Big publishers have the advantage of having deep pockets when it comes to marketing promotion for an upcoming AAA game. It’s why we’ll see ads on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, as well as trailers on YouTube.
Unfortunately, many indie developers do not have the luxury of deep pockets and as such, spreading the word of a yet-to-be-released game can certainly be an uphill challenge. Perhaps the most vital method in such a situation would be word of mouth, but even then, there’s only so much reach.
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So what other alternatives are there? Well, I’m far from a marketing expert, but the method that has angered Steam users isn't the best approach to let gamers know about your upcoming projects. As reported by Dexerto, images were shared in Reddit by user PhantomNL97 revealing the questionable methods that some "indie" developers are using to advertise their games leaving some feeling ‘disgusted’. Apparent developers have been advertising unrelated games in the comments section of Steam user reviews. Perhaps not too dissimilar to those who share livestream links in the comments section of somebody else's stream
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One reply to a user review was for Dave the Diver, which read: “Hello! You might be interested. We are making a similar game! We plan to finish it by the end of summer! Check out the page of our game. If you like it, add the game to your wishlist, it will help with promotion! Thank you and sorry for the inconvenience!”
Another example was shared in response to a user review for SnowRunner. The comment was word-for-word the same. Users on the Reddit thread warned that these comments in Steam user reviews are in fact a scam. “It's a scam,” warned 83athom. “They advertise something they threw together in a couple of hours and literally anyone that buys it is pure profit,” with Iamyous3f adding, “Those are scams, no one would advertise like this.”
So, if there’s a lesson to be learned here, be wary of suspicious links, especially those that you may have noticed are copy and pasted from elsewhere. Hopefully, Steam will respond swiftly and effectively to ensure that users are as safe as possible when on the platform.