How to grow my game as a solo dev?

Help and Feedback Game Design Support
#1

Hello DevForum members!

I recently released my game this summer and have spent 30k so far (2k per day on weekdays for 3 weeks) on advertising it. The game currently has around 2.3k visits after all of the advertising, which is pretty bad compared to what I’ve seen successful developers spend on their games. Now that I have spent all of my budget on this game, I’m pretty much stuck on where to go with my game now. I’ve tried countless times to promote my game in Discord servers and on other social media platforms but that has barely gotten my game any visits since people do not really look in servers to find new games anymore and rather just look at their recommend page. Honestly, I feel kind of hopeless with getting my game out there since I basically spent my whole summer working on it to basically go nowhere while so many of these trendy “Grimace” and “Yeet a Friend” simulator games blow up in the span of a week. If anyone could give me some advice to help me grow my game, especially as a solo developer with no developer connections at all, I would very much appreciate it.

26 Likes
#2

pay youtubers to play it and promote it and advertise via social media

roblox sponsorships and advertisements are rendered useless now…

11 Likes
#3

I’ve spent all of my budget so paying YouTubers is not really an option for me right now.

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#4

Were you sponsoring or advertising? You should send the stats (CTR, Conversion Rate, etc.)

Your icon and thumbnails don’t really look to appealing, your ad stats might show they need improving (specifically the icon if sponsoring.)

You should create some icons in different styles, make multiple games and upload the icons to them, then sponsor each game for 1k for 24 hours. Which ever sponsor has the highest stats, that’s the best icon. (generally, you’re aiming for above 3% CTR)

2k per day might just not be enough. It’s better to spend a higher amount for about a week straight and try to get into the algorithm.

7 Likes
#5

I did advertisements since I really haven’t had any luck with sponsors throughout my time making games. Here are the ad stats (I know, it’s really bad):
Screenshot (2)
Also I’m pretty sure the CTR on the last one was glitched which is why it looks so inflated.

7 Likes
#6

Well, try to advertise yourself on social media like TikTok or YouTube. Try creating short video content that conveys your message to your target audience of the game.

10 Likes
#7

Those are very low CTRs, a sponsor I did for 1k robux got 9869 impressions and 355 clicks, with a 3.597% CTR. I’d recommend sponsors since they can appear on mobile which has more younger kids on it.

7 Likes
#8

When I loaded into the spawnhouse lobby to vote, the camera was glitched to where I had to hold right mouse to pan the camera. (first spawn) This could hurt player retention if they think they’ll be playing matches in first person while having to pan the camera this way. Some people could choose to leave before their first match because of this small detail, sadly.

I played the developer hide and seek, the first person arms were offset very high, but that could be me over-complaining in an attempt to help ._. - It may be a design choice, but it takes up a lot of the player’s perspective and could be disorienting to younger audiences especially.

NEVERTHELESS, this is a solid game that seemingly only needs more accessibility and quality-of-life updates. It’s great!!

6 Likes
#9

Yeah, I can definitely see how this can be confusing for new players now. I will try to make it 3rd person when entering the game and then switch to first person when the game starts. Also, I didn’t really notice the high offset first person arms thing but I think you probably mean that its too up close so I will probably just make the FOV higher so it doesn’t take up too much of the player’s screen. Thank you for your feedback!

6 Likes
#10

Understand your audience, find YouTubers that relate to your audience, email said YouTubers in a professional way. (Explaining your game and why it is relevant to that YouTubers audience.)

Example: If I make videos on horror games and finding the lore behind them, like Game Theory, then I wouldn’t be playing pet sim x on my channel. Rather, I’d be playing Doors or FNAF copies on Roblox.

More stuff from notes I have on the topic:

  • Understand how Roblox’s Discovery algorithm works.
    • Roblox is very multiplayer focused. Making your game single-player is already cutting your audience.
    • Roblox has an expectation of constant updates, or most Roblox games do. Holiday updates, but give time for them like putting out a Halloween update on Oct. 1st.
    • Homepage is the biggest places for for discovery on Roblox itself.
    • Get on the sorts.
    • Use Google Trends to find help find key words to help people find your game.
    • Design for YouTube Engagement - Video by Roblox’s Level-Up team: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBlHz30PMKo
      • Have free-cam available. Make it easy for people to make videos on your game. Is the game something someone can make multiple videos on, or just one? Is it something people can livestream well?
  • You can reach out to games press, make a press kit.
  • Reach out to YouTubers outside the Roblox niche.
    • Example: I’m working on a 3D Platformer, I could try reaching out to NitroRad, a guy who covers 3D Platformers, even though he doesn’t play/cover Roblox games. And, don’t pay anyone money to cover your game.

Make a massive list of people/companies that could cover your game. Make sure they are relevant to your game and audience. If you email 100 people effectively, and only 5% make a video when the time comes, that’s still 5 videos! And, maybe those videos will create an effect where others make videos.

Also, research as much as you can, write things down, connect with others, and watch this video:

10 Likes
Do platformer games have the potential to be crazy-popular/popular in Roblox?
#11

Thank you for your very well written and detailed advice! However, I would just like to be clear on one point you said:

  • Roblox is very multiplayer focused. Making your game single-player is already cutting your audience.

The game is actually multiplayer but I added single-player compatibility so that players could still enjoy the game by themselves. I know that it was probably confusing since I added “Singleplayer” in the description so I updated it to be more clear.

3 Likes
#12

Instead of sacrificing views with advertisements, focus on sponsorships as no showcase exceptional game content are to be shown. Spending 2K per day for 3 weeks is weak and won’t build a stable player base. Invest in testing different sponsorship options and spend 8-10K a day to have a chance of surviving on its own. Find Investors now. Good luck.

2 Likes
#13

My reply was from my research notes on marketing, not specific to your game. Apologies, I should’ve been more clear. I did play the game though, but found that it wasn’t really for me.

Here’s my feedback on the game:

  • The ‘z’ key to unlock the cursor is odd UX and it felt awkward. I feel like there might be a better keybind for this.

  • I don’t like the first-person perspective much. And I found it odd that I only had a 3rd person perspective when disguised as a part.

  • UI at times is challenging to read due to it being covered by the playerlist or chat. UI is also very inconsistent in terms of color. Icons are great though.

    image
    image1917×271 145 KB

    • The images for the game modes aren’t too ‘professional’ if that makes sense. The game kind of looks like a meme game with that.

  • Speaking of game modes, the lightning strike is random for ‘part tag’. That makes me feel like there’s not really a reason when solo to tag the part. It’s a 50/50 chance no matter what. I’d choose one, either the part or the human/s (?) to be stuck, not for it to be a chance. For the dev thing, the timer might be too long. Not much to say about the thunderstorm one, interesting game mode. The NPC part did get stuck in a corner and the game seemed basically endless though.

  • The shop works, but getting to ‘boosts’ is a little annoying as I had to scroll to get to it. :person_shrugging:

  • From playing the tutorial, I feel like the actual gameplay doesn’t utilize the mechanic of hiding that well. It seems to just be the one map with little ‘hiding’ capabilities. The tutorial itself was helpful, but I doubt most will go through it.

  • Also, I could never seem to be able to spectate. I guess that makes sense as I was playing solo. There’s not a way to sit out on matches though.

I think this game would be a fun livestream kind of game, one streamers could play with their audience. I’d reach out maybe to @StarCode_RealKreek (KreekCraft) or others who do Roblox live streams.

I’d also like to say the amount of attention your game got for how much you paid is crazy. I’m sure you could’ve done a lot in terms of bettering your ad, but I don’t recommend anyone use the ads system on Roblox. In of itself, ads aren’t effective. But there’s also no longer being able to advertise to under 13 users on Roblox. Not to mention ad blockers.

1 Like
#14

ngl, if you want lots of people to at least play your game, right now using ugcs is the best method of advertising.

make a free ugc event in your game, pay someone to upload the ugc for you, and thousands of people will join your game instantly to try to get your ugc. If they like the gameplay of your game, they might even stay

(and trust me when i say thousands, theres tens of thousands of people waiting for new free ugc limiteds to be released & since roblox recently released it in game it’s probably one of the best opportunities)

ofc this doesn’t guarantee playtime in the future, but you will at least attract lots of people to your game. oh and make sure if you do this to have a strong anti cheat. the ugc community loves cheating to try to get the limiteds.

just so u know the pricing:

hat = 20 per +1 stock
back = 30 per +1 stock
shoulder = 15 per +1 stock
face = 10 per +1 stock

and a 10k upload fee

1 Like
#15

To me, that doesn’t seem like a good idea. I’d personally want players that care about the game they are playing, not some free accessory. If you market it in a certain way and the players have to actually play the game, then maybe.

If you market your game as something people come in for just for a free item and leave, that’s what people are going to do. And, if they don’t get that item quickly, they will dislike bomb the game.

I’ve never really got why people go so crazy over these free accessories. Even if they don’t even really like the accessory, they’re livid when they have to work for it or can’t get it. That’s not the kind of community I’d want for my game.

2 Likes
#16

you do realize something like this game: PUSH SIMULATOR 💪 - Roblox now has 6k concurrent players &15M visits right from 0 just because they published 2 free limiteds in the game which you had to actually play the game to get the items. straight from 0 active players too. there are so many people that want free limiteds, but as they are playing your game to get the limited, they might end up actually liking the game, and continue to play it. right now this is the best strategy

2 Likes
#17

I don’t doubt it has merit, but I’d also include YouTubers role in the success of the game:

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That’s like 1.4 million views in just those 4 videos. (also those last two thumbnials are quite similar. Maybe the same thumbnail artists. :person_shrugging: )

Simulators aren’t my thing. Anyhow, I’ll keep the free UGC thing in mind for sure, but in it’s current state, I feel it attracts a younger audience that I’m not looking for with my current project.

2 Likes
#18

i see your point but it was an example, many other games gained traction from ugcs

2 Likes
#19

I see a lot of great advice in the thread and I’m in the same boat, so will be reviewing what other people said. A couple of points from my side.

  • User ads might be performing better for you, but they don’t give you any indication if the icon (CTR) or store page (conversion rate) looks good enough. Clicks are nice, but how many people are playing?
  • It is likely that sponsors didn’t work for you, because of poor targetting (want cheap players - console, want good CTR/CPP - 17+ mobile, want terrible numbers - target computer with both genders and all ages)
  • Your store page thumbnail is pretty bland, at this point you can just make something good looking with AI, even if it’s somewhat frowned upon
  • Retention and playtime are kings, track those and fix any issues you can (smooth onboarding, tutorials, bug fixes, proper UI/inputs for different platforms, daily rewards, etc).
  • Not sure about [UPD 2] in the name… Who is that for? Unless you have a very recognizable title, I’d avoid tags like that, since I have a feeling that changing title deranks the game in search (just a feeling, not confirmed)
1 Like
#20

Thank you for reviewing my game! I understand that party/minigame-type experiences are not necessarily for everyone. Many of the things you pointed out I didn’t even think of or notice at the time of releasing my game. I’ll go over some of the feedback you’ve provided and respond to them accordingly:

  • The ‘z’ key to unlock the cursor is odd UX and it felt awkward. I feel like there might be a better keybind for this.

I definitely agree with this. When I started making the game, I chose to just make it a random keybind that was somewhat close to the movement controls, however, I understand that most games do not use this key often. I decided to change it to ‘F’ for convenience.

  • I don’t like the first-person perspective much. And I found it odd that I only had a 3rd person perspective when disguised as a part.

Personally, I believe that the first-person perspective adds some uniqueness to my game since most minigame-style experiences tend to use the third-person classic or shift-lock style POV for their gameplay.

UI at times is challenging to read due to it being covered by the playerlist or chat. UI is also very inconsistent in terms of color. Icons are great though.

Honestly, I do not really know how to fix this. I normally just hide the playerlist to show more of the screen. If you know a way that I can tweak this then I will gladly change it.

  • The images for the game modes aren’t too ‘professional’ if that makes sense. The game kind of looks like a meme game with that.

I originally meant for those pictures to just be placeholders but when I released the game, some players said that it was funny and playful so I decided to keep it. Still, I understand that it can make my game look unprofessional so I changed them to some map screenshots I took in Studio.

Speaking of game modes, the lightning strike is random for ‘part tag’. That makes me feel like there’s not really a reason when solo to tag the part. It’s a 50/50 chance no matter what. I’d choose one, either the part or the human/s (?) to be stuck, not for it to be a chance. For the dev thing, the timer might be too long. Not much to say about the thunderstorm one, interesting game mode. The NPC part did get stuck in a corner and the game seemed basically endless though.

Yeah, I’ve gotten a lot of complaints about the ‘Part Tag’ gamemode being chance based. I thought that making it a 90/10 chance would be a cool twist to the gamemode but it looks like it did not work out as I planned. I’ve updated it to be 100% human chance now. For the hide and seek gamemode, I can see how 10 minutes might be too long for only one round so I lowered it to 5. The NPC in the ‘Storm Survival’ gamemode was actually programmed to go to random parts of the map and stop when it finds cover so that is why it looked like it was stuck in a corner.

The shop works, but getting to ‘boosts’ is a little annoying as I had to scroll to get to it. :person_shrugging:

I know that scrolling through the tabs can be annoying at times but the way that I designed the UI at the time makes it practically impossible to display all the tabs on the screen at once. If I choose to redesign the UI in the future, I will keep this in mind.

  • From playing the tutorial, I feel like the actual gameplay doesn’t utilize the mechanic of hiding that well. It seems to just be the one map with little ‘hiding’ capabilities. The tutorial itself was helpful, but I doubt most will go through it.

The hiding ability is basically useless in single player but when playing with other real players, it can be used to trick humans when cutting corners, going up stairs, etc.

  • Also, I could never seem to be able to spectate. I guess that makes sense as I was playing solo. There’s not a way to sit out on matches though.

I did not really see any purpose for this but I guess it can be useful for AFK players. I’ve added an ‘AFK mode’ option in the Settings menu that players can toggle to not be placed into the game.

I think this game would be a fun livestream kind of game, one streamers could play with their audience. I’d reach out maybe to @StarCode_RealKreek (KreekCraft) or others who do Roblox live streams.

Kreek is a very popular livestreamer/YouTuber so I’m not sure if he would even see my request but I guess it’s worth a shot. :person_shrugging:

I’d also like to say the amount of attention your game got for how much you paid is crazy. I’m sure you could’ve done a lot in terms of bettering your ad, but I don’t recommend anyone use the ads system on Roblox. In of itself, ads aren’t effective. But there’s also no longer being able to advertise to under 13 users on Roblox. Not to mention ad blockers.

I wish someone would have told me this before I started my advertisements but I guess it is also my fault since I didn’t think to get advice from the DevForum until my game completely flopped. :man_facepalming: From now on, I will only use social media and YouTubers to advertise my games.

1 Like