An Introduction To Indie Game Marketing

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Thousands of late nights and an unspeakable number of coffee cups later, you have finally finished your indie game! You breathe a sigh of relief because the only step left is to publish it everywhere and wait for the positive reviews (and money) to start rolling in, right? Right?

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It's not that simple. By finishing the game you’ve only climbed half the mountain. If you want to have a better chance of people buying your game, you need to market it. Let’s explore what indie game marketing is and why you need it!

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What is Indie Game Marketing?

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Indie game marketing is simply the process through which indie game developers (like you) market or promote their games. But, unlike traditional forms of marketing, indie game marketing mainly focuses on techniques such as data-driven social media promotion, influencer marketing, and community building to get the word out there. The reason for this being a limited budget.

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Why do indie games need marketing?

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Ask a casual gamer about their favorite indie games, and they might name some of the wildly popular ones like Slay the Spire or Lethal Company. But the vast majority of indie games never see the light of day, no matter how amazing they are. Why? Because they are never marketed properly!

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But why do you need to market your indie games, anyway? To increase visibility and avoid your games from being buried by the Steam algorithm. 

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Thousands of indie games are released on Steam every year. In the first half of 2024 alone, more than 4000 indie games have been published. Not to mention all the AAA games that are often automatic buys for most gamers. This means your indie game will just be a single drop in a vast and endless ocean, making it virtually invisible. If nobody knows that your game exists, how can you expect to make sales?

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This is where indie game marketing comes in: to get the attention of gamers by letting them know that your game is out there and to prevent your game from getting buried within the crowd. In addition to getting more eyes on your game, through marketing you can also: 

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• Reach your target audience (i.e people interested in playing the kind of games you make)
• Tell people about your game’s unique selling proposition
• Stand out from your competitors, and 
• Create some buzz around its launch. 

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All of this will result in more downloads, which means more money in your wallet! 

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If you do it right, marketing can also help you create your very own online gaming community. Not only will this community act as loyal players for your future releases, they will also help you promote your game organically and help you with valuable feedback or reviews. 

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Ready to get the word out about your indie game? Get in touch, and we’ll help your game get the love (and players) it deserves. Contact us now for a free consultation.

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