u/AfterlifeStudio

I’m currently developing a psychological sci-fi horror game releasing in less than two months, and honestly I’m starting to realize just how insanely difficult discoverability is on Steam right now.

I only properly started marketing recently, so while there’s been some traction (press articles, Reddit posts, social media, wishlists slowly going up), nothing has really “taken off” yet. I also haven’t had success getting into showcases so far, which definitely doesn’t help visibility-wise.

At the moment, Steam Next Fest feels like the biggest remaining opportunity before launch. Beyond that, I know streamers/content creators will probably play a massive role if the game is going to break out at all, so I’m trying to build around that as much as possible.

I keep seeing people talk about needing thousands of wishlists before launch, but I’m curious: do you know any games that launched with relatively low wishlist counts and still managed to find success afterward? Either through streamers, word of mouth, Next Fest, or something unexpected?

Would genuinely appreciate any advice or feedback from people who’ve been through a similar situation.