As the number of games released on Steam keeps climbing, simply making a good game is no longer enough to be noticed. Some developers are breaking through by taking familiar genres and building them around one simple, highly marketable angle. Not a gimmick bolted on at the end, but a mechanic you can explain in one sentence, show in five seconds and immediately imagine players or creators sharing. Here are two recent examples I think get this right. Gladio Mori Gladio Mori do

Updated! You can check other Steam articles: Steam Next Fest Marketing: You’re Not Using Your Demo as a Marketing Tool Clever Game Concepts Improve Your Chances The Strategic Choice: Releasing a Steam Game Demo A Steam demo should no longer be treated as a small production extra or a box to tick before Steam Next Fest. In 2026, a demo can be its own discoverable Steam product, a player acquisition channel, a feedback tool and one of the strongest ways to prove your game’s cor

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