How do some of these devs have thousands of followers?

[Nathaniel3W]

I'm the lone* developer working on Himeko Sutori, which those of you who frequent the jRPG Weeaboo forum know because I'm always plugging it.

I was checking out some of the competition, which I define as low-budget indie SRPGs (Although I'm going to be competing with virtually everyone for your entertainment budget, I'm focusing on just the most similar offerings) and I saw that there was a Codex thread for Arcadian Atlas. Granted, the coverage here hasn't been fawning adoration, and it has a "Vapourware" tag, but elsewhere it looks like they've got a fantastic social media presence and I'm wondering how they did that. The artist has 20,000 Twitter followers. The game itself (which appears to be in very early development) has 4,000+ followers. 173 Facebook likes. Why don't I have media presence like that? How do I get a media presence like that? How important is a social media following to launching a game?

Now, this being the Codex, I'm expecting a few "No one is interested in your game because it sucks!" comments. But I'm also hoping for some tips. (And not just fishing for compliments. If you think my game is off to a great start, thanks, but I still do want some guidance.)

(*Lone, but I'm paying a sprite artist out-of-pocket and promising to pay a composer when I launch a successful Kickstarter.)

 

[ghostdog]

One of the reasons is definitely graphics. Those 2D sprites and environments look sweet.
They've been mainly promoting their game with visuals , sound and nostalgic references to classic, beloved games, making people hope that this may be the dream game they've been waiting all this time. You don't need substance to get attention.

 

[Mozg]

It looks much more like a direct TO/FFT nostalgia knockoff with the neat-looking step pyramid terrain

Plus they probably pay twitterbook astroturfers

 

[ortucis]

Make huge pointless blog posts talking about your "inspirations" (games you are trying to copy). People stupid enough to think that another developer can copy the charm of their favorite title will flock to you and start following you.

That's how a lot of Indie developers do it. I'll probably end up doing it for my game too to attract some crowd from Google search.

 

[zeitgeist]

The artist has 20,000 Twitter followers. The game itself (which appears to be in very early development) has 4,000+ followers. 173 Facebook likes. Why don't I have media presence like that? How do I get a media presence like that?

I would suggest that the crux of the matter is in who or what these people are and their position in the social hierarchy of indie development, not in the quality of art (which really isn't that good, as pixel art goes).

 

[gaussgunner]

How do you get 20000 social media followers?

I don't know, but it helps to look like her: http://arcadianatlas.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html

Failing that, be famous already. hahaha
Y'know, indie royalty.
Made a popular 1990s point'n'click adventure ====> $$$KICKSTARTER MILLIONS$$$
Junior artist on AAA popamole shite ====> OMG looks awesome <3 love ur vaporware hiking sim #takemy100k
20 years real programming, motherfucker ====> *crickets*

 

[Nathaniel3W]

ortucis That's not a bad idea. It's cheap, but it just might work. I might have to start doing it too.

Mozg I wonder if paying for astroturfers helps attract real customers. I'd be interested to see someone admit to it, and then write about the experience and what it did for sales.

zeitgeist Then I guess the question becomes "How do I reach a lofty position in the social hierarchy of indie development?" As for the quality of art, I think I'm with ghostdog on this, and I think the art looks pretty good. I certainly don't think it's hurting the game.

gaussgunner Yeah, I see all of these guys who made a famous game 20 or 30 years ago, and they have no problem raking in millions with nothing more than a name and some concept art. I'm going to have to build all of the game systems, make a demo, and then the Kickstarter will probably provide me with $10k to spend on more pixelart and music while I continue developing the rest of the game unpaid. Maybe I need to find someone who contributed to Ogre Battle, but died soon afterwards, and then claim that he's the executive producer.

 

[Zed]

How do you get 20000 social media followers?

I don't know, but it helps to look like her: http://arcadianatlas.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html

*follows*

 

[Telengard]

]...I wonder if paying for astroturfers helps attract real customers. I'd be interested to see someone admit to it, and then write about the experience and what it did for sales.

Astroturfing is rampant. But without a control group, and doing the same offering to two groups to see a specific difference, no one can really definitively claim that it boosted sales and by how much. Essentially, though, people know that good word-of-mouth causes viral marketing, and thus good word-of-mouth is money in the bank. But would the things that go big with fake word-of-mouth have gone viral anyway, without all the fakery? That's the million dollar question.

Yeah, I see all of these guys who made a famous game 20 or 30 years ago, and they have no problem raking in millions with nothing more than a name and some concept art. I'm going to have to build all of the game systems, make a demo, and then the Kickstarter will probably provide me with $10k to spend on more pixelart and music while I continue developing the rest of the game unpaid. Maybe I need to find someone who contributed to Ogre Battle, but died soon afterwards, and then claim that he's the executive producer.

There's thousands of years of funny quotes about fame and fandom. The qualities that make someone a star aren't really quantifiable. Though there are similarities between how many stars rise, people have really complex non-relationships with fame and the famous.

(paraphrase)Is social media necessary?

If you're Kickstarting or going through some other means of asking for donations, yes. Kickstarting is all about shoving your nose so far up the public's ass that you can taste it. They're giving you money ahead of time, so they expect to be able to connect with you in order to tell you how to make your game. So, they have to first see you as approachable and friendly (hot and slutty), then also as responsive to the community (willing to bend over backwards to do whatever the community wants). That way you can line up as many people ahead of time to drop money into the tank at the very beginning. Because there's nothing that breeds success like success.

*

All that said, the best marketing for an indie is to offer something old and familiar, but with a unique hook that only you have. That hook is what draws people in, and the old familiar is what keeps them there. If you've got the right combo, marketing will then largely take care of itself.

 

[gaussgunner]

... Essentially, though, people know that good word-of-mouth causes viral marketing, and thus good word-of-mouth is money in the bank. But would the things that go big with fake word-of-mouth have gone viral anyway, without all the fakery? That's the million dollar question.

Educated guess: the viral phenomena of 10 years ago would get lost in the noise today. You have to cheat just to get on the radar. Then if you're lucky, circlejerk etiquette will amplify your message. Fake it until you make it.... now more than ever.

... Kickstarting is all about shoving your nose so far up the public's ass that you can taste it. They're giving you money ahead of time...

Maybe nerds like us are better off working behind the scenes. We still have some advantages over the attention whores. There is a shitload of corporate money just waiting to be had by freelancers who can get shit done. As a gamedev you're well-rounded and have more impressive demos than most candidates. The good companies pay well and let you focus on programming. It's not perfect but it's better than Kickstarting. Better odds, no taking money for vaporware, no subverting your game design, no crowdrimming.

On the 10% chance you finish your game (no offense, most software projects fail) you would still have to market it without that Kickstarter boost. If you have other income sources at least you can afford some advertising and it's not the end of the world if your game is a flop or only attracts a cult following.

 

[Davaris]

I'm the lone* developer working on Himeko Sutori, which those of you who frequent the jRPG Weeaboo forum know because I'm always plugging it.

I was checking out some of the competition, which I define as low-budget indie SRPGs (Although I'm going to be competing with virtually everyone for your entertainment budget, I'm focusing on just the most similar offerings) and I saw that there was a Codex thread for Arcadian Atlas. Granted, the coverage here hasn't been fawning adoration, and it has a "Vapourware" tag, but elsewhere it looks like they've got a fantastic social media presence and I'm wondering how they did that. The artist has 20,000 Twitter followers. The game itself (which appears to be in very early development) has 4,000+ followers. 173 Facebook likes. Why don't I have media presence like that? How do I get a media presence like that? How important is a social media following to launching a game?

Now, this being the Codex, I'm expecting a few "No one is interested in your game because it sucks!" comments. But I'm also hoping for some tips. (And not just fishing for compliments. If you think my game is off to a great start, thanks, but I still do want some guidance.)

(*Lone, but I'm paying a sprite artist out-of-pocket and promising to pay a composer when I launch a successful Kickstarter.)

At least you are asking the right questions. Without a big community of your own it is pointless holding a Kickstarter. There are no customers on Kickstarter other than the ones you bring yourself.