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分享独立游戏展开营销活动的建议

发布时间:2013-05-18 09:31:42 Tags:,,,,

作者:Robert DellaFave

很早以前,市场营销被当成一种禁忌,并遭到了游戏开发者的无视。而最近,大多数开发者都意识到它的重要性,并尽最大努力去做好市场营销,但却仍有许多人不知道该如何下手。所以我们将在本篇文章中探索市场营销的重要性,以及你该如何在自己的独立游戏中利用它去获得更多曝光率。

存在何种问题?

独立游戏世界永远不会忘记2008年。那时候,只有少数富有创造性的开发者发行了广受好评的杰作。像《时空幻境》以及《粘粘世界》等游戏便让我们想起了游击战般的游戏开发:即关于创造性,激情以及打破界限。结合它们的成功以及当年7月App Store的问世,无数想要成为程序员或设计师的人们怀揣着对成功的幻想与对开发的憧憬,相继进入了这一产业。

这些新开发者都需要花点时间去提高自己的技能,并且因为他们所创造的游戏还不够完善,所以只能吸引少量的关注。总而言之,一开始他们赚不了多少钱。与此同时,那些经验丰富的开发者们一直在创造一些有趣的游戏,有时候甚至是非常出色的游戏。因为他们的游戏都很棒,所以很多人都相信游戏社区会展开双臂欢迎它们,并大量购买其产品。

如果他们能够做到,为什么我不能呢?

world-of-goo(from tutsplus)

world-of-goo(from tutsplus)

所以这里存在的问题是什么?因为游戏开发变得不再那么复杂,所以有更多人开始创造自己的游戏,而这既是一种祝福,也是一种诅咒。每一天会有许多游戏出现在市场上,从而让它们更难获得人们的认可(不管质量好坏)。总之,尽管付出了努力,但是许多开发者都不能有效地进行游戏营销,并且直至现在这种问题仍然存在着。

何时开始进行游戏营销

在阐述细节前,我们有必要迈过一个常见的误区,即只有在游戏发行后才能进行市场营销。大多数人应该都知道,游戏在发行的第一周总是能够获得最大的销量。如果玩家不能通过某种渠道在你发行游戏时了解到它的存在,那么你在这一关键时期便会遭遇巨大的损失。

所以,比起等到发行时再进行营销,你应该遵循以下规则:

当你着眼于基本游戏机制和游戏外观时,你便能开始展开营销活动了。不管那是已完成的关卡,使用Photoshop所创造的实体模型截图还是较小的演示版本,你都必须在创造了某些值得向公众传达的内容后开始进行宣传。如此你便能够“半经常性”地推动游戏开发过程的发展。

每一个游戏开发团队应该做些什么

在最终决定游戏发行日期前数个月,你已经决定游戏发行了。很好。那现在你该做些什么呢?让我们着眼于一些必要元素:

网站:不管这一网站是你所创造的所有游戏的基地,还是只面向你当前创造的游戏,你都需要频繁并有所针对地进行更新。主页应该突出扩展概述,具有吸引力的截图(关于UI的截图一点都不由去),以及相关链接。你也需要一个媒体页面去呈现图像或视频。

开发博客:你可以自己决定是将其呈现在网站上,还是作为单独的实体,但不管怎样你都需要拥有一个开发博客。玩家和开发者都喜欢阅读有关游戏创造的个人努力与胜利。尽量确保博客的个人化,让读者觉得就好似你在直接与他们交谈。如果你遇到瓶颈,或者不能解决的棘手的编程问题,请让公众知道。让自己更加人性化,如此人们也会产生同感,并理解你的困境。频繁地更新文章,最好在每篇文章上添加工作过程的截图。向粉丝们强调游戏即将问世。

展开一些社交媒体工作:这是不可避免的。至少你需要拥有Facebook或Twitter页面。如果你创造的是小型或中型游戏,这便足够,但是从理论上来看,你可以使用数十种社交媒体平台。而不管你采取了何种做法,都不要阻挡大型开发商去欣赏或转发你的文章。首先你需要搞清楚公众是如何看待你的公司,然后联系一些志趣相投的开发商和游戏新闻记者。他们中的很多人都很乐意与订阅者进行交易。

预告片:这是较后面的事了,但是如果你希望吸引更多人去玩游戏,你就必须重视这一点。不要赋予其一些低俗的名称,也不要认为你必须邀请专业的摄影师去制作一部接触的视频。相反地,你应该瞄准游戏玩法的每一面,并清楚地呈现出游戏的名字和公司名称,并尽可能减少过场动画。

你并不能创造过多的预告片。AAA级游戏和电影总是会发行许多广告传单和预告片,但是它们有值得这么做的原因。而如果你决定发行多个视频,你便可以忽略之前的规则,并针对游戏玩法的每个特定元素发行相对应的预告片。可以包含战斗演示,游戏世界和故事的介绍,以及主角的描述。但是你必须确保将其分隔开来,这才是进行宣传的最佳方式。

宣传自己

你可以创造网站,开发博客和预告片,但是如果没人知道你是谁,这些努力便都白费了。也许关于游戏营销最复杂的一部分便是让公众意识到它的存在。当他们知道游戏时,其它任务便轻松多了。

让我们分析如何轻松地推动玩家为你的游戏做宣传。

Twitter(from tutsplus)

Twitter(from tutsplus)

游戏展台

很多人都说,游戏开发者就像住在阴暗的地窖中的吸血鬼,而如果他们能够走出去并参加各种公共聚会,这便能帮助他们更好地推广游戏。

但是为了能在像PAX等大型展会上获得一个展台,你就必须为旅程和场地费用留出一部分预算。而如果你有钱的话,这一点便很必要。即使你不能租下一个展台,你也最好出席展会,并在此进行广泛的社交。分发传单,演示CD,以及写着“买我的游戏吧”的纸条——如此的话玩家便不会轻易忘记你了。

作为一名游戏开发者,你必须与其他开发者进行交流,但更重要的是还是与那些真正在玩你的游戏的人进行交流。而游戏大会将帮助你做到这点。通过与目标用户进行面对面交谈,不管是你自己还是你所付出的努力将变得更加人性化。此外,这也将提供给玩家尝试你的游戏的机会,而你也能够从中获得有意义的反馈。

众包

众包被当成是获取游戏预算的方法,但同时它也可以作为一种有用的市场营销设备。我们现在的项目《Hiro Fodder: A Blue Hope》便受益于众包。

首先,它能推动着我们去创造视频并写下有关产品的详细描述。其次,它能帮助我们的页面在一个月内获得数十万次的点击。尽管我们只吸引了300个人回到项目时,但对于我们的小型RPG来说,这已经是很大的曝光率了。最后,也是我们未料到的,我们能花大量时间与其它开发商进行交流,并签约成为拥有超过1500名支持者的项目的程序员。我们已经离《Echoes of Eternea》的开发商很近了,并且有望在今后进行合作。

HiroFodderKS(from tutsplus)

HiroFodderKS(from tutsplus)

Kickstarter:这是赚钱且交朋友的好方法。

关于众包的一个优点在于,许多小型独立游戏新闻记者总是会随时追踪着新活动。一些新闻记者在未获得我们同意的情况下写下了有关《Hiro Fodder》的文章。不过我们后来也与这些作者建立起了不错的工作关系,并会在游戏即将发行时联系他们。

接触媒体

这是运行成功的市场营销活动的主要部分,如果忽视了这一点,你的游戏便会具有很大的劣势。一方面你需要将游戏传达给媒体,另一方面,你需要谨慎地做好这一点。

以下是一些建议:

足够现实:在你接触到游戏社区的主要玩家前,你必须先明确自己想要获得什么。你可能很难让IGN去描述你的消除类游戏,但是你却能够获得小型独立杂志宣传游戏的机会。当你的游戏获得大量来自小型媒体的宣传时,你便能逐渐获得更多机会。将你即将发行的游戏告诉给Kotaku或Joystiq等网站并没有什么坏处。

瞄准合适的网站:显然,如果你的游戏面向的是手机设备,那就不要费时间去联系PC杂志了。你会惊讶的发现,许多游戏开发者都犯过这一错误,即向PC Gamer发送电子邮件去宣传自己面向Android设备的新游戏。

做你自己:你并不是在写一封投稿信,所以不要把电子邮件当成是要寄给出版社一样。如果一开始便说“xxx公司很自豪地向你推荐一款具有创造性的游戏”便有可能让对方感到反感。相反地,你应该先进行简单的问候,如“你好。”向对方介绍自己并稍微提下游戏。然后提供给他们有关你的媒体或演示版本的链接。尽可能简短地进行说明。记得,这些人每天都会收到无数与你一样的开发者所寄去的电子邮件。所以你必须足够谦逊,且直入要点,并且不要多此一举地表明你有多喜欢他们的网站。要知道,拍马屁并不是什么道德的事。

后期营销

当你的游戏越接近发行时间时,你更应该考虑一些更近的市场营销选择:

Alphafunding:中等在线分销商,像Desura便提供了这种服务,即让玩家可以玩你的未完成的游戏,并观看它的发展。更好的是,他们也能够为你的游戏贡献自己的金钱。这就像是Kickstarter,而最终你能够回报的便是呈现出一款足够出色的游戏。这是一笔很棒的交易,并能够推动人们更加期待你即将发行的游戏。

Steam Greenlight:让游戏出现在Steam的Greenlight上真的是件很难的事。你需要获得大量的支持,即使如此你也不一定能够成功做到这点。但是这并不意味着你便不能将游戏放置在Greenlight上。该网站拥有数十万的玩家,你应该利用游戏吸引部分玩家,如此他们便有可能到你的网站或其它门户网站上进行消费了。这是你不能错失的机遇。

新闻稿:除非你的游戏已经拥有了一定的追随者,否则新闻稿便起不到多大作用。但是如果你运行了一个不错的市场营销活动,新闻稿便有可能发挥作用。你应该瞄准像PRWeb等主要分销商以及一些针对于独立游戏的小型分销商。你只能在游戏发行的前一周去执行这一任务。

结论

你必须牢记,营销游戏与调试和完善游戏一样重要。如果缺少了市场营销,你便只能完全依靠玩家自己去发觉游戏。如果你能够赢得一些主要的竞赛或者获得主要分销商的认可,你便有可能吸引到更多玩家的注意,但是对于大多数人而言,这都是奇迹了。

你并不需要完全按照上文所说的去做,但至少你需要做到:

创造一个网站。

将你的预告片上传到YouTube上。

联系一些对你所创造的这类型游戏感兴趣的新闻记者。(游戏邦注:记得,确保电子邮件足够简短且具有特色。)

努力将游戏推向Steam Greenlight(只要它不是超级休闲的便可)。

只要做到这些,你便有可能创造属于自己的品牌。请轻松地进行游戏营销吧!

本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译,拒绝任何不保留版权的转载,如需转载请联系:游戏邦

Marketing Your Indie Game: The Single Most Important Thing That No One Knows How to Do

Robert DellaFave

Once upon a time, marketing was considered taboo and almost completely ignored by game developers. These days, most devs recognise its importance and do make some effort, but many don’t know where to begin. In this article, we explore the art of marketing, and how you can use it to gain much needed exposure for your indie game.

What’s the Problem?

The independent gaming world will forever remember 2008. It was around that time that a few innovative developers released what would become critically acclaimed, genre-busting masterpieces. Games like Braid and World of Goo helped us remember what guerrilla game development was really about: creativity, passion and, above all, breaking boundaries. Combine their success with the launch of the App Store that July, and the result was millions of wannabe coders and small-time designers starstruck by the prospect of riches and gamedev glory.

The vast majority of these newbie developers needed time to refine their craft, and released games that garnered very little attention, mainly because they weren’t all that good. Suffice it to say, they usually didn’t make much money. But then there were the seasoned developers who created good, and sometimes great, games. In fact, their games were so good that many of them believed the gaming community would welcome them with open arms, and buy their products by the truckload.

Most of them didn’t make any money either.

If they can do it, why can’t you?

So what was the problem?  Well, game development became so accessible that everyone started creating games, which proved both a blessing and a curse. With so many games being released every day, gaining recognition suddenly became very difficult, regardless of the quality of the game. In short, for all their hard work, most developers failed to properly market their games – and this is still true today.

When to Begin Marketing Your Game

Before we get into specifics, it is important to dispel the common notion that marketing can only begin after a game is released. As most of you already know, a game draws most of its sales within the first few weeks, and even days, of release. If the proper channels don’t already know about your title by the time it’s launched, your sales during this critical window are going to suffer.

So, instead of waiting until the eleventh hour, follow this general rule:

Begin your marketing campaign the moment you have something that illustrates the fundamental mechanics and look of your game.
Whether it’s one finished level, a mocked up screenshot using Photoshop or a small demo that displays a nuance of your game, it is imperative that you start generating hype as soon as there is something – anything – worth showing to the public. From that point forward you should be promoting the progress of your game on a semi-regular basis.

What Every Game Development Team Should Be Doing

Okay, so you’ve decided to launch your campaign months before your game’s targeted release date. Good. So now what? Let’s start with the essentials. You’ll need:

A website: Whether your website acts as a home base for all of your games, or just the one you’re currently working on, it needs to be updated frequently and departmentalized. The home page should feature an extended overview, captivating screenshots (a picture of your UI isn’t all that exciting), and relevant links. You’ll also need a media page that houses images or videos.

A development blog: It’s up to you whether you want to display this on your website, or as its own entity – just make sure you have one. Gamers and developers alike love to read about the personal struggles and triumphs associated with making a game. Keep it personal, as if you’re speaking directly to your readers.  If you’re having a bad day, or can’t solve a tricky programming problem, let the public know. Humanize yourself and people will empathize and appreciate your plight. Post frequently, and litter each post with work-in-progress screenshots. Prove to your fans that the game is coming along.

To do the social media thing: Sorry, there’s really no avoiding it. At the very least you should have a Facebook and a Twitter page. If your game is small or mid-sized this is probably enough, but in theory you could subscribe to dozens of social media outlets. Whatever you do, don’t bug big-time developers to like your page or to retweet your post – it’s simply not going to happen. Instead, first identify how the public perceives your company and then connect with like-minded developers and game journalists. Many of them will be more than willing to trade subscribers.

Trailers: This comes a bit later, but is probably one of the single most important things you can do to get people excited to play your game. Don’t overload it with cheesy titles, and don’t think you have to be an expert cinematographer to produce a compelling video. Instead, target each facet of gameplay at least once, clearly display the game’s title and the name of your company (you do have one right?), and keep the cut scenes down to a minimum.

You can never have too many trailers. Triple-A games and movies release dozens of teasers, spotlight and full trailers, and they do so for good reason. If you do decide to release multiple videos, you can ignore the previous rule and tailor each one to a specific aspect of gameplay. One could be a combat demo, another a introduction to the game world and the story, and a third solely dedicated to your protagonist.  Be sure to space them out – it’s the best way to generate hype.

Publicize Yourself

You can create all the websites, dev blogs and trailers in the world, but if no one knows who you are, they’re not going to matter. Perhaps the toughest part about marketing a game is making the public aware that it exists. Once they know about it, the rest is actually pretty easy. Well, it also helps if your game is, you know… good.

Let’s break down the different ways that you can get people talking about your game without cramming it down their throats.

So, now that I signed up for an account, why isn’t anyone following me?

Gaming Booths

Despite the theory that all game developers are vampires who dwell in dark basements, getting out into the light of day and attending public gatherings is one of the smartest things you can do to promote your game. I promise you won’t turn to ash.

But in order to snag a booth at one of the bigger conventions like PAX, you’ll have to reserve a portion of your meager budget for travel and venue expenses. If you have the money it’s well worth the effort. Even if you can’t afford a booth, go to the convention anyhow and make good use of your social suave. Hand out flyers, physical CDs of your demo, a slip of paper that says “Buy My Game” – anything so that gamers won’t instantly forget who you are.

See, as a game developer it’s important to connect with other developers, but it’s far more important to connect with the people who will actually be playing your game. Gaming conventions will allow you to do that and more. By meeting with your target audience face to face, it will further humanize you and your efforts. In addition, it will give gamers the opportunity to play your game, and you the chance to receive meaningful feedback.

Crowdsourcing

Crowdsourcing is generally thought of as a way to procure a budget for your game, but it’s also useful as a marketing device. Our current project, Hiro Fodder: A Blue Hope, benefited from crowdsourcing in one of several ways.

Firstly, it forced us to create a video and write a detailed description about our product. Secondly, our page was hit tens of thousands of times over the course of a month. So even though we only got a little over 300 people to back the project, it was great exposure for our little RPG. Finally, and this was something that we didn’t anticipate, we spent a lot of time communicating with other developers, even going as far as to sign up as the programmers for another project that had over 1,500 backers. We’ve since grown very close with the developers behind Echoes of Eternea and are playing with the prospect of working together on future endeavors.

Kickstarter: A great way to make money and friends.

The great thing about crowdsourcing is that a lot of smaller indie game journalists keep up with new campaigns. Several journalists wrote articles about Hiro Fodder without even asking us first. We have since established a great working relationship with these writers, and will definitely be calling on them when the game gets closer to release.

Contacting the Press

One could easily write an entire article on dealing with the media. It is such a critical part of running a successful marketing campaign that overlooking it would already place your game at a severe disadvantage. But it’s one thing to communicate your game to the press, it’s another to do it effectively.

Here are a few tips:

Be realistic: Before you contact any of the major players in the gaming community, assess what you hope to achieve. You’re probably not going to get IGN to write a feature piece on your Match-3 game, but you may get a smaller indie-focused mag to give you a shot. Once your game garners enough press from smaller sources, you should start taking more chances. No harm is going to come out of telling Kotaku or Joystiq about your upcoming game.

Target the right websites: It may seem painfully obvious, but if you’re targeting a mobile device, don’t contact PC mags. You’d be surprised how often game developers make grievous missteps like emailing PC Gamer about their revolutionary new game for Android devices.

Be yourself: You’re not writing a cover letter, so don’t treat your emails to press members like one. Starting your email with lines like “[Company X] is proud to bring you an innovative gaming experience like no other…” is off-putting. Instead start with something simple, like “Hello.” Tell them who you are and a little about your game. Provide them with a few simple links to your media or demo. If you can say what you have to say in fewer words, do so. Remember, these guys probably receive dozens of emails each and every day from developers just like you. Be humble, be straight to the point and never, ever tell them how much you love their site. Sucking up is not a virtue.

People actually send emails like this, but you won’t.

Late Stage Marketing

By the time your game hits alpha, you should really consider a few of the more recently available marketing options:

Alphafunding: Mid-sized online distributors like Desura offer this service, which allows fans to play your incomplete game and watch it evolve. Even better, they’re allowed to contribute money to your game. It’s sort of like Kickstarter, except the only thing you’re obligated to provide to your fans is an awesome game. It’s a really sweet deal, and an awesome way to get people pumped about your upcoming release.

Steam Greenlight: Let’s face it, getting Greenlit by Steam is extremely difficult. You’ll need a ton of up-votes, and even then your chances of landing a spot aren’t great. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t place your game on Greenlight. The site is visited by tens of thousands of gamers, and you are guaranteed to win some of them over with your game, most of whom will purchase it from your personal website or another distribution portal that isn’t Steam. It’s an opportunity that should not be missed.

Press Releases: Press releases probably won’t help that much unless your game already has a solid following. But if you ran a sound marketing campaign, there’s a good chance it might. Target major distributors like PRWeb and smaller ones tailored towards indies. You should probably only do this about a week before the game is released.

Definitely a good thing for indies.

Conclusion

There you have it. Marketing your game is probably as important as debugging and polishing it. Without marketing, you’re completely reliant on gamers knowing about your game without you telling them. Now, if you win a major contest or get picked up by a major distributor, that could very well happen, but for the rest of us, it won’t.

It’s not entirely necessary to do everything listed in this article, but at the very least you should:

Create a website.

Post a YouTube video of your trailer.

Contact a few game journalists who have shown prior interest in your type of game. (Remember, keep your emails short and personal.)

Place it on Steam Greenlight (as long as it’s not super-casual).

Do at least that, and you’ll stand a chance of developing your brand. Happy marketing!(source:tutsplus)


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