Game developers struggle with limited marketing budgets and low revenue
23 posts across 6 communities in the last 60 days; 48% from r/IndieDev.
“Hey there! I am the solo dev working on Hatched. I am a huge fan of spore and wanted to make a modern 3d take on a creature evolution game, with roguelike choices. I've added tons of bosses, hundreds of different body parts and abilities. I can't wait to see all of the crazy…”
“Hey everyone, We’re a small indie team(2) working on a horde survival game, and we’ve reached a point where we’re genuinely questioning whether we’re going in the right direction. We barely generate any wishlists. We dont have anything unique that attracts players attention? Is…”
“Hey Guys, I'm making a Third person Shooter about a cowboy abducted by Android Aliens... Idk how or what to do to reach a broader audience, all posts that I make get less them 10k views, actually most of them get only 1k, maybe I don't know how to make a proper tiktok video, but…”
Several posts express frustration over the difficulty of gaining visibility and generating income for indie games. One developer reports only earning $2 after 69 days, highlighting the challenges faced by solo creators without significant marketing resources.
SOURCES (33)
“I have always wanted a game about creating an alien species and competing against other alien species to procreate and take over the planet. Unfortunately, most games did not have the customization or variety of competing species. That is until now, Primal Strain lets you…”
“Hey there! I am the solo dev working on Hatched. I am a huge fan of spore and wanted to make a modern 3d take on a creature evolution game, with roguelike choices. I've added tons of bosses, hundreds of different body parts and abilities. I can't wait to see all of the crazy creatures people will evolve into! What do you think? submitted by /u/GoodPlayful9051 [link] [comments]”
“My wife and I have just released the free demo for Gloombo, our first game together 💛 Gloombo lives on a little floating island beside your other windows. You pick something to craft, start a focus session, and both get on with your own tasks. During breaks, you can decorate with the finished items, read letters from friends, or spend a little time with the cat. We want it to feel like company, without adding another list of things to keep up with. Orders have no deadlines, and friendships don&”
“Last time I posted, Kkaeal was in final QA. v0.1.3 is out now. It's a free fan game for Windows. A partner Digimon lives on your desktop while you work, and wild Pokémon and Digimon wander in, fight on their own and get caught. The clip shows the dex. 493 Pokémon and 206 Digimon share one book. You can sort it into 10 power tiers, and clicking a caught one opens its card with a short lore line. The tier bands and the 206 Digimon descriptions are new in this build. The clip is drawn with the”
“It’s an online hide-and-seek party game where you camouflage as chameleons to survive a player-controlled snake. submitted by /u/WallGreen9821 [link] [comments]”
“First promo for the indie sandbox openworld MMORPG we're buildingr, does a capybara with an orange on its head catch your attention? Or should we seek something more catchy? submitted by /u/Kajamaz [link] [comments]”
“Hey everyone, We’re a small indie team(2) working on a horde survival game, and we’ve reached a point where we’re genuinely questioning whether we’re going in the right direction. We barely generate any wishlists. We dont have anything unique that attracts players attention? Is our game is missing he charm? We’re currently asking ourselves some pretty serious questions: - Are we simply bad at presenting the game? - Is our Steam page/trailer the problem? - Is the genre oversaturated? - Are we mis”
“Hey Guys, I'm making a Third person Shooter about a cowboy abducted by Android Aliens... Idk how or what to do to reach a broader audience, all posts that I make get less them 10k views, actually most of them get only 1k, maybe I don't know how to make a proper tiktok video, but I don't think that my game has no appeal, recently I take part on Cyberpunk Fest event on steam, and givem the visibility my page has convert wishlists, the problem is that I would need a lot more impressions”
“Hey guys, I’ve been working on a game about a monster who takes a job as an NYC kindergarten teacher to afford rent under the bed. It’s a 2D narrative adventure, so obviously the monster shouldn’t look terrifying all the time. However, there will be several serious moments when he needs to feel genuinely scary, uncomfortable, and unnerving. We originally chose version 2, but after publishing our Steam page, we received a lot of feedback saying that he looked too cute to feel like a monster. Yest”
“"We don't have a big studio behind us—we're just working with whatever little or much we know. We're 4 friends putting our whole heart and energy into our very first game. Thanks for joining us on this crazy ride!" Discord: https://discord.gg/sbfsdyFHn submitted by /u/Existing_Attempt_715 [link] [comments]”
“Kinda looking for some advice. What is your best, low budget ways to promote your game? Or, maybe, your weirdest, yet effective methods? submitted by /u/Maximum-Loquat5067 [link] [comments]”
I am working on a monster raising game based off of Digimon. I am wondering how I'd go about getting people interested in playing. I have been working on this project since…
“Game Title: Doma: Survival & Taming Playable Link: https://sepolaras.itch.io/doma I am a solo dev creating a game inspired by Ark, Core Keeper, Necesse, 2D top-down pixel art, where you can tame different animals for utility, harvesting, transport, combat etc. It's a very simple prototype for now, with placeholder/free art (no AI!), but I would just like to validate the idea and have some initial feedback, if it seems to make sense, if it's too hard, etc. If the idea is good and the”
“Been in the marketing world when it comes to work for 10+ years, and I want to start using it where my passion lies in gaming. I have some good ideas for helping smaller games get some attention, and I'm curious what the typical game dev that frequents Reddit has for a marketing budget. I know that the numbers vary a lot depending on who it is and the project, and I know ill have to work for free more than likely to build a portfolio, but I'm just curious to the answers you guys would ha”
“Been in the marketing world when it comes to work for 10+ years, and I want to start using it where my passion lies in gaming. I have some good ideas for helping smaller games get some attention, and I'm curious what the typical game dev that frequents Reddit has for a marketing budget. I know that the numbers vary a lot depending on who it is and the project, and I know ill have to work for free more than likely to build a portfolio, but I'm just curious to the answers you guys would ha”
“Hi! I’m the founder of a small indie team working on Eldrem Kingdoms , a creature-collecting Action RPG. we are still in early development and getting closer to our first pre-alpha testing phase. We recently finished this teaser and I’d love to get a marketing perspective on whether it creates enough interest before we start releasing more gameplay-focused content. The teaser is intentionally focused on introducing the world, creatures, dragons, and overall fantasy rather than explaining the com”
“Hey everyone, We’re a small team working on Permafrost , a survival game set in a world that has basically frozen over. We’ve been working on it for a while now, and at this point we’ve spent so much time looking at the game ourselves that it’s honestly hard to tell what stands out anymore 😅 The basic idea is that you’re trying to survive in this frozen world after a series of disasters. You explore abandoned places, collect whatever you can find, build shelters, craft equipment, deal with the”
“Maybe one day I'll convince someone to pay me real life money for the games I make in my bedroom :) if i get really really lucky someone might even give me an entry-level job submitted by /u/Minty_2019 [link] [comments]”
“This is my first commercial game, My Little Hell. It was inspired by several movies (Jacob's Ladder, Coraline, Angel Heart) and by games (Silent Hill, in some ways). It's not perfect; it's rough around the edges (though I'm trying to polish it), but I implemented features that may impress the players (at least, I hope so). The only aspect in which GenAI was involved is coding. Wishlist if you're interested :3 The game will be released on September 18th. https://store.steampow”
we are working on a new game called DESOLATION, a virtual pet werewolf simulator, looking for feedback! check it out for free at https://campfiya.rastacamp.com/#games submitted by /u/Imaginary_Towel_97 [link] [comments]
“The marketing side is super new to us at Slackjaw Games so we'd love any thoughts on how to improve our presentation! submitted by /u/SlackjawGames [link] [comments]”
“Slowly replacing the placeholders with slightly nicer placeholders. Doing some tests to see which style of fishes look best in 3D. I had an epiphany recently. I'm really excited about making the next parts soon. Hoping to make enough to show at gamescom asia in Nov. Master Baiter's on Steam here! https://store.steampowered.com/app/4729030/Master_Baiter/ submitted by /u/Nivlacart [link] [comments]”
“As I'm going to start to make a new game I wanted tips for marketing. Do I need to start create content about my game right now, or it's too soon? Or when should I start marketing? And what should I show to the public about my game? I never made marketing in my life, so probably it will be a disaster for the first time. I already made my first game, it was horror too, but it was for a project on my school. submitted by /u/Claweer [link] [comments]”
We've been working on this project for several years now and it is progressing very well. " Ice Pond: An Ice Fishing Adventure " is a true fishing game, but set in…
“i have been getting little plays, so feel free to check out my game on Steam as it helps a lot https://store.steampowered.com/app/4922480/VASTWAKE/ submitted by /u/LitLBBunnoOfficial [link] [comments]”
“i have been getting little plays, so feel free to check out my game on Steam as it helps a lot https://store.steampowered.com/app/4922480/VASTWAKE/ submitted by /u/LitLBBunnoOfficial [link] [comments]”
“Hey, I put out a small game called My Virtual Puppy some time ago and kind of left it sitting there without much promotion. It’s a free 3D virtual pet simulator focused on raising and caring for a puppy — feeding, cleaning, training, walks, quests, the usual. Nothing fancy, just a simple pet care game. Would appreciate any honest thoughts if someone gives it a try. Play Store link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.auragames.pet.puppy.dog.Simulator Thanks in advance. submit”