Have you always wanted to create your own game? Maybe you have a small team, and you feel as though now is the time for you to be taking things to that next level from a creative point of view. Either way, this is the guide for you. Here’s how you make sure that your game’s launch is a successful one.

Where will People Find your Game?

One of the biggest issues you will face is trying to determine where people are going to find you. The answers here can differ, wildly. You may find that people can find you on Google Play, on the App Store or even on social media. For browser games such as Madalin Stunt Cars 3, fans may find the game through popular search engines. Blogs or gaming media are also very good if you want to try and publicise your game there. Word of mouth is far more important than you realise, as 52% of games are downloaded from the suggestion or recommendation of someone else. If you want to create a physical board game for a digital game, like Gloomhaven for example, then it may be worth looking into playing card printing.

Make your Game Look Exciting

It is also so important that you make your game look exciting. You need it to stand out on the page, and you also want to make people click it as much as possible. It may be that you try and use a lot of bright colours or that you simply tune into the theme of your game and that you try and make it pop on the page this way. Either way, if your game does not look bright or exciting, people won’t click it. If you have a physical version of the game and want to create a digital companion application then this is great, but you still need to invest as much time and energy into the design where possible.

Create a Booking Page

When you are around two months away from your launch, it is then possible for you to create a page on the App Store. This is known as a booking page and it helps you to work out which descriptions, keywords, videos and icons work. If you do this far in advance, then you will be able to ensure that your launch goes well and that you are able to really capitalise on your existing audience. If you are launching a game for the very first time, then this step is crucial. It will give you the chance to understand your audience and it will also help you to tweak your app advertisement prior to your full launch.

Publish Devlogs

One great way for you to get your game out there and known would be for you to publish devlogs. Players love to see how a game is coming along and they also like to see how things are progressing. What’s more, is that you can easily have a link to your booking page so that you can capitalise on future downloads. If you are not sure about publishing your devlogs, then this is understandable, but it can give your audience valuable insight into your game if you are publishing something in the fantasy or RPG genre. A devlog may not be required if you are creating a card game, or if you are devising a game that is not intensive in terms of graphics or general creation.

Run Search Ads

One great way for you to boost your general ranking position would be for you to use a keyword search option. You can place ads on the search page, and when you do this, you will soon find that you can get the best result out of your download. You can also get more information which will help you to keep on optimising your page. Ads are super important, especially if you are launching your game for the first time. If you do not have ads, then you may find it hard to spread the word about your creation and this will slow down your launch potential.  If you are a seasoned developer and have a few games under your belt, then you may have a good idea of what ads to run, but either way, it doesn’t hurt to experiment sometimes. Push the boundaries and see if it is possible for you to get results that outdo your previous launches.

Talk with the Media

If you have some kind of booking page, then you don’t actually have to wait until the launch before you try and get the media on your side. Try and make attractive press releases and pitches. If you can do this at an earlier date than your launch, then you can help to build some steam, and this will work wonders if you are trying to direct people to your app page.

Optimise for Google

You have to remember that people won’t be looking for your game on the store alone. They will also be looking for it on search engines and even YouTube. It is imperative that you show up at the top when people try and find your game, and you also need to appear credible. If you don’t, then you will lose a lot of potential traffic for your game, and this will absolutely impact your launch.

Be Consistent

At the end of the day, everything is connected. Users are going to see your game in a ton of different places, so you have to make sure that you are consistent in your branding. You need to ensure that your descriptions, your logos and your screenshots are all up to date and that you do what you can to change them when your game is ready to launch. This will help you to finalise the details and it will give you the chance to really take things to that next level.

Of course, there are many things that you can do to try and take things to that next level with your game launch, and if you follow this guide, you should be able to make this launch your most successful one yet.