Chris Zukowski: How To Make Your First Game Blow Up On Steam (With No Following) | Ep. #045

I chat with the top game dev marketing guru, Chris Zukowski, about how to make your first game blow ► Check out Sentry: https://dub.sh/kytgl8u ► Follow Chris Zukowksi: https://howtomarketagame.com/ Chapters: 0:00 - Introduction: Meet Chris Zakowski and Wishlist Strategies 1:05 - Ad Read: Sentry - Streamline Your Game Development 2:04 - Chapter 1: Can You Succeed Without a Following? 3:44 - Chapter 2: Why 30,000 Wishlists Might Be Enough 5:56 - Chapter 3: Steam vs. YouTube: Algorithm Differences 7:47 - Chapter 4: Avoiding the Lukewarm Trap 9:39 - Chapter 5: The Popup Threshold - Unlocking Steam’s Front Page 12:41 - Chapter 6: Three Practical Tips to Avoid Mediocrity 15:38 - Chapter 7: The Danger of Overpolished Graphics 19:54 - Chapter 8: Demos as Honest Marketing 21:53 - Chapter 9: When to Pivot - Knowing If Your Game Has “It” 24:18 - Chapter 10: Bioshock’s Turnaround - An Outlier Case 26:25 - Chapter 11: Setting Realistic Wishlist Goals 29:31 - Chapter 12: How Steam’s Discovery Queue Drives Sales 32:06 - Chapter 13: Getting to 30,000 Wishlists - Strategy for “Nobody” Developers 38:02 - Chapter 14: Festivals and Streamers - Riding the Big Moments 42:14 - Chapter 15: Demo Reviews - A Roadmap for Improvement 50:24 - Chapter 16: The Demo Launch Strategy 1:01:26 - Chapter 17: Steam’s Infinite Audience and Avoiding Overexposure Fears 1:25:20 - Outro: Final Thoughts and Resources