You’re only as good as your last asset | Demo as Early Access | I’m not who you say I am

Hello everyone,

I thought that today instead of writing one big write-up, I’ll do 3 smaller write-ups. Just some loose thoughts on some of the things that have been circulating in my head. Hope you enjoy this change of format.

Alright, let’s get into it!

Thought no. 1 - You’re only as good as your last video asset

A wise man from the industry told me this one all those years ago. And although this notion has always been true, it recently came to me full circle (and hit me right in the face).

I know that a lot of devs want that coveted IGN YouTube spot. However, sometimes, it is a double-edged sword. Let me explain.

I've organised dozens upon dozens of IGN exclusives and IGN YouTube placements in my life. As much as IGN posts a lot, they are picky - they don't post everything. Now, there are ways of swaying the chances of getting a spot with them in your favour (timings, offering a deal, type of asset, adding more value than just a trailer/video etc), but there is one thing that I feel most devs don't realise. IGN has its own goals, and if a particular game's first/last asset did not perform well on their channels, they might decline to have that game featured on their channels again (and there are a few things that you can do to improve your numbers on their channels, but that's another topic for another day).

So, if you want to play the IGN card, make sure your first asset is spanking! And I mean spanking. Sure, you might get that first shot, but if it underperforms, you might get burned and locked out - and marketing is a marathon and not a sprint.

So get that trailer/video asset as good as it can be before you pitch to IGN. Just think Eminem, you only get one shot, etc etc. Don't think in the now, but think of the future. The one thing better than an IGN spot is two or three wicked IGN hits/spots. Aaa, and timing matters too - don't forget about that one either.

May all our trailers get 213 million views.

Thought no. 2 - Demo as Early Access

In the last few months, I’ve been coming across this phenomenon of treating one's demo as a semi-quasi Early Access. To be honest, I’m a fan of this approach. That’s what we inadvertently did with Dystopika (a longer piece on this will be coming) and it worked well for us. It is a tactic that I feel can work well for a lot of devs. The problem that I see is that some devs throw their demo into the ether and go “There we go, demo is out! Let’s collect player feedback.” And then, nobody plays the demo and there is no feedback.

Just as you wouldn’t drop an Early Access release without any prior marketing, you should also think of promoting your demo and build a mini marketing campaign and launch plan for it. Perhaps you should drop the demo at an event (not Next Fest) where there will be some audience eyeballs? Maybe building up that Wishlist first is an idea. Maybe use it as an exclusive with someone? You say your demo is an Early Access - well, maybe a roadmap would be cool to show that there is more incoming?

With the new changes that Steam implemented on how demos get promoted, devs have one heck of a cool opportunity to pop on the scene and build a community. Don’t waste it by going into the ether. It’s a vast plane with tremendous noise competing for the attention of millions and millions of souls who have soooo much choice it's frightening. And if you have gone to the ether, there are ways to recover, but we’ll talk about that some other time.

What can I say - there are a lot of demos.

Thought no. 3 - I’m not who you say I am

This one came from a conversation that I had with a great friend of mine. We were chatting about current trends on socials and we both agreed - we are not who game companies say we are. I am not a "choom", I am not a "freegunner", and I am not a "medieval ruler". I’m a dude who sits in front of his computer. I understand why studios talk this way and refer to people as characters from their games - heck, I used to do it myself! An evolution from the “brands must be serious” years, you speak that way to people so that you look casual and approachable, but also to make players feel like they are already part of your world. But now, so many studios are doing it that it’s becoming a bit passé - to me and my friend. And of course, we could be wrong.

Looking at the social media communication style of devs like Tiny Glade, Summerhouse, Manor Lords, and other stars of the new wave of indies, being "honest" and “from the devs” is the way to go. It’s like that millennial advertising honesty where even the brand of your toilet paper sounds like it's having a meaningful conversation with you. In the mainstream ad world, the post-millennial painfully honest-like-your-friend communication trend seems to be heading more towards the chaotic random/”brainrot” style of comms. However, I feel that gaming is always catching up when it comes to mainstream marketing trends. We’ll get there though. It’s just a matter of time.

As a side note, I highly recommend you check out eugbrandstrat on TikTok for a good analysis of post-millennial mainstream branding trends.

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I hope that you liked this newsletter and its three-subject format. Should I do more of these - let me know. It’s always good to hear your thoughts.

Ok, I’m off to enjoy the rest of my day. I hope you have a smashing week!

May your Wishlists be plenty and converting,

Michal

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