Well I’ve been some sort of a lurker from some time, been using UE for almost a year, now I have this sort of question that is bugging me.
I’m working on a project i want to release by the end of the year; since January I’ve thought on starting to get myself known somehow (I think that getting your game played is way harder than making it)
Because of that I thought growing a channel on YouTube, but it’s been extremely difficult, and now I’m sort of spending more time on YouTube than on my actual game. (Also I prefer starting early than struggling days before or after I release my game)
My questions are:
what do you consider would be a good practice for promoting/marketing?
do you think youtube is a good idea if that’s your end goal (promoting your game)?
had any experience/hardship getting your game played?
Sorry if this has been posted before, couldn’t find anything regarding this question
Get some gaming blogs/article websites to try an alpha/beta maybe they’d write an article. Request they include a link to your website/YouTube in the article, tease information about it overtime to generate some buzz for the eventual launch.
1.) There are forums here, like “Work In Progress” where you can show off your game at different stages of development, and “Released Projects” where you can promote it once it’s complete
2.) You could start crowdsourcing campaigns that build a following in addition to helping fund your game. Although you may not want that pressure of having to actually complete game (I’m not entirely sure how it works, I’ve just heard it can be a great marketing tool).
3.) Yeah, what mclarke said. Send free copies to every gaming review site and YouTube gaming channel you can and hope that some of them review it.
It wouldn’t hurt to throw some demo vids up as you progress and then promotional videos of the final project. But as you alluded to, growing a YouTube channel is a full-time job by itself. IMO you’d be better off devoting that time to making the game itself better. If you had a YT audience large enough to make any significant impact promoting your game, you’d already be making far more money on YT ad revenue than you would get funneling traffic into game sales, and at that point you might as well just be a YouTuber and not a game developer. Just send copies of your game to already established gaming channels as mentioned above.
In general “promoting” your game generally involves a sub category of the development of a game that does require the involvement of $$ to do it properly to get above the background static or at the very least someone on the team who’s responsibility is to cover this area that demands 100% focus of the ideals of selling a product with in the free market system.
In my opinion is by far the hardest job and/or position in regards to promoting a video game product where there is no real middle ground as to becoming successful. It either works or not.
I’m part of a development team in the process of converting Urban Terror from idetech3 and via trial and error decided to allow members of the team to openly talk about their rolls and what they are working on during the conversion process.
So far it’s working out exceptionally well to get the word out via pathways we would never have considered to become number one in a Google search.
Just Google “Urban Terror”
Overall I found that casual works better overall as compared to Spielberg level quality to pump up your web presences.
Yes I’ve found in general YouTube makes for an excellent portal for promoting the game via the use of video blogs. On my blog I do behind the scenes ShadowPlay captures of about 3 minuets in length, and a few longer updates, with very little production value and I have about 750 subscribers that has built up over the past year with little or no effort on my part.
I don’t feel that it’s a job that must be done but something to have fun with that encourages your player base to take part in and to level up your web presences.
Hard to say as it really is one of those you can lead a horse to water kind of thing. Getting your game reviewed would be nice but the game in question would have to have some level of main stream interest in the first place. Either it needs to be already high profile, or really bad, or controversial beyond just being a good game.
“No Man’s Sky “ for example = a lot of press even though I would consider it an OK game.
Overall once again web presence is very important to let those who would play your game to find you.
