You could look into other promotional channels.
IndieGameCompass
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itch.io Community » General » General Discussion · Created a new topic Two years into making indie games, the hardest part turned out nothing like I expected
I used to think the hardest part of making an indie game was just getting it built. Pulling all-nighters, squashing bugs, wrestling with the engine — get through that and you've won.
Then I actually finished one, and realized shipping it is just the ticket in.
Last year I holed up for a few months and threw my first game up (I won't say which platform, but let's just say it wasn't one of the giants). I was pretty pleased with myself, figured at least the gameplay wasn't trash. First week: single-digit downloads. I stared at those few numbers in the dashboard for a while and honestly couldn't keep it together.
Then a player said offhandedly: scrolling past your thumbnail in the list, you can't even tell what it is — it just blends in with all the other pixel-art stuff.
That stung more than the bad sales. Not that nobody bought it, but that nobody would even click in to take a look.
So I'm curious: where did your first players actually come from? Jams, communities, or pure luck? Anyone got an "if I'd only known back then..." lesson that, looking back, makes you want to slap yourself?
Just chatting, not selling anything — fellow devs blowing off steam 😂