We’ve helped indie devs launch thousands of games, and we know how daunting it can be. The market is competitive and people's attention spans are short. So how do you grab that attention without the budget of a huge publisher? 

Well we’re here to tell you that you don’t need a massive budget to have a successful launch. We’ve had the pleasure of working with indie devs and watching their games blow up due to smart planning, a strong community and the right talent. 

So here are our top five hits to help your game launch smoothly…

Start building your community early 

When it comes to your community, it isn’t just about the number of people in it - it’s about how engaged they are. A huge community doesn’t always mean engaged.

To build this community you could start a Discord and use social channels such as X to post updates and sneak peaks.

Ask your community for feedback and remember that your earliest fans will be your biggest supporters!

An example of an indie game dev who does this very well is Strange Scaffold. With games like El Paso, Elsewhere  and Tactical Takedown, Strange Scaffold are a human-centric developer with authentic fanbases at their core.

They are very transparent, sharing finances, roadmaps, team dynamics, and challenges on Twitter and in interviews.

Work with the right creators - not the biggest ones.

We will never ever stop talking about this. A huge following doesn’t necessarily mean an engaged one. In fact, we have written an entire blog on why micro/macro influencers are crucial to unlocking a campaign's success.

Choosing the right influencer isn't just about their follower count; it's about understanding their community, the trust they've built, and the genuine connection they share.

Spending money on the biggest person that comes to mind isn’t always the best fit but luckily pairing the right gaming talent with the right devs is something we excel at here at GG Talent Group - and we have the talent to back it up.

Let’s use MissMikkaa as an example. On YouTube, she has 79k subscribers and 12k average views. Her engagement rate is 7.8% which is exceptionally strong for this size of channel!

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Give streamers something exclusive

We all love to be the first to see something, and creators are absolutely no different.

Do you have an early build, playable demo or a behind the scenes look? If you do, give them to the creators you are using for your campaign. Exclusivity goes a long way when it comes to streamers and their audiences.

To go one further, before you go public, give a small batch of trusted creators early access. Let them stream it, find bugs, ask questions and build buzz before you even make a formal announcement.

Lean into Niche Communities

The smaller the niche, the louder the impact. No matter what your came is about, there will be a community for it, so make sure you lean into it. You can find these niches in places like Reddit subs and Discord servers.

One game that successfully achieved this is Celeste which targets speed runners and LGBTQ+ games due to its themes and relatable character. In its first year, it sold over 50k copies!

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Think long-term

When you’re so absorbed in the launch of a game, it can be hard to look past it. But remember, the launch is only one moment. Plan updates, new characters and dev AMA streams. Keep the creators involved which will keep their (and now your audience) coming back.

So there you have it, our top five tips to a successful game launch. We’re not going to lie, of course big budgets help but so does passion, partnerships and good timing. 

If you’re planning your launch and wondering how to get eyes on your game without breaking the bank - let’s talk. We’d love to help.

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