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2026 Update In Progress
Hi! I'm updating this article to include new juicy info. You can check another Steam article out right now: Steam Next Fest Marketing: You’re Not Using Your Demo as a Marketing Tool
Ash H
1 min read
Why Current video games Marketing no longer works: rewriting the marketing playbook for games beyond 2026
Today's video game marketing playbook is dead. For years, game developers were told the same thing: Build a Steam page. Post devlogs. Make a trailer. Participate in Next Fest. Send press releases. Contact influencers. Run some ads. Launch with a discount. Hope the algorithm notices. That used to be a marketing plan. Now, it is a suicide note. The video game market has changed faster than most game marketing professionals have adapted. What worked five years ago is now table s
Ash H
6 min read
Avoid Gamescom FOMO: You Don’t Need a Booth to Win Gamescom
I previously put together a more detailed guide covering practical ways studios can make the most of Gamescom without attending. Read: What to Do If You’re Not Going to Gamescom Every August, the games industry descends on Cologne for Gamescom. Social feeds fill with booth photos, announcement trailers, packed meeting schedules and networking events. If you’re not attending, it’s easy to feel like you’re missing the biggest opportunity of the year. I’ve spoken with plenty of
Ash H
4 min read
Steam Next Fest Marketing: You’re Not Using Your Demo as a Marketing Tool
A discussion from a seasoned games marketer and developer Another Steam Next Fest is just around the corner. I see many developers missing the mark when it comes to demos being a real tool for marketing their games. If you have joined us from the GameDeveloper article, scroll down to here. Otherwise, you can begin here: You have already heard from hundreds of websites that having a demo on Steam Next Fest is critical to marketing your game on Steam, I’m not going to tell you
Ash H
7 min read
Why Game Marketing Staff Need Game Industry Experience
Games Marketing is broken & dome of it is a hiring problem For years, studios have been told they simply need "someone to do the marketing." As a result, many companies hire a general marketer, a recent graduate, someone transitioning from community management, or someone from an entirely unrelated discipline and expect them to market a game successfully. On paper, it seems reasonable. After all, marketing is marketing. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. Gam
Ash H
8 min read
Why Great Indie Games Fail: The Market Alignment Problem No One Talks About
Most indie games do not fail because the developers lacked talent. They fail because the game was built without enough connection to the market it needed to survive in. A game can be beautiful, polished, clever, emotional, technically impressive, and deeply loved by the team that made it. It can also launch to silence. That is the hard reality of modern indie game marketing. The problem is rarely one missing social post, one weak trailer cut, or one campaign that did not go h
Ash H
6 min read
Avoid Gamescom FOMO
Not going to Gamescom but feel your game is missing out? Don’t fall into the FOMO trap (Fear of missing out) and you really don’t need to market during an expensive event like Gamescom, here’s what to avoid: ❌ Pitching to or Expecting Responses from Media Avoid pitching to or expecting responses from media a week before, during, or three weeks after Gamescom. Journalists and media are inundated with pitches and follow-ups during this period, making it unlikely for your messag
Ash H
3 min read
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