Digital game stores aren’t real distributors—they’re social media platforms, and we should treat them that way.
I’m going to kick this off with a potentially controversial take: Digital game stores aren’t real distributors—they’re social media platforms, and we should treat them that way.
Now, I get it. This might feel like throwing rocks at a beehive, but sometimes, that’s the only way to get to the honey. Just to be clear, I’m talking strictly about PC game distribution here.
While researching “marketing” strategies for my game, I had a realization: nearly every article boils down to the same thing—gaming the algorithm. The choke point for success is either the number of plays or sales. Why? Because these platforms get bombarded with billions of uploads daily. And to manage that volume, they’ve adopted the easiest, albeit laziest, solution—an algorithm. This to me is the crux of why I’ve started seeing these platforms differently.
Back in the day, landing a distributor was like getting a stamp of approval. They provided shelf space, took on a lot of the marketing, and sometimes even bought your product upfront. It was a huge deal because the distributor took on financial risk. They were the handshake you couldn’t make to your future customers. As gatekeepers, they played a pivotal role in your product’s success, and the product had to be good to even get past them.
Now, take Steam. To me, it feels more like buying a bucket, filling it with water one drop at a time, and then trekking to Gabe’s house to pour it into his pool—hoping your splash is big enough to catch someone’s attention. “Going viral” isn’t a business strategy. The point of doing business is building relationships with customers, but these aren’t your customers—they’re Steam’s.
Even platforms like Itch or GameJolt, while free and flexible with revenue shares, still rely on the free content we upload to drive ad revenue. Discoverability is just as much of a problem there, with these sites feeling overcrowded.
Here’s the kicker: these platforms hurt you by driving traffic away from you and to them. It’s always a bad deal for the developer.
I keep asking myself, why is Steam the end goal? It functions like an upgraded X (formerly Twitter) premium account at best. If I’m being honest, not every game I make belongs on Steam. Some are better suited for Itch, but the choke point for success is the same across the board. What are my options?
I want to quote Bob Dole here: “The internet is a great way to get on the net.” At first glance, it sounds nonsensical, but think about it…
These storefronts don’t really exist. Steam? It’s just a browser inside an executable. Itch? It’s a website. The technology behind these platforms isn’t some unattainable thing. I’m a developer—why shouldn’t I have my own “platform,” especially if I’m the one driving traffic to begin with? With Epic battling Apple and Google—and winning—more options are opening up for developers. One solution that makes a lot of sense is launching my own web-based and progressive web app arcade.
…By this point, I’ve been sitting at my computer for five hours because, honestly, I hate writing. But there’s a Part 2 coming. I want to dive into HTML5 games and progressive web apps. I’m going to call it “How Indies Could Save the Mobile Market.” But that’s for later. Right now, I’m tired. Have a good day!