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Marketing and Launching Video Games

After creating a video game, some game developers don’t market their games because they think it’s a lot of stress. But if you truly want to be an indie game developer, this is a very important step to take.

Clinton Ojobor, Blogger

July 20, 2020

3 Min Read
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After creating a video game, some game developers don’t market their games because they think it’s a lot of stress. But if you truly want to be an indie game developer, this is a very important step to take.

The first thing you need to do is ask yourself;

  • Why is your game unique?

  • With so many options for their free time, why should people play your game?

  • What do you offer them that they’ve never been offered before?

Understanding what will bring people to your game is important as you reach out to others. So now that you have figure out what is amazing about your game, how do you get it out? If you have no marketing budget, what can you do.

Well, firstly you’ll need to put out few things to get notice;

  • You will definitely need a game trailer (from 3-5 minutes long)

  • You will also need a website, something basic is okay and I recommend using wordpress.

Once you have does, you are all set. Getting into something like IDF is a great way to get noticed and it is also free. You should also connect with people on social media, for example on facebook, you can search for “Indie game developers groups” and share your game in the groups.

Next, I recommend email outreaching your game to at least 10 game news sites like ign, gamesradar per day. I know what you are thinking, you will not get noticed by them but the truth is their job is to have content, that’s what catches eyes and gives them revenue.

Also outreach to small indie game sites that really focus on your genre. Whether you have an fps shooter, action-adventure or racing game, there are sites dedicated to those genres. As your game goes towards launch, figure out how you’re going to build up the attention as the launch closes in.

Consider going on podcasts, release new screenshots and trailers frequently, also make sure to let social media sites know each time you do it. Once you done all that, it’s time to launch but where will you launch it?

Well there are a lot of options like digital distributors like good old games and steam (steam is a lot more complex than other digital distributors, so if you are low on money, I recommend you find another distributor).

You may think they are where only real games go but digital distributors are a lot more easier to get your game on than most people think. They make their money off of every sale you make and since it doesn’t really cost them anything to put more games on their store, they’re generally happy to work with anybody who has a reasonable game.

Don’t forget about mobile app stores like google play and app store. They actually reach more audience than steam by a wide margin. Sites like newgrounds allow your audience access to your game from basically any PC in the world. The Playstation 4, Xbox One also have digital stores but they are more difficult to get into than the PCs but now it is way easier to get into than before.

Before I end this post, you will also need to support your game, this means bug fixes, gameplay updates and does other stuff along the way.

So that’s all guys, keep doing what you do best and if you need a content/digital marketing consultant for your game, I will happily help you.

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