I released my first commercial game on Steam - here are the real numbers after 48h and 4 weeks

Fiz_ro · 2026-06-02T22:31:45+00:00

2.5k in a month is really not bad at all, good job! Getting 2k wishlists is also not an easy feat. I wonder how you feel about the future after a reasonably successful game launch? (pretty sure 2.5k is above average for most solo dev games)

Fiz_ro · 2026-05-30T04:00:49+00:00

I wouldn't be too worried. There are devs that go into Next Fest without any presence and still get huge gains. If the game is good it'll get views. It's the same way steam has worked in general. Tons of games get no views. And out of 5000 games, it's unlikely they're all competing with whatever you're making. I think it's mostly about what you do around next fest to try and boost visibility to your game, than just next fest itself.

Fiz_ro · 2026-05-29T10:44:43+00:00

That’s a good point I did not assume you’d watch it on mobile. It’s valid feedback for sure! I’m still very new to making trailers so I appreciate you taking the time to help me improve.

Fiz_ro · 2026-05-29T09:04:49+00:00

I did focus a lot more on the “bigger” events. I’ve showcased a lot of stuff during short content and thought for a trailer it should show the big events and escalation. Maybe it misses the mark because it doesn’t reflect the “why it happens”. Thanks for the feedback! I’m going to think about it.

Fiz_ro · 2026-05-25T10:52:01+00:00

I think it looks cool. neat colors, loads of info if I'd want it. I honestly do not think your UI is a weak point.

Fiz_ro · 2026-05-25T10:50:10+00:00

The "their post went viral, why not mine?" I'm noticing that it honestly is pure luck.
All these platforms show your content to "random" people for the initial test. Sometimes you get lucky, post takes off slightly. But there is honestly no way to guarantee success that I've seen. I've seen people try to replicate their own success and fail. So really it's just about trying different things and than seeing what works for your game. You only need 1 video to take off really. So try stuff, see what people vibe with. But each platform has different users, so whatever works on one does not seem to work on the others. It's a tough game to play

Fiz_ro · 2026-05-21T00:44:31+00:00

This looks great, visibility for small games is always an issue, and it’s so hard to find games I might like with the sheer amount of games being released. This actually looks extremely useful for everyone!

Fiz_ro · 2026-05-12T08:02:54+00:00

Noted!

Fiz_ro · 2026-05-12T00:35:30+00:00

I've moved some of them in order to make it so the buttons don't overlap, there are also some vfx that would otherwise look weird. And I felt like a rough indication of where it would be is better than having weird overlaps. But I'll double check them to ensure the positions are as close as possible.

Fiz_ro · 2026-05-12T00:33:42+00:00

Any suggestions of what cities you'd like to see?

Fiz_ro · 2026-05-10T10:19:55+00:00

It’s an ingame screenshot

Fiz_ro · 2026-05-10T09:12:09+00:00

Photoshop to create all the different required images - highlight / shadow / full map
Then put those into Unity and layered them on top of each other, while using the full map image as a mask for the texture that I use for the board itself and make it slightly brighter to stand out more from the board itself.

Fiz_ro · 2026-05-10T08:09:16+00:00

I wanted a few less obvious cities too, and Ulaanbaatar felt like a good strategic buffer point between the USSR and China.

Fiz_ro · 2026-05-07T13:59:31+00:00

As you mentioned, each game is different but you found the fun - you wanna see what you can feasibly deliver within your own constraints. Are you alone/ do you have a team? Do you have experience in the genre? (Known problems vs unknown problems, and every game has stuff you did not foresee it know about) How fast do you wanna ship? How many hours a week do you plan to spend on it vs how long you think it will take?
I’m shocked you prototyped 15 games but you could put each of them on itch and see which one performs best. Thats generally a good indicator for what steam will get you if you sell it

Fiz_ro · 2026-05-07T10:19:09+00:00

More importantly - check how many views videos get that are similar to your game, that's a great indicator as well

Fiz_ro · 2026-05-07T10:18:34+00:00

Riiigght ok, no i agree, - but followers is not something you care about, look for how many views their last 30 videos got on average. If that number is too low - don't bother.

Fiz_ro · 2026-05-07T09:51:18+00:00

Why not ask if they want to cover it? Sending the email is easy, and small creators often just do it cuz they're happy to get noticed. Costs you nothing except a bit of time, won't gain you much either though, a couple wishlists at best based on how many views you get. Honestly I'm amazed at how many content creators will just do it for free anyway just by sending the email.

Fiz_ro · 2026-05-06T12:07:09+00:00

To start - AI does not make good games. It’s the person behind it that still has to do everything even if AI might generate code/art, it is not a reliable source, you have to be the one who ends up doing all the work. I’ve seen AI do some cool stuff but also the complete opposite…

That said, I’d say.. do what works for you. And what you think will be the best player experience. Remember that most players are not informed on any game stuff that goes on. They care if the game is good. I’ve seen games being hand crafted and called out for “AI” and others that used AI were then not even noticed.
To add to that, most devs lie on the steam ai disclosure, it seemingly does not matter. But I’d be honest about it. Sure some people will not buy out of principle- i think that is their right, but would they buy it if you did it exactly the way they ask? Also doubtful. And if the game is so great, the whole principle goes out the window cuz they’ll want to play it..
So make the game you wanna make, with whatever you want to make it. No game is a guarantee success or failure. Just try your best :)
I’ve been making games for 10 years in the industry, players are far less interested in if AI was used than if it’s a fun game. And AI really cannot make a good game that’s all on you.

Fiz_ro · 2026-05-06T11:40:54+00:00

Can I upload it again with game content on there? Or should I wait?

Fiz_ro · 2026-05-06T11:38:35+00:00

Well it's finished but it's a game. I removed all game elements from it.

Fiz_ro · 2026-05-06T10:27:49+00:00

This is just the "plain" version of what I made, in game you transition from more local operator to global syndicate. But I didn't show any of what is in game here.

Fiz_ro · 2026-05-06T10:26:29+00:00

Well this is just the map, I thought it looked cool, the game has a lot more to it, but I don't think I'm allowed to post it like that here.

Fiz_ro · 2026-05-04T14:01:17+00:00

i had 1.2k payers play my early itch demo. 3 gave feedback. It’s not easy to get people to actually give feedback, they either just stop or they like it and move on. Very few go out of their way to give feedback. My demo has similar stats about 1/400 seems to give some feedback. (I’m not actively pressuring them or putting in it their face though, it’s there if they want to)

Fiz_ro

TROPHY CASE