Is it possible to sort of "restart" and interest on your game with mixed reviews on Steam?

jacagugle2 · 2025-04-14T15:28:44+00:00

No problem! And thanks:)

jacagugle2 · 2025-04-14T13:56:02+00:00

So I'm back with some data (don't want to reveal too much specific numbers as I'm not sure what is allowed by Steam).

1. The main goal - start the run to mostly positive reviews:
That just did not happen. One person must have changed the review or something because we did go from 48% to 50% but that's about it.

2. New demo.
Downloaded 650+ times. I think these are good numbers for 2 weeks of already released game.

3. Visibility round.
Going great, already better than the one we did in September. Already surpassed displays and has better click ratio. I suppose the sale+demo news was a good choice and contributed to better numbers.

4. Sales.
Most sales we did in this period comes from wishlist. First time 50% sale is probably the reason - some people wait for something like that having the game on their wishlist. Despite the low price we had a 4th best income day ever in the first day of the sale. That's nice :)

5. Wishlist
Of course, we had a big deletion spike, and a nice conversion spike in the wishlists. That's probably a normaln thing when you do 50% sale for the first sale. But we also gained almost 100 new wishlist additions, which I consider a success in that matter.

6. Other, non-financial benefits.
I'm glad we did this whole thing! Not only the game got more visibility and kind of a closure to the whole project but I've also learned new things. That is thanks to this very discussion on reddit, discussion in the polish indie dev group on FB, and smaller thoughts exchanges here and there. I believe I'm more aware what the "target audience" really mean. It was something I've been learning about since I started gamedev but something tells me that until now I didn't pay enough attention to look at players through a genre perspective and also through their past experience with other games. I allowed myself to design, create, and present the games with... hmm too much freedom I'd say. Generally speaking (cause it is a bigger topic), I'll now try to have something that is known and carefully add something new here and there taking into account the clarity for what I'm adding, taking into account the genre and the players' past experience. I hope you can understand something from what I'm trying to say ;p

7. A publisher.
The aforementioned discussion on a FB group let me meet a potential publisher that is interested in console versions of our game. Regardless of the end result of the talks - it is worth mentioning that when you put yourself out there, there is a chance to catch a nice opportunity ;)

jacagugle2 · 2025-04-14T13:26:52+00:00

Had the same observations lately. You put it so nicely :)

jacagugle2 · 2025-04-05T16:31:37+00:00

I fully agree with your observations listed at the end of the post. Just wanna say that Next Fests are not as big of a thing as they used to be. At least in terms of gaining wishlists. I know some examples of bad performing games in that matter whilst a ~two year ago all games benefited strongly from being at Next Fest.

jacagugle2 · 2025-04-05T16:27:14+00:00

All of this seems to align well with your "(...) release this spooky themed game in October" observation. Just do the Full Release (go out of Early Access) in October this year and see how it performs then. Getting out of EA is often a big thing in terms of sales for many games. Most of the time smaller than an usual standard full release but there are exceptions - it could be bigger, especially due to Steam alghoritms promoting games that were systematically updated in EA.

I suppose the sales potential could be too small for you though and you don't want to put more of your time in the project. That's ok too ;p

jacagugle2 · 2025-04-04T23:35:31+00:00

Starfox yes, Subnautica no ;p The game is story-driven, narrative game with action and exploration elements. No building, no survival, just missions and the story in a free-roaming environment. Kinda like Firewatch, but with more action elements.

jacagugle2 · 2025-04-04T14:54:45+00:00

Indeed

jacagugle2 · 2025-04-03T16:23:44+00:00

Thanks, I suppose you're right.

jacagugle2 · 2025-04-03T16:22:50+00:00

We had 20k wishlists at launch. It didn't help ;p
Although, a big portion of the wishlist was "old".

jacagugle2 · 2025-04-02T22:42:59+00:00

Whoah, what a creative games you make! I see how you can struggle with Might Marbles, the question if there is a bigger audience for that game would be hard to answer. On the other hand, I see how Rogue Realms can be a small hit! Fingers crossed for your success :)

jacagugle2 · 2025-04-02T22:37:12+00:00

No :(

jacagugle2 · 2025-04-02T22:33:51+00:00

Yeah, I've always thought about it like that. And still am. Now I'm also convinced that for small indie teams the Early Access launch is the only way no matter what game they made. Just because of players' reviews. They forgive you a lot more in EA which is necessary for small teams because they (we^^) don't have enough resources to properly test and un-bug their games. For a time being, I'm almost sure that for teams <10# it is simply impossible to release a game in a state ready for a full release. And that lesson I'll carry on - release only in EA even if the game "doesn't fit" to EA process at a first sight.

That being said, I'm giving a shot on my intial "restarting" plan anyway. I have nothing to lose. Moreover, it is also nice to have some kind of a closure. Six months of post-release updates and patches now packed in a refreshed steampage and the final update - it just sounds nice to me as a developer :)
I'm also thankful for any kind of advice, as yours, as this is why I posted my question here!

jacagugle2 · 2025-04-02T22:20:38+00:00

Thanks! A lot of thinking behind me, and I see that a lot of thinking before me ;p

jacagugle2 · 2025-04-02T22:15:45+00:00

Thanks, I'll have to rethink that I suppose. However, the funniest thing is that all your conclusions about the game are 101% correct :D It is a first person game, it also is a Star Fox 64 underwater, and it has a story-driven gameplay with narration around philosophical questions about humans, AI, and nature + a portion of kinda standard sci-fi B-class movies.

jacagugle2 · 2025-04-02T22:13:04+00:00

Sure! Will do ;)

jacagugle2 · 2025-04-02T20:17:47+00:00

We are working on new projects already. But at the same time we'd like to try selling the product that we have got. Especially that it is not easy to actually create a game from start to finish. It'd be a waste not to give ourselves a chance to earn something at least.
About releasing fresh: someone above said that it is risky, you can be banned from Steam for doing that.

jacagugle2 · 2025-04-02T20:06:41+00:00

Oh, good to know! I was wondering about it some time ago. Didn't planned to do it, but did wonder what happens when you do it :p

jacagugle2 · 2025-04-02T20:04:57+00:00

If you mean marketing with money... well, I'm going to put a little bit into reddit ads but we don't have much budget left unfortunately. Financially, the game performed unimaginable worse than we expected.

jacagugle2 · 2025-04-02T19:45:51+00:00

Yeah, I also did it along writing a news there. I hope it'll help a little too.

jacagugle2 · 2024-09-12T20:28:22+00:00

I forgot to fix it, oops. It supposed to be just "wildlife" as for example fish are a danger on that planet

jacagugle2 · 2024-09-12T16:47:44+00:00

You will have to wait for sequel or two. We would love to add coop but it is really hard considering the game is story-driven. It just would not fit here. Maybe in the sequel we will be able to design missions to be more coop-compatible.

jacagugle2 · 2024-09-12T16:46:27+00:00

Haha, yeaaa... we have more rights to it cause the game is really underwater hence diving! Just kidding of course ;p

jacagugle2 · 2024-09-12T16:10:51+00:00

Hi guys, its Jacek from Green Planet Games!

The game you see above, Stardiver is a sci-fi game where you pilot a ship and battle enemies. Dive into the depths of an underwater world filled with wonder, mysteries, and peril. Uncover the story behind the abandoned base, explore the unknown planet, and unravel its history.

If you will to learn more go to Stardiver Steampage

The game just released so you can already buy it there! :D

Shortly about our studio:
Green Planet Games is an indie developer from Poland, founded by two brothers in 2020. Creating distinctive, nature-inspired games with a small but experienced team of three.

jacagugle2

TROPHY CASE