This document provides an indie game studio survival kit with tips for balancing product development, marketing, and business needs. It recommends embracing data analysis to measure performance, pinpoint critical factors, and replicate success. Key areas to analyze include the audience, sales metrics, pricing strategies, and categorizing successful games. The document also stresses the importance of branding, marketing strategy, community management, and preparing for a long-term release cycle through ongoing support.

1. MAKE GAMES AND STAY AFLOAT
INDIE BUSINESS SURVIVAL KIT
(or: how to balance product, marketing and studio needs)

3. 7

4. EMBRACE
THE DATA

5. > Measure your performance <
> Pinpoint critical factors <
> Replicate the process <

6. digital, much?

7. market trends.
marketing KPIs.
sales analysis.
community mgmt.

10. BUSINESS

14. ANALYSIS

15. DYI

16. ANALYSIS
THE AUDIENCE
Does your category/genre
have a strong following?
How does the audience look like?
Do they buy games?
How and where?
What model suits their needs?

17. ANALYSIS
THE SALES
What are the avarage sales?
What is the success ratio?
How to define success?
How the matrix look like?

18. Is there something that separates the successful games
from the rest of the category?
If so, is there a common nominator
that you should keep in mind?

19. ANALYSIS
THE PRICING
How does the price affect
the sales in your category?
How to set the price and conduct
a long term pricing strategy
considering the profile, the size
and the behaviour of the audience?

21. NURTURE YOUR BRAND.
YES, A BRAND.

23. Branding is all about
precision & consistency.

24. CREDIT: DANIEL AHMAD

26. IDEA IDENTITY EXEC. COMMS.

32. MARKET IT HARD.
MARKET IT SMART.

33. KNOWLEDGE
ABOUT THE CATEGORY
VALUE OF YOUR GAME
OBJECTIVE(s) TO MEET

34. REACH
INTEREST
TRAFFIC
CONVERTION
SALES

35. GAME
PRICE x75% x85% x60%
{. }

36. X
{budget - dev cost = marketing: KPIs}

37. MIND THE SHELF.

38. INTENTIONAL
VISITOR
‘RANDOM’
VISITOR
PRODUCT
PAGE
PURCHASE
AWARENESS

39. SCREENSHOTS
high quality, narrative, order
DESCRIPTION
structured, diversified (animated headlines,
preferably animated examples of key features, etc.
TESTIMONIALS
cherrypicked, featured on top of the product page

40. AWARDS
crucial updates / gamechanging things
THUMBNAILS
(clear, descriptive and preferably changing with time)
DEEPLINKS / MEASUREMENT
(short paths, direct linking, trackable traffic)

41. PAMPER YOUR
COMMUNITY.

42. BE TRANSPARENT.
WHENEVER YOU CAN.
Explain stuff, share the knowledge
& you’re gonna end up with smarter
& more devoted community.

43. BECOME A REVERSED NINJA.
Be visible. Be responsive. Be suportive.
People apreciate openess & they love
being involved in a process.

44. WATCH THEM BURN.
Do not always have the last word.
Act only when you have to.
But when you do, be ruthless.

45. PREPARE FOR
A RUN.

46. IT IS A MARATON
NOT A SPRINT.
and

47. > Efficient bug-fixing <
> Regular content updates <
> Post-release campaign <

48. BE ALL IN.
ALWAYS.

51. THERE IS NO PERFECT RELEASE
WINDOW. NOT ANYMORE.

52. @akawist