Note From The Editor - Bigger Is Not Always Better
IGN is hosting a great panel for those of you attending GDC. If not attending then you can access the panel in the GDC Vault when it’s released. 30% of GDC Vault content is free but it’s expensive if you want the rest. Fingers crossed - iff not I’ll get a transcript and bring you back the notes from somewhere. Here is the link to the panel (LINK).
This is also an opportunity to shout out the smaller sites and journalists that cover indie games with passion. These sites are read by gamers who appreciate non-corporate games, niche games, and games that come from developers who aren’t just following the latest hit genre. These sites and journalists can deliver you your first 2000 wishlists, the ones that absolutely convert to sales. These are your community advocates and can help you reach goals more effectively than an article of the wrong kinds of players. I would never say no to IGN, but I would also not undervalue content creators and websites dedicated to Indies and your niche (cozy games, strategy, sim, etc).
Wishlist Growers
Are Wishlists a variety metric. What makes a good Wishlist?
Rhys Elliot from Alinea Insights breaks down conversion rates of games with demos in Next Fests.
“Many folks still talk about wishlist volume as the North Star of Steam marketing. While it is still important (players get notified when their wishlisted game is released or discounted), wishlist quality is the metric that contributes to keeping the lights on.
As Steam continues to mature and the Coming Soon section becomes more crowded, the gap between wishlist numbers and actual revenue is widening.
I’ll put it bluntly: Wishlists are rapidly entering vanity-metric territory. We’ve reached a point where the “Wishlist Now!” call-to-action is so ubiquitous that it’s becoming background noise.”
“Signing with a publisher can be a pivotal moment for a developer looking for external support and financing, and even the most experienced industry veterans don’t always know or recognize the telltale signs of a bad partnership. Publishing deals are often positioned as a necessary lifeline: funding, marketing support, platform access, and perceived legitimacy. But not all partnerships are created equal, and some deals quietly transfer risk, control, and onus almost entirely onto developers. “ - Akupara Games
Click on the headline link.
A nice recap from Epic to dig into to see what’s the secret sauce to getting on their radar for grant monies. My thoughts - you need to be almost done or really pushing the tech.
Robbie Ferguson from Immutable created an interesting free tool that analyzes your steam page, specifically your capsule art based on a variety of factors to help game studios optimize and get more wishlists (Based on 1000+ games).
Scores your capsule on genre clarity, title readability, contrast, uniqueness, brand consistency, and composition
Gives ranked recommendations and priority fixes you can hand to an artist
view searches in realtime and global leaderboard.
“The important things are building a great game, finding repeatable channels that build your audience pre-launch, and doing more of the content that works.”
I plugged my own studio’s game (Unyverse) into it and honestly agree with the feedback 100%.
Time to refresh the assets and think about what catches the eye despite our CTR being 28% which is above average.
Polden Publishing published a handy guide for Indie Developers. Its really just the basics but its a good reminder that within the fuge state of trying to make a game, there are moments that are key to connecting with players and steps to take to make sure your game has a fighting chance.
Upcoming Events and Opportunities
Festivals, showcases, influencer and media showcases and their submission windows. The IDGA Foundation has opened applications for their virtual and Gamescom accelerators: https://www.igdafoundation.org/questline
Steam Next Fest (Feb / Jun / Oct)
One of the strongest wishlist drivers if you have a demo ready.Steam Genre & Theme Fests
Smaller, more targeted, and often overlooked—but great for niche games.GDC (March)
Less about players, more about long-term relationships, publishers, and press.Day of the Devs (March)
The Mix (March)
Second Wind Games Showcase (2026-03-15)
Tacticon (2026-03-15)
IndieCade Festival (May)
PitchYaGame (#PitchYaGame) A biannual social-media indie showcase on Twitter/X where developers pitch their games using #PitchYaGame. (June)
Summer Game Fest / Digital Showcases (June)
High noise, but useful if you have a strong visual hook.PC Gaming Show (PC Gamer / Future) — big PC-first showcase that heavily features indies.
Future Games Show (GamesRadar / Future) — large multi-platform showcase (often indie-heavy).
Shacknews E4 Indie Showcase (Shacknews) — indie-only showcase timed around “Not-E3/SGF” season.
Nintendo Indie World Showcase (Nintendo editorial/publishing) — platform-holder showcase, but explicitly indie-only.
OTK Games Expo (OTK creators) — streamer network showcase with a strong indie focus.
New Game Plus Showcase (content creators) — newly launched creator-led showcase (notably “no paid placements” positioning).
Indie Quest (JRPG creator-led) — creator-led showcase focused on indie JRPGs.
Six One Indie Showcase (community/creator-run) — indie showcase brand built to spotlight smaller teams.
Links To Remember
All the best links that usually disappear into the Reddit ether only to be reposted by the most diligent Redditors and game development and marketing gurus. Link to the website archive of these great resources (GDMR)
Tip Line: Got Ideas, Insights, or Opportunities?
Have a win, a learning, a question, or an opportunity worth sharing? Send it in. If it helps the community, we’ll surface it with credit. [email protected]