One of the main issues that many games tend to have is that they are simply terrible. Some come with a bad gameplay, others have stories that are poorly written, not to mention that some titles are just unplayable or come with some characteristics that just don’t mesh with the game at all.

 

It can be quite difficult

While marketing and public relations are very important to games,  it can be very hard to perform PR on a game that doesn’t have at least a few redeeming features. The best thing you can do as a game developer is to try and create your own game the best way you can and the leave marketing to professionals. A good digital marketing campaign takes a lot of time and it might require a lot of attention from your side, so unless your studio is truly strapped for cash, leave advertising to the professionals. This is because the quality of the game matters a lot. It’s hard to achieve greatness with a title that just doesn’t connect with the audience or one that is poorly made. The audience might reject you immediately, because people want to spend their limited time playing great games.

 

Proper scheduling

Other things like the launch date will also make an impact on the game, and that’s where your studio’s department needs to be vigilant because having another game overshadow the launch could be a fatal flaw, one that might cost the developer a lot of money. Other problems with launch times include launching when people are strapped for cash, or simply aren’t buying. Most games launch around the winter holidays simply because people are in a gift buying mood then. Releasing a game in July might be less helpful simply because many more people are on vacation.

 

blocks

 

Pricing, pricing, pricing

The price is also important and another aspect for the studio to consider. Having a low price is important for a new developer, because no one wants to pay a large amount of money to an unproven studio, especially in a world where demo versions of games are no longer common. Purchasing a game has become a gamble for users, and that’s why they want to purchase bundles.

 

Bundle ‘er up

Bundles and other promotions are critical for your studio as well. After working with a marketing professional in order to find the best platforms on which to sell your game, you also need to think about promotion. After a month or two, when your game’s launch hype dies down, you can contact your marketing department and talk with a game bundle representative, as that can bring you a lot of sales as well. You just need to make sure that you continue to support your game, as people will pay attention to good games, even if they’re bundled with others.

 

Special thanks to Yixin Li for authoring this article.

Please be sure to share this article if you enjoyed the read!

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