[Series] Game Translation · Game Translation Archive
Ghost stories that scare indie devs! by Chris Zukowski Indie developers have a lot of fears, but many of them don't actually exist. You have to face these head-on to move forward and tackle the real challenges of game dev. In this post, we're looking at the 'ghost stories' indie devs tell each other and why you don't need to be afraid of them.
Ghost Story 1: The Originality Issue "Someone is already making my game idea! I'm doomed!!!" Why is this a myth? Ideas and 'hooks' are overrated. What actually matters is execution. A good idea or hook might help you go viral on TikTok, but if the game isn't fun or lacks depth, Steam users won't buy it. A game's success depends on how fun it is after playing for over 3 hours.
And everyone is so unique that it's impossible to make the exact same game. Look at game jams. Everyone starts with the same theme, but the results and genres are all over the place. Even if you share the same design or hook, the art style will never be the same. Differences will exist, and fans won't mind.
Plus, consumers like similar games. If games are of similar scale and quality, you can even bundle them together.
Ghost Story 2: Wishlist Conversion Rate Issues "Everything decays, and it will keep decaying until the heat death of the universe." Let's talk about the fear that everything we do is meaningless and we're just grinding for nothing—the fear that thousands of wishlists will just vanish by the time you launch. But there's no evidence that wishlists lose value over time. Here are some conversion charts.
Zero Sievert's wishlist conversion chart:
(Notice the red bars)
Cosmoteer's wishlist conversion chart:
Look at those red bars. They're almost flat. There's zero upward trend showing that recent wishlists convert better than old ones. Of course, these are successful games. What about the flops?
Above is the case of Song of Iron. It gathered 100k wishlists before launch, but unfortunately, it underperformed. Looking at this chart, the monthly conversion rate is surprisingly consistent. So why did it fail? Because the wishlists were 'old'? No. Successes like Zero Sievert and Cosmoteer hit 15-20%+ conversion rates. Song of Iron stayed around 7%, maybe low 10s. It failed not because the wishlists were stale, but because they had a consistently low conversion rate across the board.
Ghost Story 3: Follower Count "I have no followers, is my game f***ed?" People think if they don't have social media followers, they can't promote and they're finished before they start. But the reality is: social media doesn't work well for most games regardless of follower count. Followers are a result of success. Ironically, if you want followers, you need to make a successful game first.
(That 30% fat is juicy) The reason devs pay 30% to Valve is because Steam exposes your game to a massive user pool. Steam tests your game with a small group first, and if the reaction is good, it shows it to more people. It has nothing to do with your YouTube sub count. Visibility comes from releasing demos, reaching out to creators, and joining festivals. In most cases, social media doesn't have a huge impact.
(Thronefall) Many hit devs say they have few social media followers and that it barely impacted their success. Jonas Tyroller (Thronefall, Islanders) even stated that having thousands of YouTube subs didn't help much with sales or wishlist inflows.
Ghost Story 4: Idea Theft "If I market my game, someone will steal my idea!" You see stories on Reddit like 'I posted my game, some shady company cloned it for mobile and made bank while I stayed broke.' Sure, theft happens. But that usually only happens once you're already making big money. If you aren't already rolling in cash with that idea, nobody is going to steal it.
For example, Jonas Tyroller's Thronefall got mobile clones after it became a massive hit.
And Dungeon Clawler had clones before it even launched. The common thread is clear: success was already proven or the potential was obvious. The important part is that these clones barely affect Steam sales. (Also, if you're making enough to have a hit game, you can hire a good lawyer. Dungeon Clawler's devs got the asset-stealing apps taken down.)
Besides, the media loves these stories. The 'Big Company Steals Pure Indie Dev's Idea' narrative is clickbait gold. Post it on Reddit and you get insane attention. It's free marketing. It might be mentally taxing, but someone cloning your game is a sign you're on the right track. Don't delay marketing because you're scared of theft.
Ghost Story 5: Creators/Streamers "I should only contact creators right before launch. I only get one shot." The fear is that if you show it too early, they won't cover it at launch. Reality? If the game has that magic charm, creators will play it multiple times. Delaying outreach is throwing away a massive opportunity. If a creator plays it once and never again, that's a design problem, not a marketing problem.
Ghost Story 5a: Story Games? "But my game is a 30-minute linear narrative game..." You should still send the demo. Creators act as curators. People see a thumbnail, think 'Wow I want to play this,' close the video, and download the demo. People want to play games. If it's interesting, they'll play it themselves even to avoid spoilers.
Ghost Story 6: Wishlists after first announcement "If my wishlist count is low after announcing, am I doomed forever?" There's no such thing as a 'cursed mark' in the Steam algorithm. You don't need to delete the game and re-upload with a new name. A slow start is just one swing and a miss. Demos, betas, festivals, and creators—there are plenty of chances left, so don't lose heart.
Ghost Story 7: Competing with AAA Games "If I overlap with a AAA game, am I screwed?" Silksong's peak CCU was 587,150. On that same day, the total number of Steam players was 11.93 million. That means 95% of people were NOT playing Silksong.
(※ Translator's Note: The author mentioned that if you're competing with a truly massive game, delaying your release date can actually be an effective marketing move.) Summary In conclusion, do not be afraid. Indie dev is hard, risky, and scary. But there is no reason to be afraid of sharing your game. A game is never 'over-exposed.'
Original: https://howtomarketagame.com/2025/09/30/ghost-stories-to-scare-indie-developers/ Seeing how Megaton Musashi hit it big even when the market was flooded with Vampire Survivors-likes, it seems gamers want something new and original, but also something familiar. Source: Indie Game Gallery [View Original]
"Developers are vibing with the advice on execution over ideas, but the community is roasting the '95% of people aren't playing Silksong' logic, pointing out that most players are just stuck playing CS or Dota anyway."
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