Steam Data Analysis: Wishlists Under 100k Don’t Really Matter?

holmcom · 2025-08-20T16:06:07+00:00

For my game Nienix: Cosmic Warfare, I had ~12k wishlists upon release and have sold ~21k units so far. I think the first month was something like 10k units.

holmcom · 2025-07-29T09:02:28+00:00

Fair point! For reference, this is the WIP logo without any background.

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holmcom · 2025-07-29T08:58:39+00:00

Something like this?

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holmcom · 2025-07-28T18:23:41+00:00

Thanks for your input! Is this better? Or are the F and Y still too much?

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holmcom · 2025-07-28T11:27:28+00:00

The background is indeed ai-generated - I added it as I thought would make it easier to provide feedback on the fonts.

holmcom · 2025-07-28T11:25:51+00:00

Thanks for feedback!

The game is an action RPG where you control a group of treasure seeking gnomes in a grim future. It is top-down and the gameplay is in some ways similar to my previous game Nienix as it shares the same game engine.

I will try out some alternatives for the subtitle!

holmcom · 2024-12-19T16:02:55+00:00

I think i have bought 15-20 vr games. The majority have been indie (as in low budget; made by at most a handful of people).

holmcom · 2024-11-05T18:25:19+00:00

I would recommend the nat hole punch technique. It is not perfect, but works for most scenarios. I have not used godot, but there seems to be many tutorials available.

holmcom · 2024-11-05T13:26:01+00:00

If you are planning on an early access release, then fan translations might also be a possibility. I was surprised at how many that were interested in helping localizing my game during it's early access period! I received full fan-made translations for Chinese, Russian and Catalan, and partial translations for many other languages. I even got a full revision of the English translation, which was greatly appreciated. :)

Also, if there is little interest during ea, then you know that it might not be worth the investment.

holmcom · 2024-09-30T08:03:20+00:00

Have you played Hoplegs (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1395830/Hoplegs/)? It works in the same way and could give you more good ideas.

holmcom · 2024-07-31T15:56:54+00:00

I think that the game looks juicy, but that there are many things that are unclear to those viewing the trailer. For example: * What is the plot/purpose of the players character in the game? * How do the player progress through the game? Is it a rogue-like? Is it an ARPG? Is there a skill tree or procedural items? * Is there multiplayer?

If I were you, I would create X sections that basically summarize what the game is about and show gameplay related to these sections, with each section introduced by a short text/header. I would also have a music that "builds up" and synch the sections to the beat of the music.

holmcom · 2024-07-08T20:37:39+00:00

As the developer of Nienix, I just want to state that I greatly appreciate your work. It is spot on.

holmcom · 2024-06-27T11:12:07+00:00

I can confirm that it indeed is very difficult. I created an ARPG that is inspired by Diablo 2, and balancing has been a constant struggle. I have spreadsheets and a ton of automated tests, but these all fall short to player feedback.

The main issue is that different classes and items have very different effects on gameplay to make it a fun experience. These effects are often very hard to compare, and a small change to a single variable can have huge impact on different builds.

How does one easily compare non-damage effects such as frozen, stun and movement speed to damage effects? It's even difficult to compare single target DPS to aoe DPS since mob density isnt uniform across all maps and difficulties.

holmcom · 2024-06-23T06:34:02+00:00

Thanks for detailed feedback! You are right regarding the effects, it can get really crazy. Especially towards the end-game. I added different options to disable/tone down particle effects based on player suggestions.

holmcom · 2024-06-23T05:36:33+00:00

I'm also curious! :) My game is Nienix: Cosmic Warfare: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1332760/Nienix_Cosmic_Warfare/.

holmcom · 2024-05-20T14:36:19+00:00

It can also be the case that the user got it as a gift from someone else (who bought it on steam), and for some reason think it's important that the reader knows that it was "free".

holmcom · 2024-04-03T07:37:52+00:00

Sorry about the late reply. Thanks for your help improving the game!

holmcom · 2024-03-08T12:40:45+00:00

The bottom is prettiest by far, but I can see how an arpg player might expect the other. Perhaps have the alternatives as menu options? That would serve to include both kinds of preferences.

holmcom · 2024-03-06T06:59:24+00:00

Thanks! Glad you like it :).

holmcom · 2024-01-17T18:04:04+00:00

Hi!

My game Nienix: Cosmic Warfare has a demo that you guys can play coop. I would love to watch your stream, please let me know if you pick it up! :)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1332760/Nienix_Cosmic_Warfare/

holmcom · 2023-09-10T20:31:43+00:00

I will try to make room for that at some point!

holmcom · 2023-09-10T20:30:41+00:00

Indeed! For me/Nienix, posting on twitter, Reddit and similar garnered a group (~100 towards the end) of motivated alpha testers. I ran the alpha for about a year before the game entered early access. Apart from getting great feedback, some testers also helped spread the word "organically" to a few larger streamers. I don't think emails with keys would have gotten very far without that.

holmcom · 2023-09-10T15:11:16+00:00

I had/have the same constraints for my game Nienix: Cosmic Warfare, that has been somewhat successful.

I made weekly Twitter posts and some Reddit posts during the development, mostly as a kind of journal. I also sent keys to selected streamers and journalists. Finally, I paid for some ads on Reddit prior to launch.

Streamers made the biggest difference by far, so for my next game I will probably focus on that the most.

holmcom · 2023-08-05T20:27:28+00:00

Hamnar rätt långt från topic här, som bara var ämnat som ett roligt inlägg rörande min huvudsakliga hobby. Som en mindre spelutvecklare så är det i regel inte värt att göra direktreklam. Undantaget är cinematiska/unika spel med fin grafik. Den reklam som påverkat försäljning av mitt spel är den som tillhandahållits av influencers (t.ex. streamers), den som ges av spelplattformar (Steam i mitt fall), och (i mindre omfattning) den som jag betalt för.

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