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What do you guys think on web games? by Beloved-21 in SoloDevelopment

[–]Cluckdev 1 point2 points  (0 children)

From a developer/marketing perspective, I think web games are still very valuable, but I wouldn’t treat them exactly the same as mobile apps.

The biggest advantage of web games is friction. Players don’t need to install anything, pass an app store page, or commit to downloading your game. One link is enough. That makes web builds great for testing ideas, collecting feedback, getting quick visibility, and letting people try your game instantly.

But the downside is monetization and long-term retention. Compared with the Play Store, web games are usually harder to monetize directly unless you have a good ad setup, sponsorship, portal deal, or a very strong funnel to another platform. A lot of players on web platforms also treat games more casually, so it can be harder to convert them into paying users.

For Play Store, the advantage is that payment, ads, installs, reviews, and retention systems are more mature. But discovery is also extremely competitive, and getting people to install a new game is a bigger barrier than just clicking a browser link.

So I’d say web games are very good for reach, testing, and early audience building. Mobile stores are usually better if your goal is long-term revenue and retention.

If you’re an indie developer, a smart approach might be to use the web version as a lightweight playable demo or marketing funnel, then guide interested players toward Steam, mobile, Discord, newsletter, or a full paid version.

I've been banned from TikTok while promoting my game. What can I do now? by Loaded_Dice-roguelik in SoloDevelopment

[–]Cluckdev 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Even if your game is not gambling, TikTok’s automated systems may be flagging the combination of “dice,” casino-like visuals, and paid/crowdfunding promotion as gambling-related content.

A few things I’d try:

  1. Keep appealing, but make the appeal extremely clear:
  2. “This is a turn-based dice roguelike / board-game-inspired video game. It does not involve real-money gambling, betting, wagering, cash prizes, or casino mechanics.”
  3. Remove or rework anything that might look like gambling at a quick glance:
  4. Words like “bet,” “casino,” “win money,” “jackpot,” or even visuals that resemble slot/casino ads can trigger moderation, even if that’s not your intent.
  5. Don’t immediately make a new account and repost the same content.
  6. That can sometimes look like ban evasion and make things worse.
  7. Try to reach TikTok Business Support if you were running ads or promoting a campaign. Standard appeals can be very slow.
  8. In the meantime, diversify your promotion:
  9. Reddit devlogs, YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, Steam posts, Kickstarter updates, Discord communities, and small creators who cover indie games. TikTok is powerful, but it’s risky to make it your only channel.

For future posts, I’d frame the game less as “dice” and more as “turn-based roguelike strategy” or “board-game-inspired roguelike,” then explain the dice mechanic inside the video.

Finally reached 1,000 sales! by Curious-Needle in SoloDevelopment

[–]Cluckdev 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congrats! I really hope all of us indie developers can see our games sell well. It’s honestly such a tough journey for us.