u/Cojokero_Games

Looking for some feedback on if you think our store page gets the premise of our game across and if it is captivating. If you have a little bit of extra time then it would be great to get some feedback on the gameplay trailer too.

I don't know if I have much of an eye for marketing really. Any feedback, positive or critical is really appreciated.

Full page here

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4269700/Meltdown/

I'm a (mostly) solo dev from New Zealand working on a co-op game. Wanted to share something I've been experimenting with this past week in case it's useful to other devs thinking about short-form marketing.

I've been doing a recurring "Safety Training Video" series for my game. Each episode is about 25-30 seconds, posted to YouTube Shorts, in-character as a corporate safety training video for the in-game nuclear power plant. The style is one of those 1950s narrators.

Why I tried it: I wanted to try and do something consistent that gets the tone of my game across without it being too on-the-nose marketing.

The format

• 25-30 seconds per video
• In-character corporate narrator voice throughout
• Each episode covers a specific "safety topic" (electrical safety, emergency procedures, etc.). These relate to actual mechanics in the game.
• Consistent title card style and ending sign-off across all episodes
• Locked template for the YouTube description so the series feels structurally cohesive

Channel link if anyone wants to see the format: https://www.youtube.com/@CojokeroGames

You'll notice the format has slight variations from video to video and it will probably continue to change a little bit more as I refine my editing skills (not that great).

If you click that link, don't venture into my CybArena videos.. I was only learning, so go easy.

The data so far (4 episodes over 7 days)

• Episode 1 (Apr 23): 1,588 views, 25 likes, 3 comments
• Episode 2 (Apr 24): 1,521 views, 13 likes, 2 comments
• Episode 3 (Apr 25): 1,194 views, 23 likes, 2 comments
• Episode 4 (today): too early to tell, tracking similarly to early hours of Episode 3
  • I did post this episode at a different time to my normal posting schedule so it will be interesting to see if that has any affect on the videos metrics.

Likes-per-view runs around 1.5-2% across episodes. I've picked up maybe 8 additional subscribers I can attribute to these videos.

What's surprised me

1. Series consistency seems to matter more than individual video quality. Each episode follows the same structure, voice, and length. That repetition appears to be what the algorithm rewards more than any single video being exceptional.
2. Engagement quality and view count don't correlate as I expected. Episode 3 had fewer total views than Episodes 1 and 2 but higher likes-per-view. The algorithm seems to trade reach for relevance once a series establishes. It shows it to a smaller, more interested audience.
3. Subscribe-button end-screen elements work without YouTube Partner status. I had assumed they were partner-locked. Only external links require partnership. (I added these to videos retroactively.)
4. The voice established in early episodes sets audience expectations strongly. I feel like the narrator tone provides a strong atmosphere to the videos and adds some expectation of the tone/style of my game in a positive way.
5. Subscribers from cold short-form viewers aren't other devs. They're general gaming audience. At least from what I could tell from their profiles.

It's early days yet and time will tell if this format emerges into anything significant but the early indicators are promising. I feel like sometimes all I need is one positive signal so that I'm not always speaking into the void lol.