Early Access Dev Log 11
Feedback from the demo
While most of team is on holidays, we don't have much to report in terms of the actual development. We've been writing the stories for Broodmother's Treasure, and looking into whether we really need a Slumber Chamber at the Spire (we think, not) - but that sort of progress is not very visual. So let's use today's opportunity to talk about something else entirely, that is: the feedback that we receive from those who played the demo of the game.
DEMO STATS [...]
PROLOGUE
As much as we love Steam as a platform, it has some limitations (don't we all?).
In particular, a demo version of the game has its own app ID, but it's invisible. So players cannot publicly post screenshots from the demo, and they have no dedicated forums to comment on. We also have no way of notifying the owners that the demo has been updated.
Additionally, games in Early Access enjoy a somewhat limited visibility on Steam.
All of that contributed to the informal traditions, among independent developers and publishers, of re-releasing their demo versions as "prologues".
When we write it now, it sounds pretty awkward indeed: the same demo exists on Steam in two ways, one on the game's store page and another on its own page, where it's a "play for free" app with a description that says it is a demo. Quite complicated, right? But it's happening because re-releasing your demo as a prologue gives you the opportunity to reach additional audience, who may otherwise not discover the game.
As of now (during two weeks that it's been released):
- 3.333 players have added the prologue to their Steam Library
- 200 players have actually launched the prologue
You can see the difference between the audiences immediately: people who added the demo, did so specifically, and most of them tried it out. While people who added the prologue, mostly did so out of curiosity, and most of them haven't had the time to try it yet (and probably never will).
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