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GDC 2023 Session Viewer

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CANCELED: Independent Games Summit: 30 Steam Marketing Mistakes in 30 Minutes

Chris Zukowski  (Creative Director, How To Market A Game)

Location: Room 2005, West Hall

Date: Monday, March 20

Time: 3:50 pm - 4:20 pm

Pass Type: All Access Pass, Summits Pass, Independent Games Summit Pass

Topic: Independent Games

Format: Lecture

Vault Recording: Video

Audience Level: Intermediate

A mistake is just a lesson you haven't learned yet.

Releasing a game on Steam is a long journey full of lessons to be learned—that can cost you sales, and hurt your reputation with your community and business partners.

In this talk Chris Zukowski, Creative Director at How To Market A Game, will outline the most common and easily avoidable mistakes so game developers can be more confident in their launch. Get ready for an actionable talk full of examples from real developers and data from thousands of Steam page launches.

Making a game is hard enough, let's not make any easily avoidable mistakes.

Takeaway

Attendees will gain a clear, actionable list of things to avoid when launching their games on Steam. They will be able to anticipate potential marketing hazards and prepare the right materials at the right time, as well as see clear examples from the indies that came before. Making a game is hard enough, let's not make any easily avoidable mistakes.

Intended Audience

This is for independent developers launching a game on PC, especially Steam. The mistakes outlined in this talk can help indies at any stage of their development or at any scale. It has tips for first-time developers who are working with a publisher and established developers who are self-published. It is useful for those doing a traditional launch or going early access.