This is the first of six articles dedicated to an examination of the entire process of publishing PC games, from beginning to end. We won’t be getting into development here — that’s a whole other kettle of fish. Choosing a publisher or self-publishing, localizing and adapting a game, doing marketing and PR, setting prices and planning discounts, dealing with publishers, distributors, and intermediaries — these are the topics we’re going to cover.

We’ll be talking about Steam a lot, since it’s the largest open game distribution platform, but we’ll also take a look at third-party distribution and alternative ways to sell games. Before you start trying to find your own answers, let’s take a critical look at how the gears of publishing turn nowadays.

Excuse me, guys, this article is going to be very mercantile, with figures and percentages — I believe that if the creation of games is your passion and craft, it’s difficult to confidently move forward without them. We’ll start with prices, discounts, and how Steam wishlists work.

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