Not just game marketing services for Indie & AA Studios. Dev-aligned and something different.
We integrate into your development process to help shape your game to ensure players actually find and engage with it. By aligning product decisions with market reality early, we help reduce risk, improve marketing and your chances of long-term success.
When should game marketing start?
Game marketing should start before the game is finished. In most cases, the right point is when there is enough of the game to understand the core loop, audience, hook and commercial direction: often around MVP planning, first playable or early production.
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That does not mean launching paid campaigns years before release. It means bringing market thinking into development while there is still time to act on what you learn.
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At this stage, marketing should help answer practical questions: Who is the game really for? What makes it easy to understand? Which features will give players or creators something to talk about? Is the first session showing the strongest parts of the game? Does the Steam page promise the same experience the build delivers?
The later these questions are answered, the more expensive they become. A weak hook, unclear positioning or creator-unfriendly experience is much harder to fix once the game is content-locked and the launch campaign has already started.
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MVP / first playable: validate audience, hook, market fit and the strength of the first impression.
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Production: identify marketable features, creator potential, player friction and how the game should be positioned.
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Pre-launch: align the build, Steam page, trailer, demo, creators, PR and community around the same promise.
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Launch and post-launch: use player behaviour and feedback to improve conversion, retention, updates and growth.
From Ash's Experience
I have worked on games from both sides of this problem: leading marketing and publishing teams, and also building and releasing games myself. That changes how I approach marketing during production.
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A recommendation is only useful if the development team can actually execute it. I look at feature priorities, build state, deadlines, technical limits and player behaviour alongside the commercial opportunity. The aim is not to make marketing control production. It is to make sure production decisions are not made in a vacuum from the market.
On projects such as Phantom Galaxies and Undeads Games, marketing was not limited to launch assets. It involved ongoing work across community, creators, product communication, playtests, live planning and cross-discipline teams. That is the type of integration this page is describing.
Every studio needs a different level of support.
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Some teams need a sharp external review before committing to a direction.
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Some need help preparing for an announcement or launch.
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Others need an ongoing market partner embedded across development, publishing, community, and growth.
Our engagements are built around the stage of your game, the level of risk, and the amount of support your team needs. We focus on helping your game become market-ready, not counting social posts.
​Facing a crunch before launch? Let us step in and craft a powerful launch strategy, so you can stay focused on final bug fixes and prepping that day-one patch.
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From media planning and creative support to developing core messaging, we offer a full range of services backed by robust analytics and tracking. We’ll ensure your marketing remains data-driven, adaptable, and effective, giving you peace of mind as launch day approaches.
What should marketing influence during development?
Good game marketing during development is not about asking designers to build features purely for promotion. It is about identifying where product decisions can improve discovery, comprehension, advocacy and long-term performance.
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The hook: Can someone understand why the game is interesting in a few seconds?
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The first session: Does the early experience reach the parts players are most likely to enjoy, or does onboarding hide them?
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Creator potential: Are there systems, choices, challenges or moments that give creators something worth showing?
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Shareability: Does the game naturally produce moments players want to post, discuss or compare?
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Positioning: Are the game's strongest features also the features being communicated on Steam, in trailers and in campaign messaging?
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Demo structure: Does the demo showcase the best of the game rather than simply cutting off the first level?
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Retention: Are there clear reasons for players to return after the first session or after launch?
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Production priorities: Are limited development resources being spent on features that materially improve player value or marketability?
Marketing becomes more effective when the product gives it stronger material to work with. The objective is to find those opportunities early enough that the team still has choices.
How we work with development teams without slowing production
The goal is not to add another layer of meetings or approvals. We work around the production rhythm already in place and focus on decisions where market input can materially improve the outcome.
That may mean reviewing a milestone build, joining selected production or publishing discussions, assessing a Steam page against the current build, reviewing a demo before a festival, or flagging a feature that has strong creator or positioning potential.
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Recommendations are prioritised by impact and effort. Some are marketing changes. Some are production suggestions. Some are simply things to test before more money or development time is committed.
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Milestone or build reviews focused on player-facing and market-facing risks.
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Short prioritised action lists rather than large strategy documents that sit unused.
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Direct collaboration with producers, designers, founders and internal marketers.
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Clear separation between essential launch issues, useful improvements and lower-priority ideas.
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Feedback early enough that the team can decide whether a change is worth the production cost.
Available Support For All Stages of Development
Games Marketing begins with the first playable or at very least MVP Planning.
The Market Readiness Review is a focused assessment of your game through the lens of audience fit, positioning, discovery, creator appeal, and commercial potential.
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This is designed for teams who want clear, honest feedback before committing more time, money, or production effort to a specific direction.
We review your game concepts, pitch, build, Steam page, trailer, market assumptions, and current positioning to identify what is helping the game, what may be holding it back, and where the biggest opportunities exist.
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Good fit if you are asking:
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Is our game marketable?
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Are we building the right game for the audience?
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Is our positioning strong enough?
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Would creators understand or care about this?
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Are we ready to announce, reveal, or launch a Steam page?
Typical focus areas
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Core hook and first impression
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Audience and genre fit
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Market positioning
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Steam or store page readiness
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Creator and streamer appeal
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Player motivation
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Early-session friction
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Shareability
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Competitive context
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Commercial risks and opportunities
What you receive
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Market readiness diagnosis
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Key risks and opportunities
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Positioning recommendations
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Priority action list
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Clear next steps for improving market fit
Pre-Launch Alignment is for teams who already have a game in development and need to make sure the product, positioning, content, community, and launch plan are working together.
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This is where we help connect the game you are building with how players, creators, press, platforms, and communities will discover and respond to it.
We work with your team to strengthen the game’s marketable edges before serious marketing spend begins.
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Good fit if you are asking:
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Are we ready to announce?
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Why are wishlists not growing?
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How do we make our game easier to explain?
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What should we show first?
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What should our Steam page focus on?
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How do we build interest before launch?
Games preparing for announcement, Steam page launch, demo release, festival participation, crowdfunding, publisher outreach, or full release.
Typical focus areas
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Game positioning and messaging
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Steam page direction
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Wishlist strategy
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Trailer and capsule guidance
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Demo and festival readiness
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Creator-friendly hooks
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Community activation
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Press and platform angles
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Announcement planning
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Launch timing and sequencing
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Content and campaign planning
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What you receive
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Pre-launch market alignment plan
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Messaging and positioning framework
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Store page and content recommendations
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Creator and community strategy
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Launch-readiness priorities
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Practical guidance for your internal team
Marketing Tip: Leverage your steam demo properly
A Steam demo should showcase the part of the game that best sells the experience, not automatically be the first chronological level. I’ve seen developers lock off the opening section of a build and call it a demo, even when the game’s strongest mechanics, weapons, progression or unique features appear much later.
For marketing, that can waste the player’s first impression. A better approach is to deliberately build the demo around the moments most likely to make the right player think, “I want more of this.” That can mean giving them upgraded abilities earlier, combining content from different parts of the game, or creating a bespoke demo flow that gets to the hook faster.
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The Embedded Market Partner model is our most involved engagement.
We work alongside your team over a longer period, helping align product, positioning, marketing, community, and commercial decisions as the game evolves.
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This is not a traditional agency model. We are not waiting at the end of development to promote what already exists. We are involved earlier, helping your team make better decisions while there is still time to shape the outcome.
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Good fit if you are asking:
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Can someone help guide us through the market side of development?
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Are we making decisions that will help or hurt discoverability?
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How do we avoid wasting money on marketing too late?
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How do we build creator, community, and retention thinking into the game?
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Can we get senior publishing and marketing experience without hiring full-time?
Studios that want ongoing strategic support throughout development, launch, and post-launch growth.
Typical focus areas
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Build reviews
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Product and market alignment
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Player friction and churn risks
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Feature prioritisation from a market perspective
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Creator and content potential
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Positioning and messaging
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Steam and store page optimisation
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Launch planning
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Community growth
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Marketing roadmap
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Post-launch updates
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Retention and engagement opportunities
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What you receive
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Ongoing strategic guidance
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Regular reviews and recommendations
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Prioritised market-facing action plans
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Support across production, marketing, and launch planning
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Alignment between internal teams and external market needs
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Continued optimisation before and after launch
Launch is no longer the finish line.
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Many games need continued refinement after release. This engagement is designed for teams who need help turning launch attention into sustained performance, or who have already launched and are not seeing the traction they expected.
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We assess what is happening across the product, store page, messaging, player response, content, community, and post-launch roadmap.
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Good fit if you are asking:
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Why did launch underperform?
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Why are players not sticking around?
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How do we recover momentum?
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What should our next update focus on?
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How do we turn player feedback into a better growth plan?
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How do we keep the game alive after launch?
Launch & Growth: Teams approaching release or already live who need help improving traction, conversion, retention, or revenue
Typical focus areas
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Launch readiness
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Wishlist conversion
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Store page performance
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Player feedback review
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Community response
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Creator and press follow-up
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Retention and churn risks
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Update positioning
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Content roadmap
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Monetisation opportunities
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Re-engagement planning
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Long-term growth strategy
What you receive
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Launch or post-launch performance review
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Prioritised growth recommendations
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Retention and engagement improvement areas
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Store, messaging, and campaign refinements
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Update and content planning guidance
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Practical next steps to rebuild or sustain momentum
"Ash has done some amazing things for us. He’s kept our community engaged, guided many cross-discipline teams and improved how marketing interfaces with the various companies. His knowledge of the games industry and how to acquire new users - and keep them - is just incredible.
He’s my right hand man helping to drive the Undeads brand to new heights"
Leo Kahn
CEO, Undead Games / Suzeal