The developers of Shovel Knight, Stellaris and the Braveland series talked about how effective sales on Steam are, and also gave advice on how to put discounts on games.
The big summer sale on Steam ended the other day. We contacted representatives of Yacht Club Games (Shovel Knight), Paradox Interactive (Stellaris, Hearts of Iron, Europa Universalis) and Tortuga Team (Braveland) to ask them about discounts.
As a developer, how do you feel about the sales of your games?
David D’Angelo – Yacht Club Games
We are very cautious about the sale.
We would rather have people invest in the game when buying. A low price sometimes means that players neglect the product, do not pay full attention to it. But, of course, at the same time we want the game to fall into the hands of as many players as possible.
Andria Chifu (Andreea Chifu) – Paradox Interactive
As in any other market, a sale campaign is a great way to boost sales of older products.
If everything is done correctly, it is a powerful marketing tool to increase the fan base of the future project.
Also, the sale can help the developer to measure the elasticity of demand by price and the sensitivity of users to the cost of the product in different regions.
You can also upset the first customers by starting to arrange discounts a month after the release.
But, in general, the sale can be beneficial to both developers and users if it is launched at the right time and at the right percentage.
Anton Mikhailov – Tortuga Team
Steam sales are an additional opportunity to show the game to interested players.
In addition to mailing to users who have added the game to the wish list, the game can be included in a thematic selection. This happened with our game Braveland Wizard, which ended up in the “magic” category of one of the Steam themed events.
The Steam sale has just ended. Can you tell us (and share figures) how a significantly similar (summer/winter on Steam) sale affected the sales of your games earlier?
David D’Angelo – Yacht Club Games
Winter and summer sales always bring a large number of players Somewhere in the region of a 10-20 fold increase from our usual sales for the week..
Andria Chifu (Andreea Chifu) – Paradox Interactive
As I said, the sale is a great way to increase the fan base and introduce the game to a new audience.
The results of the sale are more significant when we can back it up with a marketing push or we can target those users who have the game on their wish list.
We definitely see an increase in sales during seasonal sales, but we try to focus on the LTV of the product, not on the number of copies sold.
Anton Mikhailov – Tortuga Team
In my opinion, there is no need to have illusions about sales.
The main revenue from the game goes in the first weeks after the release. Sales add something to total sales, but no miracle will happen. However, the revenue for the month during the sales still grows several times. Another thing is that the “tail” of game sales at sales is already quite modest and there are no golden mountains to wait for.
Will you give advice on how to give a discount on your project (for example, by what% and why)?
David D’Angelo – Yacht Club Games
We are not professionals in seasonal sales, so I would not attach much weight to any of our advice.
Anyway, I would recommend reducing the cost of your game in such a way that it does not lose its value in the eyes of the user, but at the same time becomes available to more people.
Andria Chifu (Andreea Chifu) – Paradox Interactive
I would advise developers not to make discounts on products in the first 3-4 months after launch.
Test the elasticity of the price and the demand curve by launching small sales for a short period. Try to find a price that will generate the most revenue for you, not the largest number of copies sold.
The duration of campaigns is also important. There is always a moment after which the discount ceases to be appropriate. Make sure your sale doesn’t last too long.
The main thing is to make noise! Use all your marketing and PR channels to announce your campaign.
Anton Mikhailov – Tortuga Team
At the start of sales, they often make a discount of about 10-15% for the first week.
The first year they try not to make a discount above 20-30%. After that, you can bet 50-60%. Sometimes there are discounts of up to 90-95%, but, in my opinion, it is better to combine such things with some kind of Steam feature. Otherwise, such a grandiose sale may go unnoticed and the effect will be weak.
Joint material with White Nights Magazine and 80.lv