In today’s landscape, convincing someone to buy your game isn’t just about making a good game, it’s about making a smart business decision every step of the way.
The days of mystery are over. Consumers aren’t passive anymore; they’re analytical, sceptical, and overloaded with options. They don’t just watch trailers, they dissect them. They don’t just read press releases, they watch influencers and micro-analysts break them down in 10-minute YouTube essays or 30-second TikToks. Everyone has a phone. Everyone has access.
Here’s what that means for you, and how to approach the challenge of winning consumer trust, and their wallets.
Understand the Conversation Beyond Your Control
Consumers start talking the moment anything leaks, drops, or even gets rumoured. Sometimes before your marketing team has even finalised a rollout plan, a Reddit thread has already framed your game in a certain way.
You need to monitor these conversations. Not just through standard PR, but through boots-on-the-ground community management and strategic listening. Identify friction points early, whether that’s your game’s genre, tone, pricing, or comparisons to better-known titles, and start preparing your counter-narratives before the wildfire spreads.
If you’re not part of the conversation, you’re just a subject of it.
Start Early, Even If It’s Just Light Community Involvement
You don’t need to blow the doors off with a full trailer on day one. But early engagement gives you control. A developer posting in a forum thread, answering questions honestly, or even just teasing mechanics or concepts in a dev diary can go a long way. It sets the tone.
Silence, on the other hand, gives the internet permission to define your game for you.
Price to Match Expectations, Not Just Budgets
Consumers are financially stretched. If you’re asking for £70/$70, they’re comparing you to Elden Ring, GTA V, and Cyberpunk 2077. And they’ll ask themselves: “Am I getting that level of value here?”
If your game’s ambition, length, or polish doesn’t match those titles, you’re fighting an uphill battle. A more modest price point can completely shift expectations. Players are far more forgiving of bugs and jank when they feel like they got a good deal.
This doesn’t mean undervaluing your work, it means valuing the psychology behind the purchase.
Beware of Alienating the Core Audience
When trying to appeal to a ‘new generation’ of players, it’s easy to push away the audience that made your IP relevant in the first place. Just ask the teams behind Dragon Age: The Veilguard, or the Saints Row reboot. The backlash doesn’t start at launch, it starts years earlier, as soon as fans feel something is off.
If you’re repositioning an established IP for a different audience, ask yourself: is it worth the risk? Would this idea be better off as a fresh IP entirely? Because when nostalgia turns against you, it’s loud.
Social Proof Can Kill Interest Instantly
You might produce a decent trailer. It might land just fine. But if the comment section is wall-to-wall negativity, you’ve already lost half your potential audience. That’s herd mentality in action.
So come armed. Show off a surprising hook. Tease a feature nobody expected. Make pricing a positive reveal. Offer demos. Communicate clearly that this isn’t a live service trap, or confirm that the game launches with all content included. These details can be shared by fans and influencers to turn the tide when your marketing alone can’t.
Burned Consumers Don’t Forget
Gamers remember. The dynamic lighting from Aliens: Colonial Marines trailers. The fake magic of Milo for Project Natal. The gorgeous visuals of the Watch Dogs trailer. The deep emotion of the Dead Island trialer. Trust was eroded by marketing that didn’t match reality.
Today’s audience has learned to spot red flags, and they often assume the worst. You used to have demos to win people over. Now, all you’ve got is marketing, and if that doesn’t mostly convince someone, they’re out.
Review Scores Mean Less Than They Used To
The days of trusting IGN or Gamespot scores without question are long gone. Consumers now read between the lines. They know when a 7 is a polite 4. They know when a 9 has been inflated.
They’ll watch review footage, but they’ll make up their own minds.
So if you’re offering review copies, make sure the game is at its best. Bugs, glitches, or performance hitches shown in early review footage can undo months of hype. Delay if needed. A late launch is fixable. A broken reputation isn’t.
In a Crowded Market, You Need a Hook
The market is saturated. Racers. Shooters. Roguelikes. Soulslikes. Survival. Farming. The basics aren’t enough anymore. Visual fidelity won’t carry you unless you’re setting new standards. You need a reason to exist in your category.
Your hook needs to be front and centre. Whether it’s a unique mechanic, a bold aesthetic, a stunning story, or a genuinely new spin on something old, this is what sells the game before anyone plays it.
If you don’t have a hook, go back to the drawing board. Trailers can’t do all the heavy lifting.
Don’t Let Hype Outpace Reality
Big hype can generate preorders and publisher confidence. But it can also backfire, badly, when the game releases and doesn’t match the promise.
No Man’s Sky is the cautionary tale. You might get a second chance, but most don’t.
So keep your marketing honest. Show the game. Show the bugs if you have to. Let people understand what they’re buying. Controlled hype might not be sexy, but it’s safer. And it’s sustainable.
Extras Shouldn’t Undermine the Base Game
Season passes. Deluxe editions. Microtransactions. Preorder bonuses. Consumers expect these now, but that doesn’t mean they like them.
If you load up your base offering with hints that it’s the “lite” version of your actual game, you’ve just created another reason for people to skip the purchase. Let the game stand on its own, and let extras feel like extras—not requirements.
Build Trust, Not Just Trailers
Consumers want to be excited about games. But they’ve been trained to be cautious. They’ve been let down before.
To succeed now, you need to go beyond flashy trailers and big studio names. You need a compelling value proposition, a clearly defined hook, and above all, a sense that you understand the people you’re trying to sell to.
Because you’re not just selling a game anymore. You’re selling trust. Earn it.
