{"id":29195,"date":"2023-09-16T11:00:13","date_gmt":"2023-09-16T18:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.helpshift.com\/?p=29195"},"modified":"2024-04-15T01:54:25","modified_gmt":"2024-04-15T08:54:25","slug":"the-only-guide-you-need-for-effective-indie-game-marketing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.helpshift.com\/the-only-guide-you-need-for-effective-indie-game-marketing\/","title":{"rendered":"The Only Guide You Need For Effective Indie Game Marketing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What makes an indie game indie?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

An indie (independent) game is a game created by an individual developer or a small team without financial support from the publisher. The flagships of the indie game industry are games such as Braid, World of Goo, Super Meat Boy, and Minecraft. The latter is the best selling indie game according to the Guinness Book of Records, with tens of millions of copies sold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Typically, indie games are created by individual developers, small teams, or small independent companies. Due to their independence, indie developers vs. publishers<\/a> have neither operational nor creative restrictions and do not need publisher approval, which is mandatory for developers of mainstream games. As a result, the project budget does not limit the decisions of the game designer. Moreover, the smaller the team, the more vividly the individuality of a particular developer is expressed. Small teams, great opportunities, and lack of boundaries for creativity have created conditions in which indie games can be innovative, creative, and with great artistic expression. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indie gaming originated on the PC. In the early 1990s, indie games experienced their first wave of popularity thanks to the shareware distribution model. Since the late 2000s, the industry has been experiencing a second wave of popularity because of online distribution services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In search of funding for a new game, indie developers may resort to crowdfunding, finding a publisher, or creating a supportive community to develop the game.

Just as the mainstream computer games industry is comparable to the mainstream film industry, so the indie games industry is comparable to the independent film industry. However, the indie games industry is targeting online sales. For developers, online sales are more profitable and more affordable than retail sales. Moreover, with the rise in popularity of social media, a new genre of casual games<\/a> has emerged. Despite this, there are isolated examples of indie games that have brought in a large income. Nevertheless, for most developers, indie games are more a significant stage in their careers than an opportunity to create a commercial product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why do indie games fail?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Despite the success of Minecraft, most indie games are not that much successful. According to statistics<\/a>, an average indie game on Steam costs less than $10 and sells only a few copies. An average consumer will not buy unpopular games at all. Indie gamers are very demanding, but if you come up with an effective marketing plan<\/a>, you can reach your player in this niche too. In this post, we are going to share a must-follow guide on how to market an indie game<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n