Any new endeavor is stressful. You don’t know what you don’t know. Indie game dev is no different. The entire process will send you through a range of emotions, in no particular order. Here, I review some of the most common emotions, along with statistics that either support or contradict them. And each one ends with actions you can take right now.
In 2024, 18k new games released on Steam—10k more than in 2019.
You didn’t go into game dev to sell your game. You went into it for the creative expression. But to do this as a full-time gig, or even to justify spending the time on it, you need to stand out. It’s unavoidable unless you want five people to buy your game. One of them being your mom.
Start Here:
- Answer this question: “How would I describe the perfect player for my game”?
Why: It’s intimidating to go in front of an auditorium and try to pitch a product like Steve Jobs. But convincing a friend whose tastes you know well is easy. This question clearly defines who you will be talking to through your marketing.
Fear of Rejection
According to Chris Zukalowski, email lists convert at a rate of 10-30%, while Steam-generated emails convert at a rate of 1-20%.
It’s easy to post a few tweets and tell yourself you’re marketing your game, but is that really effective? Then, when it inevitably fails, you can blame “oversaturation” and “algorithms”. But look in the mirror and really ask yourself;
“Did I do everything I could?”
Suppose you don’t have an email list of your own. You didn’t. An email list requires less work than social media (you can often post just once a month) and becomes a long-term marketing tool that builds from one game to the next.
Start here:
- Create an account with an email provider (I recommend KIT)
Why: If you don’t have a Steam page, you can gather interest in your list. And when you do have a Steam page, you can consistently remind your list that they can wishlist.
Frustration
For games with >5k wishlists: Only 10% of new Steam games have a wishlist-to-sales conversion rate higher than 1.9%
Getting to 50k wishlists and only selling 1k the first day would break anyone’s heart. Because you “did it”. You have a ton of people on your wishlist for your game. But you’re not here to collect wishlists. You’re here to sell your game. Steam’s algorithm will do a lot of the heavy lifting AFTER it determines if you’re worthy.
Start here:
- Remind yourself that marketing begins when development does and continues long after release.
Why: You’re not here to gather wishlists. You’re here to sell your game.
Overlooked
More than 50% of the studios polled begin marketing 8-12 months in advance.
Imagine starting a race a YEAR after someone else. That’s how some devs treat marketing. There is always one more tweak, or shader, or UI change. However, marketing in the beginning doesn’t resemble marketing closer to release. Early on, it’s often just showing bits and keeping tabs on interested industry people.
Start here:
- Create a customer relations manager(CRM)
Why: Your CRM acts as a “buddy log” that you build up throughout development. Every time industry folks talk well about your game. Reach out and ask if they’d be interested in talking about it, come release.
Desperate
Almost 50% of Gen Z & millennial gamers discover new games based on recommendations from streamers/content creators.
Suppose one picture is worth a thousand words. Then, one streamer playing your game is worth 1,000 tweets.
Many indie developers don’t reach out to streamers. Even those who do often blast out generic emails, shotgun-style. It’s a losing strategy. Some developers even become resentful when streamers fail to play or reply. But can you blame them? Most of the time, it appears to be spam.
Start Here:
- Download this customizable email format.
Why: Because every email should be personalized, but it doesn’t need to be made from scratch. Fill in the details specific to each content creator and submit them.
Hopeful Curiosity
You need >44k wishlists to rank in the top 1k. And 191k to rank in the top 250
44k may sound daunting. But that’s not telling the whole story. Of course, we want to be in that zone. But even 10k wishlists puts you in the “top performing” category. IF the dev cycle is 12 months, that rounds to 200 wishlists per week. NOT INCLUDING significant events like Steam Next Fest. Consistency builds your baseline. Events give you the big bumps.,
Start here:
- Set a baseline and total wishlist goal
Why: If you don’t have a specific goal. You won’t know if you’re on track.
Excitement →Panic
Twitter boosts release-week reviews by 85% (314% higher than no Twitter)
Twitter doesn’t get you wishlists. It gets you connections. Streamers, press, other devs. People who have larger followings than you. And if it sounds sleezy. Like you’re using people. It doesn’t have to be. We’re in this industry because we love games. So talk to people about games. Then casually slide in info about your game. People love helping people.
Start here:
- Start a list on X called “[your game] connections”
- Add 50 streamers who play your type of game, press, and devs who created similar games
Why: These are potential candidates for the CRM. Think of it like joining a club. Talk about what you’re passionate about.
Skeptisism
64% of all marketing teams surveyed are five or fewer people
It may seem like there’s no way studios have only a handful of people marketing their games. But it’s true. And while there are for sure understaffed teams, 64% of the industry can’t be understaffed. This shows it’s possible even to have just one person help you and make a difference. It’s not rocket science, but it takes dedication.
Start here:
- List everything that you think is required to market a game successfully.
- Try to do it yourself for a month
- After that month, use the same list and order it from most enjoyable to least enjoyable.
Why: You should never pay for something if you don’t have a basic idea of it.
Relief
From August 2024 to August 2025, an average of 109 thousand people made purchases on Steam for the first time each day.
Going back to feeling overwhelmed. Yes, it’s overwhelming that there are so many more games on the marketplace. But there are also more gamers. The world is becoming even more interconnected. More people are eating, but also more pie. This means that you should consider localizing your game in one or two languages.
Start here:
- Take a deep breath and realize there are plenty of players to go around.
Why: If you already believe that succeeding is out of your control. You’ll never learn from failure or truly enjoy success.
Yes, game dev is hard. But so is anything worthwhile.
The best hedge against failure is to keep pushing, keep learning, and keep building.
Every successful dev you admire has stood where you stand now — uncertain, tired, and still moving forward.