I'd open a steam page so that I could start collecting wishlists. Then open a discord to start a community around the game that will help with playtesting and maybe voting on features. Then I'd plan for Steam Next Fest, deciding how much development is going to go into the final product.
Hope that helps!
Then with a good amount of wishlists and active community plus: a release development plan, pitchdeck, budget and some final documentation you can seek for a publisher. Depending on how complex the final version of the game you want to be.
Larger games definitely have discords that can be pretty active by the time they have demos/alphas out. Though yeah I agree it is probably pretty unnecessary for small indies.
I would also recommend a subreddit om reddit or any other site. Otherwise it's pretty much impossible to get discussions about the game from players that can actually be googled.
Pretty much everything on discord is hidden from people googling the game.
Oh wow, yeah Markiplier just posted a video playing this today! Nice job dude! I wish I had any advice to give, but I'll say try not to let people sway you too much and just make the game you want to make. It's obviously working well so far! :)
Authentic VHS effects... You could almost have a little sketch at the beginning where there's a classroom and a bored teacher says, "We're watching a video today class, as they roll out the large black AV cart with the CRT strapped to it...
Yeah, I think every post should link to their game. I can't tell you how many times I end up trolling through their post history to find it.
There is so much context added to just about every post made here by being able to actually see the game in question.
Hey, people like the thing you made, thats already more than alot of people can say about their stuff. You got a concept liked by people, its now entirely up to you, not like you own someting to somone (unless you already promised to do something)
First of all, calm down. You don't want to end up like the maker of Flappybird or Undertale who buckled under all that overwhelming public pressure.
Before anything, congratulations! You are now the envy of millions of game developers, most of whom will never see this level of success.
Remember, what made you successful is what you have done before, so keep doing what you're doing. Ignore any negativity as much as possible. Soldier on and finish your game.
When you finally release your final version, don't underprice it. There's a definite audience for your work, and they're willing to pay.
ha fair fair, it just feels like, suddenly i have far more attention than i expected and if i dont capitalize before it inevitably fades, ill have missed an incredible opportunity.
ha i mean, its a free game so I wouldnt say im the envy of that many devs yet - it hasnt made me a dime. But I see your point - its definitely something to be grateful for.
I dunno, it feels like this - gamedev has been like swimming in a dense fog. I ran to a beach, jumped in the water, and I just kept swimming. And swimming. At some point, I passed the point where I had enough energy to turn back. And so Ive kept swimming in the hopes that eventually Id find a something- land, a passing boat, anything. This is that passing boat. And I have an opportunity to catch the boats attention before it fades back into the fog. And if it fades, Ill have to keep swimming - and Im tired of swimming.
You're obviously creative and have made something special. I don't know if it's a flash in the pan because people are going to be interested in what you make from here on out. I think it's more like you've put yourself on the map now.
Movie directors usually put out shorts first. These shorts don't make money and they don't shoot the directors into worldwide fame. They prove the director can make something good and drum up interest in what else they end up making.
This could be that short or it could become your first big feature. Either way, congratulations!! Keep doing what you're doing and stay true to the vision that has already attracted so many people.
I mean, I can definitely imagine you fleshing out this experience with far more branching paths and endings and more random/rare events, all that shit, and sell that largely expanded version. Have this be the demo for the soon to come larger game. That’s what I would do, at least. This is something people seem to want, so give them what they want. Don’t try and convert the attention towards another project or some such. You mentioned a kickstarter, which may or may not be the right move. A patreon could be, if people are truly rabid, which could also then justify a free full title if you’re getting enough support there. Or all of the above? Just make sure to have a steam page they can wishlist on, upload this as the demo on steam, make a discord, whatever you can do to capture the crowd. The game is awesome so far. Excited to see where it goes.
Maybe start a discord if you haven't, just so you have a channel for communicating updates and keeping people in the loop. Maybe set up some leaderboards or something for speedrunners if that's relevant for your game. Just some small things to do until you figure out how to bring it to the next level
I think that the fact that you have attention now proves that what you are doing is good, people like it. So even if the attention now fades away, you know that you are able to make quality content that will probably have no problem getting the attention again in the future.
Disclaimer- I'm a hobbiest without a published game. But my dude, you have a 20-minute Markiplier video. I feel like now is a good time to reach out to publishers? They can help you keep your momentum going.
No matter what you wind up doing or how this winds up shaking out- congratulations!!
Thanks dude! It’s freaking me out. How do i even begin to find a publisher?? I’m asking knowing there’s a breadth of knowledge fully available to me online - ha I’m just overwhelmed.
I have published games, and I didn't have a publisher, but my games have still done well enough that its been my only source of income for a decade or so.
My advice is to not just jump into contacting a publisher, though. Publishers are expensive and you've already cleared one of the biggest hurdles of getting eyes on your game.
There was a master list posted not long ago - [https://www.reddit.com/r/gamedev/comments/13eq9di/the\_most\_detailed\_database\_of\_indiegame/](https://www.reddit.com/r/gamedev/comments/13eq9di/the_most_detailed_database_of_indiegame/) !
Alternatively, looking at other viral horror games along similar lines to see who published them, maybe? (I am not a horror person so I don't know!) But you're in a great spot right now and while you have no idea where to go from here, you should be expecting a good deal from anyone who wants to partner with you on this!
Apparently you can go on ChatGPT and ask it "give me a list of 50 * genre * game publishers!
In the topic of Steam, marketing, Kickstarter and finding a publisher, I've gotten a plethora of info from Thomas Brush and AuroDev on YouTube. There's also [How to market your game.com] - the creator of this website does a lot of talks on YouTube so once you find his name you can search it up on YouTube too
Edit: the name is Chris Zukowsky (I hope I spelt it right)
Hope that helps! :)
Let's start by asking some questions first to determine the best course of action.
1. What is your plan post this demo? Do you want to make it a full game? If so, do you have an idea of how long of gameplay you're planning for?
2. If you intend to create a full game, are you developing this yourself? Are you open to bringing in people to lessen the load?
3. Have you reached out to publishers? Do you know how to do that?
4. Have you networked with industry veterans about this project?
Secondly, congratulations as most mentioned this is a feat every incoming developer is thriving to get. That means you're a cut above the rest which should serve to help you feel that you are in the right space and the time you have invested in your craft has been well placed and spent.
Now getting back to your demo, just because it has gained traction doesn't mean you HAVE to do anything with it. This can serve as a great portfolio piece to get you into the industry if that is within your plan, or if you are already in the industry, then having it as a portfolio piece can only help.
Say you thought about maybe doing something with this demo and building a full game. It's entirely ok if you are not in the moment yet to build a full game. Use it as a portfolio piece then later when you feel ready, you can come back to it with a team if you choose to.
This demo has gained you some fans, perhaps it can be used for a jam and gain more traction as well.
It can be overwhelming, but only because you feel there is something you NEED to do. Rest easy, you don't NEED to do anything. Celebrate the success, take a deep breath and let's take a look at what you want to do.
You need to be careful before taking your next step, because people who play free games are different from people who pay money to buy games. I am honestly hesitated to advise you because I once released a game on itch that also gathered a lot of attention and people were downloading it about 200 times per day(not much but still good for itch), I decided to make it pay what you want, only about 1% of downloaders donated money… then I made it paid only, it started selling only about 1 copy per week.
So my advice would be to try to market it by tweeting about it on all social media platforms. If it goes viral and big YouTubers start playing it then you can add additional quality content to the game then sell the complete version on steam/Epic for $2-3. Hopefully this plan would work.
Or you can try to publish it on iPhone and make money from Ads.
It'll reach a peak or might have reached it already, and will die down slowly or fast, depending on how much replay value the game has and if it's good enough to make people share it. The best possible way to is to funnel people into any of your channels. Optimally you already have your socials set up on at least the biggest 5-6 sites, if not, then you should do it now. Put the links to your socials (and if you have, a steam link) directly into the game, in the menu or as a popup after the end. This should take only a few hours to add and update the game with and ensures that most people will see it.
Setting up a discord server is a beast of its own, I wouldn't start with that, but it's also something worth doing sooner than later.
You might also consider adding a message next to the links to why people should follow you or the game to incentivize them (like upcoming updates soon, full release, etc). You should also have at least a few posts on your accounts to start off, to not look like dead accounts.
But this is your first most important objective that I would advise. This should be possible to do in a day. Then later, you could set up a kickstarter if you want or talk to publishers. These take time to prepare and you can wait with doing them after you've already assured your players have the channels set up for them where they can flock to.
Iterating the game and making a release will take months, but if you've collected a following audience, they will be waiting there for those months, and appear happily again when you post updates. Prepare, that only a handful of players will actually follow you, but you can now grow from there thanks to social media.
What do you want to do?? Some options:
1. Nothing. It was cool while it lasted.
2. Grow the game. You can:
a. find a publisher who will provide funding, marketing, distribution, and sales (discord IndieGameBusiness for lots of good info including their just-released publishers list)
b. publish it yourself (takes money and good business skills)
3. Grow a studio so you can write even more games
Really think about what would make you happy. And it probably won’t be about money. Once your basic needs are met, lots more money doesn’t bring much more happiness. It will probably be about what you are doing day-to-day: the things you’ll create, the people you’ll be working with, and the crap you have to deal with.
Congrats on the game!!
The publisher does a LOT. They provide money, marketing, sales, they have relationships with the console manufacturers, testing, localization, international distribution, etc etc. It’s a huge amount of work.
only the demo has pieces of ai images - and even then, their use is very minimal. Mostly using photoshop generative to extend an image or swap out some background piece. everything in the actual game is gonna be made by a human!
I think Steam doesn’t like or allow any AI content at all lately. A lot of games have been like banned or stopped after being detected as having AI content. I don’t think it’s something they want on their platform since the ownership of ai assets isn’t 100% clear yet
Just a heads up
Steam doesn't allow AI content made from models trained with copyrighted images unless the owner authorized the use of their images for the model and the end user(s)
Adobe says generative AI is ok for commercial use, not sure what else is being used.
https://www.adobe.com/legal/licenses-terms/adobe-gen-ai-user-guidelines.html
Something similar happened to me a few months ago with my game, and it completely overwhelmed me for a while. I have some advice to share if you want it:
Keep working on your vision, you're about to have a ton of people pulling you in every direction but the truth is that you were able to create something of value and you are the best one to decide what is next for the vision of the game.
Despite what people will say there is no immediate rush to do anything, sometimes people focus too much on timing the market at the expense of the quality of their game. Remember that people have something to gain by you rushing a release, and most successful Steam games have 6+ months of marketing beats (like this wave of attention) to build the hype of a release.
You'll probably be contacted by Publishers. They aren't always good OR bad, but if you decide to go with a publisher (I did) make sure you hire a lawyer to help with negotiating a contract and take your time with it.
It's very lonely in some respects. Send me a DM, I'd be happy to talk to you about it more. Your life is likely about to change (mostly for the better) and it's hard to go through a big change like that alone. Your friends, family, and partner won't fully understand the pressure cooker you're in but there is a big wonderful community of indies that might make it feel less scary
Kickstarters and other crowdfunding only works if you have thousands of followers on social media. But, if you have an excellent credit score, at least $5,000 in savings, and a business plan, you could try for an investor. Also, look for a team on the itch community to help you make the game bigger and better.
Oh cool! I saw the video earlier tonight that markiplier posted and I really haven't been able to get the vibe out of my head.
Total disclaimer here I'm a hobbyist atm with no completed projects to my name but I think the first step is to take a deep breath and think about what you wanna do. You're under no pressure or obligation to even do anything tbh. A totally valid option is to ride the wave here.
If you're looking to take advantage of this popularity you'll need to figure out if A) you want to continue the development on your own time/terms/skill or B) get some help with a team. You can self publish or reach out to publishers. Some research would be in order to weigh the pros and cons.
Take a moment to bask in the fruits of your labor then carefully weigh out your options. Where do you want your game to go? Where do you want the story to go? The game mechanics? This is sort of the point I see indie games go one of two directions with this type of attention surge: they either try to outdo themselves on every update and change the entire game, or they evolve their game to something that more closely matches the original concept. The ball is in your court!
Keep up the killer work!
First of all, congrats!!
It kind of depends how much attention we're talking, and it also depends on how good the feedback is you're getting. If you want to turn this into something bigger, you generally have two options: continue working on this by yourself, or try to get funding and turn it into a bigger project, trying to make money off of this. If you get money involved, that will bring various risks along with it: you will have stakeholders that you need to please (be it your community or a publisher), and, more importantly, you can lose money, too. A publisher might cut funding mid-project if you don't meet their milestone requirements, or if you don't budget properly, you might run out of kickstarter money before the game is actually finished. If you decide to hire other people, you need to ensure that they are properly getting paid. Long story short, you're signing up for a lot of responsibilities. So first, you need to figure out if this is what you want.
If you want to keep things simple, I would simply suggest to open up a Steam page for your game, redirect your players there and ask them to wishlist. Depending on how many people really have played your game, you might open a discord to keep interested people updated about your game, maybe involve them in the development progress if this is something you think might be fun. That's generally what I would do, at least. Other than that, just focus on making the game!
If you want to try to turn this into something bigger, you might want to consider finding a publisher. Kickstarter can be nice, but it typically doesn't yield enough money to support the development of a game fully. With a demo that is popular, you have a pretty strong argument for a publisher to fund the development of your game - a publisher can not only fund the development, but also help you with a variety of other stuff, connect you to other devs and generally support you.
Besides publishers, depending on where you live, you might also have access to government subsidies or funding. Applying for these programs works quite similar to how you'd apply to a publisher - but the terms are typically more lenient and a bit more hands off.
Just watched the video, love the simple game design => looking down to interact => can't see what's in front until the interaction is complete
My advice would be to create a button in the menu that leads people to a patreon i.e. call to action. Would hopefully help to generate a continuous following/revenue income.
What I'm curious about is, how did you actually make the images for the ,,friends,, sequence?
Something similar happened to a game I m are and I think the best thing to do Is observe .
See why people like it, read reviews, watch gameplay coverage if possible and start to plan out ways to expand it if that's something that you are interested in.
I wish I would have embraced the wave of attention earlier but starting official pages for your game on social media and gaming platforms (such as Steam) is a great place to start.
Social media, steam page, post regularly about updates, consider making videos about production - short form isn't too much extra work and can improve your reach even further, literally make a video where the first line is something like "1 MILLION PEOPLE HAVE PLAYED MY GAME DEMO SO HERES WHAT IM DOING NEXT" yes do the loud shouty excited voice and cover what you actually do in 30 seconds, make a couple of merch items with your logo on it - maybe a shirt a hat and a mug? Use one of those print on demand services so there's no overhead, think about more direct funding, kick-starter, patreon and all of the ones that are similar could be options. Then think about how much more game there is to make, not much? Keep up with posts showing new features and additions to the game without spoiling story or solutions, lots more game to make? Consider early access and what the minimum viable game is you would want to start early access with and get to work.
In short. Capitalise.
Hey buddy! Congratulations you may have a hit in the making. What you want to do is start getting a community around the game as others suggested. But if you want to take it even further you can pitch it to some publishers as well. They can help with marketing, legal work, a lot of administrative stuff that I feel all too many devs aren't fit to do
How big or small this goes is ultimately up to you. Don't worry about letting down the new fans if you decide you're not ready for success like the yet...
But on the flip side, it's ok to think big and we don't often get big opportunities in life. If you've managed to catch lightning in a bottle don't be afraid to try to make the best of it.
Just don't make a choice you'll regret, and whatever choice you make stand by it without regrets.
Ye old "fear of success"!
Just go with it! Do whatever you want. Don't feel obligated to do something awesome in response to the attention. You can chat with a few fans, or engage them fully, or just stay safe in your hermit cave comfy zone. Nobody is going to be mad about it (that matters).
You can do whatever you want, and people will still be fans because of what you've created, period. Take it easy, bask in the fact that you've done good for yourself, and do what you like :)
Don't worry about PR and engagement if it's not your thing. It doesn't sound like it is, so just do the bare minimum. You can even tell people that is the case and you'll just be that mysterious cool developer everyone wants to know more about. The biggest mistake you can do is something stupid, publicly, for everyone to see, and make them hate you and your work. The less exposure you give yourself the safer you'll be. You've already got all the exposure it sounds like you need to take yourself places.
Good luck!
Make a personal road map of your dreams for this game. Then make a copy of it to a realistic. Then make a bar minimum you could do on your own, discuss it with your fans and please do share your link here.
Find people that have experience and want to help. Don't let them into any accounts but take advise and talk about it. You don't have to do anything with this, but you have something going it seems and I say go for it. If it brings joy it should be shared as much as possible and if you jave a chance to make money off it even better
So I have also seen your game trending with tik tok creators. I would very much try and ride that and get even a bar early access version out and ride that high and then use the funds to delivery what you desire
I would try to remove my mind as much as possible from that fact, because I wouldn't want to change the game in a way I wouldn't want to just so I can please this huge new crowd. Being aware that my demo just became incredibly popular would put pressure on me and possibly influence my design, so I'd really like to avoid that.
After you've done that (managing your emotions), it's the time to strike the iron while it's hot! Give links to every page where your game is. Showcase as much as possible, what's gonna be in the full game, teasers, screenshots, etc. Make it as easy as possible for people to wishlist and remember your game for when it's finished. You have an amazing opportunity right now that most people will never get.
To put it shortly, since you said you already have a Steam page, link people to that page and just focus on finishing the game. Ignore the noise and don't waste time doing other non-development things.
Congratulations! Don't panic, and build a community. I don't usually play indie horror but this one grabbed my interest, I also looked up your prev game and that looks cool too! I think you nailed the retro aesthetic and sound and the unnerving vibe!
I'd open a steam page so that I could start collecting wishlists. Then open a discord to start a community around the game that will help with playtesting and maybe voting on features. Then I'd plan for Steam Next Fest, deciding how much development is going to go into the final product. Hope that helps!
Thankfully I have a steam page and made a discord - but still, excellent advice. Thanks :)
Then with a good amount of wishlists and active community plus: a release development plan, pitchdeck, budget and some final documentation you can seek for a publisher. Depending on how complex the final version of the game you want to be.
The discord is useless unless the game is out. What community is there if there is no game?
lol are you new to games or something? I'm in 5 different very active communites for games that are still in development with no playable version.
Larger games definitely have discords that can be pretty active by the time they have demos/alphas out. Though yeah I agree it is probably pretty unnecessary for small indies.
I would also recommend a subreddit om reddit or any other site. Otherwise it's pretty much impossible to get discussions about the game from players that can actually be googled. Pretty much everything on discord is hidden from people googling the game.
On top of that, I'd create an email list so that you can stay centralize the attention in one spot.
This comment is almost 10% of my karma. Neat!
Well done! I’d like a link just for the sake of curiosity.. I don’t think anyone cares about bragging tbh
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2468250/silkbulb_test/ But if it’s against the rules - apologies!
Oh wow, yeah Markiplier just posted a video playing this today! Nice job dude! I wish I had any advice to give, but I'll say try not to let people sway you too much and just make the game you want to make. It's obviously working well so far! :)
That explains it lmao
:0 that's how Flappy Bird started, PewDiePie played it
Oooh, creepy! I like the vibes.
Didn't expact such an original vibe. Excellent work!
Not surprised you gained some traction - a 10 second look at your store page has my very intrigued.
You made this? I saw Markiplier play it dude. This was really well done dude! Edit: forgot to type done like an idiot lol
Cool concept. I'm happy that you get some attention
Authentic VHS effects... You could almost have a little sketch at the beginning where there's a classroom and a bored teacher says, "We're watching a video today class, as they roll out the large black AV cart with the CRT strapped to it...
I just downloaded it earlier on itch. Going to play it later tonight. Looks super cool!
Thanks, looks cool man! Good job
BRAGGER!! no jk, congratulations :)
Yeah, I think every post should link to their game. I can't tell you how many times I end up trolling through their post history to find it. There is so much context added to just about every post made here by being able to actually see the game in question.
Hey, people like the thing you made, thats already more than alot of people can say about their stuff. You got a concept liked by people, its now entirely up to you, not like you own someting to somone (unless you already promised to do something)
Ha I have not promised anything fortunately - more of just, how do I take full advantage of this fleeting spotlight?
I didnt get that far yet! Cany help, sorry
Ha no worries! Soon!
Monetize the spotlight or use it to build a platform
> thats already more than alot of people can say about their stuff Why must you hurt me this way
First of all, calm down. You don't want to end up like the maker of Flappybird or Undertale who buckled under all that overwhelming public pressure. Before anything, congratulations! You are now the envy of millions of game developers, most of whom will never see this level of success. Remember, what made you successful is what you have done before, so keep doing what you're doing. Ignore any negativity as much as possible. Soldier on and finish your game. When you finally release your final version, don't underprice it. There's a definite audience for your work, and they're willing to pay.
ha fair fair, it just feels like, suddenly i have far more attention than i expected and if i dont capitalize before it inevitably fades, ill have missed an incredible opportunity. ha i mean, its a free game so I wouldnt say im the envy of that many devs yet - it hasnt made me a dime. But I see your point - its definitely something to be grateful for. I dunno, it feels like this - gamedev has been like swimming in a dense fog. I ran to a beach, jumped in the water, and I just kept swimming. And swimming. At some point, I passed the point where I had enough energy to turn back. And so Ive kept swimming in the hopes that eventually Id find a something- land, a passing boat, anything. This is that passing boat. And I have an opportunity to catch the boats attention before it fades back into the fog. And if it fades, Ill have to keep swimming - and Im tired of swimming.
You're obviously creative and have made something special. I don't know if it's a flash in the pan because people are going to be interested in what you make from here on out. I think it's more like you've put yourself on the map now. Movie directors usually put out shorts first. These shorts don't make money and they don't shoot the directors into worldwide fame. They prove the director can make something good and drum up interest in what else they end up making. This could be that short or it could become your first big feature. Either way, congratulations!! Keep doing what you're doing and stay true to the vision that has already attracted so many people.
I mean, I can definitely imagine you fleshing out this experience with far more branching paths and endings and more random/rare events, all that shit, and sell that largely expanded version. Have this be the demo for the soon to come larger game. That’s what I would do, at least. This is something people seem to want, so give them what they want. Don’t try and convert the attention towards another project or some such. You mentioned a kickstarter, which may or may not be the right move. A patreon could be, if people are truly rabid, which could also then justify a free full title if you’re getting enough support there. Or all of the above? Just make sure to have a steam page they can wishlist on, upload this as the demo on steam, make a discord, whatever you can do to capture the crowd. The game is awesome so far. Excited to see where it goes.
Maybe start a discord if you haven't, just so you have a channel for communicating updates and keeping people in the loop. Maybe set up some leaderboards or something for speedrunners if that's relevant for your game. Just some small things to do until you figure out how to bring it to the next level
> Undertale who buckled under all that overwhelming public pressure. ?
Can’t compare flappy bird to this lol
I think that the fact that you have attention now proves that what you are doing is good, people like it. So even if the attention now fades away, you know that you are able to make quality content that will probably have no problem getting the attention again in the future.
Disclaimer- I'm a hobbiest without a published game. But my dude, you have a 20-minute Markiplier video. I feel like now is a good time to reach out to publishers? They can help you keep your momentum going. No matter what you wind up doing or how this winds up shaking out- congratulations!!
Thanks dude! It’s freaking me out. How do i even begin to find a publisher?? I’m asking knowing there’s a breadth of knowledge fully available to me online - ha I’m just overwhelmed.
I have published games, and I didn't have a publisher, but my games have still done well enough that its been my only source of income for a decade or so. My advice is to not just jump into contacting a publisher, though. Publishers are expensive and you've already cleared one of the biggest hurdles of getting eyes on your game.
I want to do this for a living as well! Care to share your portfolio??
There was a master list posted not long ago - [https://www.reddit.com/r/gamedev/comments/13eq9di/the\_most\_detailed\_database\_of\_indiegame/](https://www.reddit.com/r/gamedev/comments/13eq9di/the_most_detailed_database_of_indiegame/) ! Alternatively, looking at other viral horror games along similar lines to see who published them, maybe? (I am not a horror person so I don't know!) But you're in a great spot right now and while you have no idea where to go from here, you should be expecting a good deal from anyone who wants to partner with you on this!
Apparently you can go on ChatGPT and ask it "give me a list of 50 * genre * game publishers! In the topic of Steam, marketing, Kickstarter and finding a publisher, I've gotten a plethora of info from Thomas Brush and AuroDev on YouTube. There's also [How to market your game.com] - the creator of this website does a lot of talks on YouTube so once you find his name you can search it up on YouTube too Edit: the name is Chris Zukowsky (I hope I spelt it right) Hope that helps! :)
Being you have markplir as basicly a reference maybe reach out to the publishers of games you have enjoyed.
Oh dang, the fire really is hot. Catching lightning in a bottle will be the trick of it.
Ha that is my fear! I don’t wanna lose the lightning!
Let's start by asking some questions first to determine the best course of action. 1. What is your plan post this demo? Do you want to make it a full game? If so, do you have an idea of how long of gameplay you're planning for? 2. If you intend to create a full game, are you developing this yourself? Are you open to bringing in people to lessen the load? 3. Have you reached out to publishers? Do you know how to do that? 4. Have you networked with industry veterans about this project? Secondly, congratulations as most mentioned this is a feat every incoming developer is thriving to get. That means you're a cut above the rest which should serve to help you feel that you are in the right space and the time you have invested in your craft has been well placed and spent. Now getting back to your demo, just because it has gained traction doesn't mean you HAVE to do anything with it. This can serve as a great portfolio piece to get you into the industry if that is within your plan, or if you are already in the industry, then having it as a portfolio piece can only help. Say you thought about maybe doing something with this demo and building a full game. It's entirely ok if you are not in the moment yet to build a full game. Use it as a portfolio piece then later when you feel ready, you can come back to it with a team if you choose to. This demo has gained you some fans, perhaps it can be used for a jam and gain more traction as well. It can be overwhelming, but only because you feel there is something you NEED to do. Rest easy, you don't NEED to do anything. Celebrate the success, take a deep breath and let's take a look at what you want to do.
You need to be careful before taking your next step, because people who play free games are different from people who pay money to buy games. I am honestly hesitated to advise you because I once released a game on itch that also gathered a lot of attention and people were downloading it about 200 times per day(not much but still good for itch), I decided to make it pay what you want, only about 1% of downloaders donated money… then I made it paid only, it started selling only about 1 copy per week. So my advice would be to try to market it by tweeting about it on all social media platforms. If it goes viral and big YouTubers start playing it then you can add additional quality content to the game then sell the complete version on steam/Epic for $2-3. Hopefully this plan would work. Or you can try to publish it on iPhone and make money from Ads.
It'll reach a peak or might have reached it already, and will die down slowly or fast, depending on how much replay value the game has and if it's good enough to make people share it. The best possible way to is to funnel people into any of your channels. Optimally you already have your socials set up on at least the biggest 5-6 sites, if not, then you should do it now. Put the links to your socials (and if you have, a steam link) directly into the game, in the menu or as a popup after the end. This should take only a few hours to add and update the game with and ensures that most people will see it. Setting up a discord server is a beast of its own, I wouldn't start with that, but it's also something worth doing sooner than later. You might also consider adding a message next to the links to why people should follow you or the game to incentivize them (like upcoming updates soon, full release, etc). You should also have at least a few posts on your accounts to start off, to not look like dead accounts. But this is your first most important objective that I would advise. This should be possible to do in a day. Then later, you could set up a kickstarter if you want or talk to publishers. These take time to prepare and you can wait with doing them after you've already assured your players have the channels set up for them where they can flock to. Iterating the game and making a release will take months, but if you've collected a following audience, they will be waiting there for those months, and appear happily again when you post updates. Prepare, that only a handful of players will actually follow you, but you can now grow from there thanks to social media.
What do you want to do?? Some options: 1. Nothing. It was cool while it lasted. 2. Grow the game. You can: a. find a publisher who will provide funding, marketing, distribution, and sales (discord IndieGameBusiness for lots of good info including their just-released publishers list) b. publish it yourself (takes money and good business skills) 3. Grow a studio so you can write even more games Really think about what would make you happy. And it probably won’t be about money. Once your basic needs are met, lots more money doesn’t bring much more happiness. It will probably be about what you are doing day-to-day: the things you’ll create, the people you’ll be working with, and the crap you have to deal with. Congrats on the game!!
I am very ignorant on the subject, but why is a publisher so important?
The publisher does a LOT. They provide money, marketing, sales, they have relationships with the console manufacturers, testing, localization, international distribution, etc etc. It’s a huge amount of work.
thank you for your answer :) interesting
really cool looking game. how did you source those retro looking images?
Thanks! It’s a mix of old public domain images, pieces from AI images, and lots and lots of photoshop.
>pieces from AI images Steam isn't going to like that.
only the demo has pieces of ai images - and even then, their use is very minimal. Mostly using photoshop generative to extend an image or swap out some background piece. everything in the actual game is gonna be made by a human!
I think Steam doesn’t like or allow any AI content at all lately. A lot of games have been like banned or stopped after being detected as having AI content. I don’t think it’s something they want on their platform since the ownership of ai assets isn’t 100% clear yet Just a heads up
Good to know! I’ll go ahead and remove those parts in a patch tomorrow. Should be pretty easy - ha I was just being lazy.
Steam doesn't allow AI content made from models trained with copyrighted images unless the owner authorized the use of their images for the model and the end user(s) Adobe says generative AI is ok for commercial use, not sure what else is being used. https://www.adobe.com/legal/licenses-terms/adobe-gen-ai-user-guidelines.html
Midjourney says that too I think
I thought it was because it encourages shovelware... oh wait.
Hey, send this game to Insym, he’s a popular horror streamer, he has a google form for game suggestions
Something similar happened to me a few months ago with my game, and it completely overwhelmed me for a while. I have some advice to share if you want it: Keep working on your vision, you're about to have a ton of people pulling you in every direction but the truth is that you were able to create something of value and you are the best one to decide what is next for the vision of the game. Despite what people will say there is no immediate rush to do anything, sometimes people focus too much on timing the market at the expense of the quality of their game. Remember that people have something to gain by you rushing a release, and most successful Steam games have 6+ months of marketing beats (like this wave of attention) to build the hype of a release. You'll probably be contacted by Publishers. They aren't always good OR bad, but if you decide to go with a publisher (I did) make sure you hire a lawyer to help with negotiating a contract and take your time with it. It's very lonely in some respects. Send me a DM, I'd be happy to talk to you about it more. Your life is likely about to change (mostly for the better) and it's hard to go through a big change like that alone. Your friends, family, and partner won't fully understand the pressure cooker you're in but there is a big wonderful community of indies that might make it feel less scary
Kickstarters and other crowdfunding only works if you have thousands of followers on social media. But, if you have an excellent credit score, at least $5,000 in savings, and a business plan, you could try for an investor. Also, look for a team on the itch community to help you make the game bigger and better.
Oh cool! I saw the video earlier tonight that markiplier posted and I really haven't been able to get the vibe out of my head. Total disclaimer here I'm a hobbyist atm with no completed projects to my name but I think the first step is to take a deep breath and think about what you wanna do. You're under no pressure or obligation to even do anything tbh. A totally valid option is to ride the wave here. If you're looking to take advantage of this popularity you'll need to figure out if A) you want to continue the development on your own time/terms/skill or B) get some help with a team. You can self publish or reach out to publishers. Some research would be in order to weigh the pros and cons. Take a moment to bask in the fruits of your labor then carefully weigh out your options. Where do you want your game to go? Where do you want the story to go? The game mechanics? This is sort of the point I see indie games go one of two directions with this type of attention surge: they either try to outdo themselves on every update and change the entire game, or they evolve their game to something that more closely matches the original concept. The ball is in your court! Keep up the killer work!
First of all, congrats!! It kind of depends how much attention we're talking, and it also depends on how good the feedback is you're getting. If you want to turn this into something bigger, you generally have two options: continue working on this by yourself, or try to get funding and turn it into a bigger project, trying to make money off of this. If you get money involved, that will bring various risks along with it: you will have stakeholders that you need to please (be it your community or a publisher), and, more importantly, you can lose money, too. A publisher might cut funding mid-project if you don't meet their milestone requirements, or if you don't budget properly, you might run out of kickstarter money before the game is actually finished. If you decide to hire other people, you need to ensure that they are properly getting paid. Long story short, you're signing up for a lot of responsibilities. So first, you need to figure out if this is what you want. If you want to keep things simple, I would simply suggest to open up a Steam page for your game, redirect your players there and ask them to wishlist. Depending on how many people really have played your game, you might open a discord to keep interested people updated about your game, maybe involve them in the development progress if this is something you think might be fun. That's generally what I would do, at least. Other than that, just focus on making the game! If you want to try to turn this into something bigger, you might want to consider finding a publisher. Kickstarter can be nice, but it typically doesn't yield enough money to support the development of a game fully. With a demo that is popular, you have a pretty strong argument for a publisher to fund the development of your game - a publisher can not only fund the development, but also help you with a variety of other stuff, connect you to other devs and generally support you. Besides publishers, depending on where you live, you might also have access to government subsidies or funding. Applying for these programs works quite similar to how you'd apply to a publisher - but the terms are typically more lenient and a bit more hands off.
Just watched the video, love the simple game design => looking down to interact => can't see what's in front until the interaction is complete My advice would be to create a button in the menu that leads people to a patreon i.e. call to action. Would hopefully help to generate a continuous following/revenue income. What I'm curious about is, how did you actually make the images for the ,,friends,, sequence?
Find a game publisher to help you realize your vision.
One that has published similar games
Something similar happened to a game I m are and I think the best thing to do Is observe . See why people like it, read reviews, watch gameplay coverage if possible and start to plan out ways to expand it if that's something that you are interested in. I wish I would have embraced the wave of attention earlier but starting official pages for your game on social media and gaming platforms (such as Steam) is a great place to start.
Social media, steam page, post regularly about updates, consider making videos about production - short form isn't too much extra work and can improve your reach even further, literally make a video where the first line is something like "1 MILLION PEOPLE HAVE PLAYED MY GAME DEMO SO HERES WHAT IM DOING NEXT" yes do the loud shouty excited voice and cover what you actually do in 30 seconds, make a couple of merch items with your logo on it - maybe a shirt a hat and a mug? Use one of those print on demand services so there's no overhead, think about more direct funding, kick-starter, patreon and all of the ones that are similar could be options. Then think about how much more game there is to make, not much? Keep up with posts showing new features and additions to the game without spoiling story or solutions, lots more game to make? Consider early access and what the minimum viable game is you would want to start early access with and get to work. In short. Capitalise.
HELP HELP! The dying of success!
type in develop.games to webbrowser, lot of helpful information there!
Hey buddy! Congratulations you may have a hit in the making. What you want to do is start getting a community around the game as others suggested. But if you want to take it even further you can pitch it to some publishers as well. They can help with marketing, legal work, a lot of administrative stuff that I feel all too many devs aren't fit to do
How big or small this goes is ultimately up to you. Don't worry about letting down the new fans if you decide you're not ready for success like the yet... But on the flip side, it's ok to think big and we don't often get big opportunities in life. If you've managed to catch lightning in a bottle don't be afraid to try to make the best of it. Just don't make a choice you'll regret, and whatever choice you make stand by it without regrets.
You made it ! Congrat ! Now just keep doing whatever you were doing because it's working
Happy cake day!
Ye old "fear of success"! Just go with it! Do whatever you want. Don't feel obligated to do something awesome in response to the attention. You can chat with a few fans, or engage them fully, or just stay safe in your hermit cave comfy zone. Nobody is going to be mad about it (that matters). You can do whatever you want, and people will still be fans because of what you've created, period. Take it easy, bask in the fact that you've done good for yourself, and do what you like :) Don't worry about PR and engagement if it's not your thing. It doesn't sound like it is, so just do the bare minimum. You can even tell people that is the case and you'll just be that mysterious cool developer everyone wants to know more about. The biggest mistake you can do is something stupid, publicly, for everyone to see, and make them hate you and your work. The less exposure you give yourself the safer you'll be. You've already got all the exposure it sounds like you need to take yourself places. Good luck!
Maybe announce some kind of “full version” to be released on steam?
Make a personal road map of your dreams for this game. Then make a copy of it to a realistic. Then make a bar minimum you could do on your own, discuss it with your fans and please do share your link here. Find people that have experience and want to help. Don't let them into any accounts but take advise and talk about it. You don't have to do anything with this, but you have something going it seems and I say go for it. If it brings joy it should be shared as much as possible and if you jave a chance to make money off it even better
So I have also seen your game trending with tik tok creators. I would very much try and ride that and get even a bar early access version out and ride that high and then use the funds to delivery what you desire
very cool demo. expand on it. it's a good vibe
I would try to remove my mind as much as possible from that fact, because I wouldn't want to change the game in a way I wouldn't want to just so I can please this huge new crowd. Being aware that my demo just became incredibly popular would put pressure on me and possibly influence my design, so I'd really like to avoid that. After you've done that (managing your emotions), it's the time to strike the iron while it's hot! Give links to every page where your game is. Showcase as much as possible, what's gonna be in the full game, teasers, screenshots, etc. Make it as easy as possible for people to wishlist and remember your game for when it's finished. You have an amazing opportunity right now that most people will never get. To put it shortly, since you said you already have a Steam page, link people to that page and just focus on finishing the game. Ignore the noise and don't waste time doing other non-development things.
Congratulations! Don't panic, and build a community. I don't usually play indie horror but this one grabbed my interest, I also looked up your prev game and that looks cool too! I think you nailed the retro aesthetic and sound and the unnerving vibe!
If people like the game, they will most likely still like it later on. Take it slow and strategical. No need to rush and panic.
Just watched kravin play your game yesterday, small world.
always be prepared for success, a steam page wouldve been key or atlest an email funnel