Playing with Steam Algorithm Part #4 - Seeker: Quest Early Access research
Greetings everyone!
You can read the previous week data checks here:
I just did it. I released a solo game project on Steam Early Access with around 500 wishlists on the release day.
I wanted to see what happens when you do this, even though I understood very precisely what you can expect to happen.
But the more interesting part for me, is the aftermath of the release:
Can you bring enough awareness for your game after an ”unsuccessful launch” on Steam platform?
"Steam users are more aware these days. The users are not willing to pay a single buck for a game they don’t know about..."
It’s been a week since I launched Seeker: Quest on Steam Early Access and as mentioned, it had around 500 Wishlists on the release day. So, when looking at any article or such, everyone is suggesting that you need to have at least 10 000 Wishlists on Steam before you can expect anywhere near ”good enough” launch.
They were right. Obviously.
The launch day was the peak, which concluded around 15 sales in total, from which around 10 were friends of mine who I more or less forced to purchase the game. That basically means that on launch day there were around five people who purchased the game without me directly contacting them.
What does this mean, how is this possible?
"The bigger question is, how big of an audience you’re able to establish during the Early Access. And will that be enough to have a good launch when the time comes."
Steam users are more aware these days. The users are not willing to pay a single buck for a game they don’t know about or they have not yet been convinced by someone else. ”Totally random” games are out of the question. The users don’t want to risk it by buying something that they ”might like”. They want to buy something that they know they’ll like.
Game trailers, screenshots and game descriptions are not enough. It’s about having more concrete proof of what they’re getting.
This happens through influencers or press. And I would highly praise the fact that it’s the influencers these days.
After a couple days from the launch, I stumbled upon multiple Steam pages which used the tactic of streaming pre-recorded videos on their Store page. I decided to try the same.
"People want ready, complete and polished games. I would even suggest that the people who become the early adopters (buy Early Access games) are becoming a minority."
Even with these low numbers of impressions and visits, I’ve been able to get more people convinced in purchasing the game. And slowly, the feedback is starting to arrive.
There have been some influencers (medium and small) doing videos of the game and it seems to me they share the same problem. The game is too hard to get into.
But I can’t really blame the game just yet, since there are so few people who have purchased the game. And still so few influencers who have played it. Since there are already a good amount of people praising the game and asking for more.
I’ve kind of decided that there is currently no reason to revamp the game or do some major changes. It’s about bringing more awareness for it and getting more people convinced to try it.
Once I’ve been able to do that, it’s much easier to determine what are the biggest pain points in the game.
"The bad sales number may become a burden, which makes you question yourself that maybe you shouldn’t continue. But..."
Another interesting find is the amount of wishlists the game has obtained during the first week of Early Access.
For me, this is a signal that people don’t trust in Early Access titles anymore. They want to hang around and see, does the game come to its final form and if it does, how has it changed. Rather than jumping in as the ”Early bird” to figure out all the bad controls, bugs and/or other actions that are way too far from the very reason why they play games.
People want ready, complete and polished games. I would even suggest that the people who become the early adopters (buy Early Access games) are becoming a minority.
So, does this mean you shouldn’t release games as Early Access on Steam? I will find out the answer once the game is going out to its final release. But right now, there may be a good chance that Early Access will work by its design. Which is getting a very small number of users joining your journey, giving you feedback and maybe even working as a small marketing unit during the Early Access period to introduce the game to their friends as well.
The sales numbers won’t be anywhere near comforting. Or giving you the idea that ”This is going to be big”. The numbers are there only to serve as a place to get people more dedicated to giving you feedback. (Since they’ve put some money into it.)
"There is currently a Season Event running until the end of January. Maybe challenge yourself in that. Are you able to unlock the ”Poppy” Seeker before the time runs out?"
The bigger question is, how big of an audience you’re able to establish during the Early Access. And will that be enough to have a good launch when the time comes.
It’s most definitely a very interesting thing to see. Since developing a game while you have a small audience behind you supporting and giving feedback, will help you a lot in keeping the game on the right path with its updates. Without the audience, you would just be blind to your decisions until the launch.
The bad sales number may become a burden, which makes you question yourself that maybe you shouldn’t continue. But at the same time, it’s way too interesting to play this game through and see what the launch will give. So, I want to try it.
Now it’s all about updating the game, running events, streams and using more and more tools to bring awareness to the game. If these numbers keep the same pace even close, I’m rather confident that the launch may be good as well.
But we shall see!
While at it, maybe consider purchasing Seeker: Quest on Steam, trying it out and leaving a review. It will not only help me to get more eyeballs for the game (through the Steam algorithm) but also to get that valuable feedback on how to improve.
There is currently a Season Event running until the end of January. Maybe challenge yourself in that. Are you able to unlock the ”Poppy” Seeker before the time runs out?
I dare you to do it.
Happy gaming (and developing) everyone! <3
All the best,
Klaus
The Jester