你的第一个独立游戏失败了？告诉你下一步该做什么

原作者：Chris Zukowski 译者：Willow Wu

没人买你的游戏？没有人来采访你的开发历程？只有一个订阅人数为32的无名小播主解说了你的游戏？我来猜猜，当你在计算总开发时间再把总收入那么除一下之后，你会发现你每小时的收入只有2.11美元，而且你还工作了4000小时？你没办法放弃这份工作？那样你就没办法买小岛了？

我知道你觉得现在的情况很糟糕。你可能正在写事后剖析，想说这一定跟着跟独立游戏大灾变或者F2P的流行又或者跟那些滥用规则漏洞牟利者（asset flippers）脱不了干系！在你写下那篇激昂愤慨的文章之前，我来告诉你另外几件你可以做的事。

首先，先给你打打气……

这是你的第一个游戏，你是个生意新手。你发行游戏的那一天实际上就是你公司开业的第一天（你做游戏的那些日子不算）。很多企业在前几年都是不赚钱的。Nike的创始人Phil Knight花了五年时间把汽车当做自己的移动办公室，开到各处的田径赛场推销跑鞋直到他攒够资金辞掉原来的会计工作，专注于自己的事业。这在商界很常见，甚至还有专有名词——“血汗产权”（sweat equity），指的就是公司没盈利前你投入的那些没有回报的心血。如果你认为游戏发行后就万事大吉，只要等几个月就能把辛苦费赚回来那就大错特错了。

你可以把这个情况想成是经营餐馆。餐馆在设备、内部装修、员工、租金上花了那么多钱，但如果没有客人进来，这个餐馆就不算营业。每天，老板都要想办法招到比前一天更多的客人。

如果餐馆老板像很多独立游戏开发者那样，因为没人给你的餐馆评分就不想再经营下去了，那这餐馆大概一个月就关门了。但是他们没有啊，餐馆老板愿意花上好几年的时间累积忠实客户，把初期投入的钱慢慢收回来。

发行了第一款游戏就意味着你的饭店开业了。现在开始累积信誉和忠实粉丝吧。独立游戏的成功实际上是建立在忠实粉丝和口碑上的，而不是有多少人为这个游戏写了多少文章又或者是游戏能在Steam商店的畅销榜上呆多久。光靠预告和几张截图没办法获得扎实的粉丝基础，至少玩过游戏才有可能成为你的粉丝。游戏发售了，正剧才可以上演。

如果你觉得你的独立游戏很有可能会失败，那么下面这些建议你应该看看：

1.在游戏中加入邮件列表

这是非常重要的第一条，它可以帮助你增加回头客的数量。邮箱是与粉丝保持联系的最有效方式，推特没什么用。

但一般情况下没有人会轻易地把自己的邮箱告诉你，因此你必须要提供点福利什么的，也就是所谓的“免费赠品”（lead magnet）。比如说，在游戏中加入第二个角色，但是要玩家注册邮箱才能解锁；设计一个奖励关卡，可以得到很多金币；赠送一副特别的眼镜道具，让玩家可以看到所有的秘密通道，总而言之，必须是在死忠粉看来能够提升游戏体验、有价值的东西。

即使下载游戏的人比你的高中行进乐队人数还少，但是这些人当中有可能会出现非常喜欢你的游戏的真正粉丝，别让他们跑了！你需要他们成为游戏的“传道士”，让更多玩家来下载你的游戏。我在下文说的建议都有助于增加玩家数量，但是只有邮件列表才能有效地留住他们。没有邮件列表，你要积累玩家基础就像是用筛子去收集雨水。

2.在初期阶段，建立玩家基础比销量重要

你早先做的几个游戏就像是披头士在德国汉堡的经历——出名之前，他们只能在冷清的酒吧演出，这种情况一直持续了两年。虽然是默默无闻，但他们对听众的喜好非常了解，慢慢地有了追随者，他们的第一张录音室专辑也受益于此。你的第一个游戏当然可以放飞自我，但是你必须学会怎样才能对上玩家的胃口。

3.在游戏中加入谷歌分析（Google Analytics）

看看玩家玩得怎么样，也许他们过了第一关之后就不玩了，因为太难。如果他们没玩多久就退出自然也不会给游戏做评价，也不会推荐给朋友们。

加入谷歌分析还有很重要的一点是你可以知道玩家喜欢游戏的哪些部分，或者是不喜欢哪些部分。我曾经在《巫师高尔夫》（Wizard Golf RPG）中加入可收集的金色骷髅，就像是《马里奥64》的星星，这一部分花了我不少时间。通过数据跟踪和玩家交流，我发现大多数人都不太理解这个设计，也不在乎收集它。了解人们真正在乎的东西能够帮助你把下一个游戏做得更好。

4.全力支持你的游戏

我知道要在一个“失败”的游戏上花更多时间会让人觉得很荒唐。但是，别忘了这是你的血汗产权。你可能会收到玩家的很多评论和邮件，给你提建议或者是告诉你哪里有bug。还是会有人愿意买你的游戏，虽然数量不多。向他们展示出你的爱意！每一封邮件都要及时回复，适当展示下你的个性，拉近与玩家的距离。还有回复每一条相关的推特、论坛帖子、文章评论。别带着负面情绪，保持友好和热情的语气。那些早期玩家会看到你的投入，把你看做是一个出色的开发者，粉丝就是这么形成的。

发行《僵尸国王》（Zombie King）的时候，我收到玩家邮件就会立即回复。当玩家发现我真的是游戏开发者，而不是专门挡差评的客服时，他们都会感到很震惊。既然没有特别多玩家给你发邮件，那就好好花时间跟他们交流吧。很多开发者们都做不到这样的私人化的客户服务，这能让你脱颖而出。我在游戏早期的bugs修复阶段就收获了忠实粉丝，而且直到今天他们还在和别人推荐我的游戏。

还有，不管人家的评论有多不好听，也不要让自己产生负面情绪，发个微笑表情表示谢意。比如说有人在论坛里发帖说“这个傻逼游戏太简单了”，然后我就诚实地回复了我是谁，游戏为什么这样设计，并没被他的评论所激怒。最后那个人来了个180度大转变说其实他挺喜欢我的游戏的。有些人会以为他们发的东西不会有人看所以他们会发一些很恶毒的话。当有人出来回复他们，证明还是有人在看的，他们就立刻变脸。当然，如果他们说的是合理的，采纳他们的建议，而且要在游戏更新说明中标注这些建议者论坛id，让大家知道这些功臣。这样你就收获了一位铁杆粉丝。

但是，如果你在心平气和地说明后他还是跟之前一样混蛋，那么就可以直接无视他，别跟他耗那个劲儿，不值得。

5.感谢那些为游戏做宣传的人

这个圈子其实不大，彼此之间的交情很重要。你要对那些帮你一把的游戏播主、游戏记者表示感谢，发发邮件、推特。他们花时间仔细品味你的的游戏、写文章、记住了你。说话客气点（即使他们对游戏的评价并不好），因为你的下一部游戏可能还是要靠这些人。

6.调整你的商店页面

你的文案或许还能再修改一下；你所选的标签、关键词或许还不足以吸引玩家；你的截图或许还不够酷炫。

每周，你把商店页面的数据记录下来，整理到电子表格中。跟踪看看商店访问数据有多少，购买人数又有多少。调整下截图、描述、关键词，然后看看数据有没什么变化。但是要记住一次只能改变一个细节，不然发现数据增多的时候你会搞不清楚究竟是哪一部分在起作用。

要是你的游戏是个策略游戏，记得不要把GUI和启动界面放在截图里面，没有人会因为你的界面好看就掏钱。

7.增加更多内容

很多独立游戏开发者对游戏发行后的工作不够上心。你花了好几年的时间做这个游戏，游戏发售一个月之后你就撒手不管了？你应该继续增加内容、继续修缮、去跟人们讲讲你的游戏。

由于时间紧迫，你可能还有一些最终没加入的游戏模式，现在就是增加内容的好时机了。在更新游戏之后，你可以在论坛上发帖子，给播主、媒体人员以及商店负责人发邮件。

你还可以加入新平台功能，举个例子——如果苹果手机加入了新功能，那你就可以依据这个新功能设计新的游戏机制，这样你有可能会得到编辑的推荐。如果是在Steam平台发售，你还要确保增加了成就和卡片，玩家就喜欢这些东西。

8.给节日活动加上时限

万圣节时在游戏中藏南瓜，圣诞节时加入一个与雪相关的关卡，在夏季时加入烟火。有时候这些限时内容会引起商店编辑的注意，得到他们的推荐。那些把游戏加入心愿单的人也许会想要在这时候购入游戏，因为这可能是解锁新模式的唯一机会了。

9.寻找成功的独立开发、媒体人员以及播主。

可能你在开发阶段就已经做过类似的事情了，然而他们并没有回复你。因为独立游戏界的梦想家太多了，每天都有很多人来找我咨询建议，而我知道尽管我给了建议，他们之中的大部分人永远都不会发行游戏。论坛上有很多人说“我一直都很想做一个游戏但总是缺乏动机”或者“我有一个非常棒的想法——开放世界设定、程序生成的roguelike MMO游戏，有车，还可以根据游戏强大的制造系统定制双重武器”，然后就没有下文了。

但是你不一样，你发行了游戏。我希望你明白你比那些99%的人都厉害很多，因为他们只会找借口。你现在是广大独立游戏开发者的战友了。你可以和他们交换彼此的开发经历。你也可以给我一些建议！发行游戏后会更容易跟别人建立合作关系，因为你有作品可以拿出手。

如果一个知名游戏开发者说他/她遇到了一个问题但是你发现这个问题你已经解决了，那就联系他/她，把你的游戏介绍给人家，想想这是多了不起的一段经历。比起向别人寻求帮助，帮助别人是一件更酷的事情。

10.五年过后在新主机平台发行高清重制版游戏

我知道你现在非常渴望盈利，但是你必须从长期角度来思考。如果你坚持下去，继续推销你的游戏、发展邮件列表，5年下来你会积累到大量的追随者。把你的第一个游戏翻新，让你现在的玩家有机会玩这个老游戏。重制的开发工作并不多，至少比做个新游戏要轻松很多了。

11.应用“长尾理论”(游戏邦注：The Long Tail)

当你在读这篇文章的时候，其实你的游戏正在为你做营销工作。它就在Steam商店里，随时等待用户的搜索。我知道这样挣不了多少钱，但是它多少还是有赢得玩家的关注。随着时间慢慢过去，它可能会和VHS版的《银翼杀手》一样——票房表现惨淡，但是收获了一大批死忠粉。（“长尾理论”的提出者克里斯·安德森认为只要存储和流通的渠道足够大，需求不旺或销量不佳的产品共同占据的市场份额就可以和那些数量不多的热卖品所占据的市场份额相匹敌甚至更大。）

12.不要把你的游戏放入捆绑包

把你的游戏放入一个超级折扣捆绑包或许会吸引到很多玩家，但是先别这么做。捆绑的最大好处其实是它能让玩家接触到你的其它游戏，可以让你追加销售（购买与产品相关的组合和更高档的产品）。如果你没有更贵的游戏可以追加，那你基本上就是在免费送游戏了。所以，等到你至少发行3个游戏再考虑捆绑包的事情吧。

你的第二个游戏

有时候不管你怎么对已发行的游戏做出调整，它还是一匹救不起来的死马。那我来告诉你下一部游戏该怎么做。

1.你的第二部游戏还是会失败

请参考上面披头士的经历，你还在“汉堡期”。邮件同样还是不可忽视的；要抓紧时间，不要跟第一个游戏间隔太久；不要做得太大，把成本降下来；难度设定要对玩家友好些，不要为难这几个买你游戏的人。

2.快速发行同机制游戏

有一种做法是在新游戏中应用你第一款游戏的核心机制，做一款非常简单的记分制街机游戏，在移动商店售价1美元然后再打5折，同时在第二款游戏中大力交叉推广你的第一款游戏。启动界应该连接到完整版的游戏商店页面。当玩家刷新最高分时除了要给予他们赞扬，还要提醒他们完整版本会更具有挑战性。

基本上可以说第二个游戏就是第一个游戏的推进器。如果有人喜欢游戏的核心机制，并且注册了邮箱，那他们会非常愿意购买完整版本的游戏。

但这个策略的前提是原来的核心机制一定要好玩。

3.发行续作或者是同一类型的游戏

独立游戏开发者很少发行续作，其实这会错失很多机会。续作其实也巧妙地暗示了前作的高水准，有内容也可以延伸。续作的开发时间也会比前作短一些，因为你可以重复利用之前的代码。

但你也可以选择不一样的设计模式。可能在以往的开发过程中你会想游戏是应该做成线性定制内容还是由程序生成的roguelike内容，到续作的时候你就可以尝试之前没用过的设计了。

记住，把内容做得精简些，把注意力放在前作有趣的核心机制上。前作记录的数据在这时候就很有用了，你已经知道玩家喜欢什么、不喜欢什么。你也可以通过邮件列表询问玩家在前作中他们最喜欢的部分是什么，你要为他们做游戏。

别忘了在续作中也要推广前作。

4.联系那些之前忽略你的人

你的第一个游戏可能没有获得什么媒体资源。那些记者见过很多不靠谱开发者在游戏做出来之前就大肆宣扬，然而游戏到底能不能顺利发行那就随缘了。他们宁愿把注意力放在那些知名的开发者身上，至少读者会感觉比较熟悉。

既然这是你的第二个游戏，那你现在就不是默默无闻的小开发者了。相较之前，媒体人员会更愿意为你的游戏写测评，因为他们明白你能交出作品。

文章的第一句通常是“____的续作、____的创作者又有新作品啦！”这样的句子在读者看来是更加可靠的，同时也推广了你的前作。

继续向前

如果你的第一款游戏没有取得成功，没有关系，重点是不要放弃。没错，媒体们非常喜欢采访那些第一个游戏就大获成功的开发者，在他们看来，这就是一个白手起家的励志故事。但是总的来说，第一款游戏就大卖的情况还是属于小概率事件，运气占的成分比较大。残酷的现实是用户不是那么好挣的，一个游戏只能收获一小部分用户，要经历好几个游戏才能累积到比较可观的玩家基础。

网络空间中存在着一种集体意识，分散在论坛、推特以及写手群体中。这种集体意识转变得非常慢，你要下很大功夫来说服他们你是有价值的。建立品牌和声誉是需要时间的，即使你的第一个游戏非常优秀，也不一定能够让他们的集体意识发生转变，你必须用好几个游戏打动他们，仅凭一个游戏是做不到的。

你觉得第一个游戏失败了，但其实你已经累积了不少资源：你为你的游戏做了那么多基础架构；你有宣传资料；你有工作室，在商店中有一席之位；你有一大堆代码可以重复利用。

第二、第三，甚至是第十个游戏都会变得越来越好。不要因为你的第一个游戏挣不到钱就打算抛弃一切，全部重头再来。

如果你在读这篇文章的时候还没开始你的第一个游戏，那你要记得做事要聪明点。准备好足够的资金，做好思想准备，至少发行3个游戏。可能你有一个一直很想做的大型游戏，把它分成3部分，分三期发行，提高发行频率和速度，增加曝光率。别抱不切实际的期待，你的第一个游戏没办法回本的。但是它的作用并不是挣钱，而是向世人说“我能做出好产品，我的公司开业了！”

本文由游戏邦编译，转载请注明来源，或咨询微信zhengjintiao

So nobody bought your game? Nobody wrote about all the work you put into it? Only one random internet man with 32 subscribers streamed your game? Let me guess, when you sum up the hours worked on your game and divide it by your total revenue it turned out you worked for $2.11 an hour for 4000 hours? You couldn’t afford to quit your job? You won’t be able to buy an island?

I know you think this is a bad thing. You are probably writing up your post mortem about how this is the Indiepocalypse’s fault or F2P and something about asset flippers. Before you write that barn burner of a blog, here are some alternative things to do with all that energy.

But first, here is a quick pep-talk…

It is your first game and you are a new business owner. The day you released your game was actually the first day of your company was open for business (not the umpteen months you spent building it.) Most ventures don’t turn a profit for years. Phil Knight the founder of Nike spent 5 years selling running shoes out of his car at track meets before he made enough to quit his accounting job and work full time. This is normal in the business world. There is even a term for it… sweat equity. It refers to the unpaid effort that you put into your venture before you make profits. It is totally unrealistic to think that the moment you release your game your work is done and you just sit back and years of work will just be repaid within a few months.

Think about this as if it were the restaurant business. A restaurateur spend tens of thousands of dollars up front on equipment, rent, interior decorating, and staff. It is not until the first customers step in that the restaurateur starts her business. Every night she has to attract more customers than the previous one.

If restaurateurs gave up like so many indie game developers, they would shut down after the first month of business because the critics stopped reviewing her restaurant. But they don’t do that. Restaurateurs expect to spends several years slowly building up a loyal customer base to pay off their initial investment.

Now that you have released your first game, the doors of your restaurant are open. Now begins the work of building up goodwill and true fans one customer at a time. The indie game success is actually built on loyal fans and word-of-mouth not by the number of articles that were written or how long you were on the best selling list on the Steam store. It is nearly impossible to build build a fan base on previews and screenshots and no game they can actually play. Nobody becomes a fan until they play your game. Now that the game is out, it is time to get started.

Here are the next steps to take with your supposedly failed indie game

Add a mailing list signup form inside of your game

This is the first tip because it is the single most important thing you need to do to improve your chances at repeat business. Read this whole article on why you need to build an email list. The short story is that mailing lists are the most effective way for you to keep in contact with your fans. Twitter doesn’t work (again, read why not.)

Nobody is just going to give you their email address. You have to offer something up in return. This is referred to as a “lead magnet.” Add a second playable character that is only unlockable when they sign up for your mailing list. Give them a bonus level with lots of coins. Give them a pair of special in-game glasses that allows them to see all the secret passages. It must be something that is valuable and enhances the game for the most die-hard fan.

Even though fewer people downloaded your game than were in your high school marching band, there is a chance that one of those people really really liked it. They are a true fan. Don’t let them slip away. You need them to be an evangelist for you and to help you get more players. All the other tips I am giving you below will increase the number of people playing your game but only a mailing list can hold on to them. Without a mailing list, all your efforts to build a fanbase will be like trying to collect rain with a sieve.

If you want a more detailed “How To” for email marketing, read my Game Email Marketing 101 guide.

Accept that in the beginning, building a fan base is more important than sales

The time spent making your first few games is similar to the Beatles time in Hamburg Germany. Before the Beatles were a phenomenon, they spent two years playing nearly empty clubs. While they were toiling in obscurity, they figured out what the crowd liked, slowly built up a following, and parlayed it into their first recording session. Sure your first game proved that you can strum all the notes, but you need to learn how to play to a crowd. Accept that!

Add Google Analytics to your game

Check to see how people are playing your game. Maybe people quit after the first level because it is too hard. If people don’t play your game for very long, they are not going to review it and they definitely are not going to recommend it to their friends.

Analytics is also important to add because you will find out what parts of the game people actually do or do not like. In Wizard Golf RPG I spent a lot of time implementing a gold skull collectible that worked kind of like the Mario 64 stars. Through data tracking and talking to players I found most didn’t understand it and also didn’t care about collecting them. Knowing what people actually care about will help you understand what to implement in your next game.

Support your game to an unrealistic degree

I know it seems ridiculous to spend any more time on a “failed” game. But, remember this is sweat equity. You are probably getting a lot of comments and emails from people who downloaded your game and have suggestions or bugs. These are the few people who, despite everything, actually paid for your game. Show them your love. Respond to EVERY SINGLE EMAIL quickly and with just enough personality to prove that you are a human being. Respond to every tweet, forum post, and comment on articles about your game. Don’t be bitter. Sound friendly and welcoming. Your few early adopters will see this dedication and see you as a standout dev. This is how people become fans of your work.

When I released Zombie King I responded to every email the second I got them. Players were shocked that I was real and not some corporate shill. Since you probably don’t have that many people emailing you, be generous with your time. Most developers just don’t offer this personal level of customer support and it will distinguish you from the pack. I found my most die-hard fans during the early bug-fixing phase and they continue to evangelize my other games to this day.

Also, no matter how mean the person is leaving the comments, don’t be negative. Smile and say thanks. A forum troll left a message like “this game seems pretty simple and dumb.” I responded honestly about who I was and what I was trying to do and did not let on that I was offended by his comment. The troll totally turned around and said he actually liked my game. Some people are mean when they think they are shouting into the void. When you answer back and prove that you are not the void, they quickly reverse course. Also if what they say is legitimate, take their suggestions and work it into the next patch and then credit them by their forum handle in your release notes. You just made yourself a life-time fan.

But, if the guy is still a jerk after you tried to be nice, ignore him and don’t engage. It isn’t worth your time.

Say thanks for the press that you did get

This industry is pretty small and runs on relationships. Always send an email and a tweet thanking the streamer or journalist who covered your game. They spent time digesting and writing about your game so they will remember you. Just be nice (even if they wrote a bad review) because you want them to write about your next game.

Tweak your store page

Chances are your copywriting can be improved. The tags and keywords you picked are not attracting customers. Your screenshots can be flashier.

Every week record your store statistics in a spreadsheet. Keep track of how many store page views and how many purchases occurred. Then tweak things like the screenshots, short description, and keywords. See if there are any changes in the stats. Just be sure to change only one detail at a time. If something does work, it is hard to determine what change did the trick.

Oh, and unless your game is a strategy game, for the love of God, remove screenshots of your GUI and start screen. Nobody buys games because of menus.

Add more stuff

Many indie devs just are not tenacious enough about their game post release. You potentially spent years making this and then give up after the first month? Keep adding, keep polishing and keep telling people about your game.

More than likely you have game modes that you cut out of your final game because you ran out of time. Now is the time to add it. After you update your game, post in the forums, send another round of emails to the press and store curators.

Also add features that are new to the platform. For example, if Apple has a new feature on their phone, support it and there is a chance you will get featured. For Steam, make sure add achievements and cards. People search for those things.

Add limited time holiday stuff

Hide pumpkins in your game for Halloween, make a snow level for Christmas, and fireworks for the Summer. Sometimes these limited time modes get noticed by the store and can result in a feature. People who wish-listed your game might be willing to jump if it means a one-time chance at unlocking new modes.

Reach out to successful indie developers, press, and streamers

I know you probably did this while your game was in development and they ignored you. The reason is because there are so many dreamers and wannabes in indie games. I get asked for advice all the time and I know that most of the people I give it to will never release a game. Forums are filled with people saying “I have been meaning to make my first game but always lose motivation” Or “I have a really good idea for an open-world procedurally-generated rogue-like MMO with vehicle sections and dual-wielding-weapons that you can customize with our extensive crafting system.” Yet they will never ever release anything.

However, you released a game. I hope you understand how much more awesome that makes you than the 99% of people who just make excuses. You are now a fellow soldier in the collective indie game foxhole. We can now swap war stories and bond over it. You can give me advice! It is much easier to network after you released a game because you are the type of person who releases games.

If you see a famous dev mention a problem that you overcame, reach out and mention your game and what experience you had. Helping someone goes much further than asking for something from them.

Wait 5 years and re-release the game with a better graphics and on a new console

I know you want the cash now, but you must think long term. If you stick with it and release and continue to market your games and your mailing list, in 5 years you will have amassed a huge following. Releasing a remastered version of your first game will reintroduce your (now) legions of fans to a revamped game that required significantly less development work than an entirely new game.

Ride the long tail

As you read this your game is marketing for you. 24 hours a day it just sits out there appearing in searches to the millions of people using Steam. I know it might not be making a lot of money, but it is attracting some attention. Over time it could turn out to be like the VHS release of Blade Runner: a box office failure that earned a cult following through repeated viewings.

DON’T put your game in a bundle

It might be tempting to put your game in one of the super-discounted game bundles to get some attention, but don’t do it yet. The bundles are amazing lead generators but the real benefit comes when it introduces fans to your games and allows you to up-sell them on your back catalog. If you don’t have a back catalog to up-sell, you are just giving your game away. So wait until you have released at least 3 games before entering your game in a bundle.

Your second game

Sometimes no matter how much you add to your released game, it will still be a dud. Here is how to make the most of your next game.

Remember your second game will fail too

See the above point about the Beatles. You are still in Hamburg. Just make sure you have a mailing list sign up offer in the second game too. Don’t take too long to release this game either. Don’t go bigger with this game. Keep costs down. Be approachable to the few people who buy game.

Quickly release a companion game

One option is to take the core mechanic of your first game and make a super-simple score-based arcade game out of it and sell it on the app store for $1 and then discount it by 50%. Then, heavily cross promote your first game within this arcade version. The opening screen should point to the full version of the game. When the players get a new high score complement them on their awesome abilities and remind them that the full version really puts their skills to the test.

Basically this second game is a lead generator for your first one. If someone loves this core mechanic (and signs up for your mailing list) they will be more than willing to buy the full-price, expanded version of your game.

Note this tactic only works if the original core mechanic was fun.

Release a sequel or one in the same genre

Indie devs don’t make enough sequels and it is a real lost opportunity. A sequel subtly says that the first one was so solid that it warrants making a second one. Development on the sequel will also be much faster since you will be able to reuse more of the code in the first one.

You can also make an alternative design of your first game. There was probably a point during development where you were wondering if you should make the game linear hand-made content or go for a roguelike procedurally generated one. Well now you can explore the path not taken.

Remember to keep things lean and focus on the core things that made your first game fun. This is where it is helpful to have recorded statistics so you can see what people did and didn’t like. Also use your email list to ask your fans what their favorite things were in the first game. Make this game for them.

Also remember to heavily cross promote the original game within your sequel.

Contact the same press who ignored you the first time

You first game probably didn’t get any press the first time. This is because journalists get pummeled with so many games by fly-by-night developers creating vaporware that they don’t bother. The press would rather focus on well-known developers creating games their readers know about.

Since this is your second game, you are now well-known. The press will be more willing to write previews because they know you can deliver.

Similarly, when the press writes about your second game, the first sentence will be “The next game from <your name>, creator of <your first game> is working on something new!” That sentence alone is so much more credible for readers. It also advertises your first game.

Moving forward

Please don’t give up after your first game. Somewhere someone set the expectation that your entire future must hang on a single game and that one game would determine if you are worthy of being an indie developer or not.

The press loves to write about developers whose first game is a hit because it is a rags to ritches story. But in general that first time success is a fluke and a stroke of luck for that one person. It is not the norm and it is not how most businesses actually work. The cold reality is you actually need to earn your customers one at a time over the long haul across several games.

The internet has a collective consciousness made up of forums, twitter, and writers. And that collective is very slow moving and it takes a lot of effort to convince it that you are worthy. It takes time for your name or your company to build up a reputation as a quality creator that is worth spending money on. Even if you develop a high-quality game the first time, it likely will not be enough to influence that collective consciousness. You must release several games in order to build that up. Again, it doesn’t happen with a single title.

Even though you think your first game failed, you have come so far. You built a lot of infrastructure for your first game. You have a press kit. You have an LLC, you have a presence on the store. You have a ton of code now that you can repurpose.

The second, third, even tenth game will go much smoother. Don’t start over completely and abandon what you did first just because it didn’t return its initial investment.

If you are reading this and haven’t started on your first game yet, be smart about it. Plan enough financial and emotional runway to release at least 3 games. You probably have a huge dream game you want to make. Split it into 3 smaller pieces that you release in 1/3 of the time. Release faster and more frequently. Be more public. Set your expectation to know that the first game is not going to earn its money back. But the first game’s purpose is not to make money, it is to say to the world “I make good stuff and I am open for business!”（source:gamasutra.com）