully understand the rules, or maybe my new Reddit account looks suspicious, or my reliance on AI for writing English text wasn't up to par. I don't know. What I do know is that I haven't gotten any downloads.
It's only been three days, but I'm starting to evaluate my efforts since they haven't yielded any results.
There are still other options I haven't tried: reaching out to streamers, moving to Steam, or finding a publisher. I'll consider these options, but it's clear that game marketing is tough.
Files
Get Presidential Rise (Demo Version)
Presidential Rise (Demo Version)
Lead your nation to glory in this political strategy management simulation.
Status | In development |
Author | Ilusif Studio |
Genre | Simulation, Strategy |
Tags | Management, Pixel Art, politic-game, presidential-rise, Singleplayer |
Languages | English |
More posts
- Devlog Update : Learn to Play, Story Mode & Sandbox Mode62 days ago
- Devlog Update: New Tutorial, UI/UX Enhancements, and Balancing ChangesSep 01, 2024
- Dev Log: Major Updates and EnhancementsAug 20, 2024
- Exciting Game Update: New Animations, Enhanced Mechanics, and More!Jul 01, 2024
- Development Log: Maintenance RequestsJun 08, 2024
- Update Version 0.08Jun 05, 2024
Comments
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I've never related so much to a devlog before.
I know this is an old post but I'll just say. The problem with making really big and passionate games is that the bigger it gets, the less people will want to play on average. The more players have to think, and the more time they have to put into it without strong engagement, the stronger your marketing has to become.
And that's the hardest part.
I speak from experience, and something tells me that marketing for my game is going to be a bigger nightmare than it is now. I'm glad that I'm receiving feedback for it, but my project is already more of a niche thing. It's only going to get bigger and more niche, so I feel I have to balance that with "fun" game play and occasional humor, with a deep story and characters, etc.
The thing I've learned about itch is, unless you're already renowned or just plain lucky, you get out what you put in. For me at least, making relationships and helping out fellow devs is the way to go. It's worked, slowly but surely, so hopefully it works for you too!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences! I agree, humor is something I want to add to my game, but I'm still working on it. It can give the game a little more soul, as my game might feel too plain and complex right now.
It’s great to hear about your approach to building relationships and supporting fellow developers. I think that’s a valuable strategy, and it’s something I’d like to focus on more. Let's keep supporting each other on this journey!