I have a game close to ready for the public, which means I need to get the game started.
Which one has the better chance of boosting the popularity of my game?
I can think of some pros and cons for Sponsors and Ads
Sponsor:
Pros:
No need for pre-made special banner
Straight in the games feed, more likely to gain traction
Cons:
Requires a lot of Robux to get started/maintain due to bid system
Adverts:
Pros:
Larger screen space, more likely to catch person’s eye
Better Adverts/Banners get more CTR
Cons:
Not on games page
Requires large banner
My game is aimed toward Desktop, due to some limitations of controls when on other platforms. Does that affect the one I choose as well? I’d like to have a small community of players before I begin anything on commercials, but I also have no clue how to create one. Although I do have a discord server set up. I’m also gonna publicize my game on my twitter for hope of traction as well (though with only 6 followers idk how effective it’s going to be).
This is my first time marketing a game, so I am fairly clueless.
I think that both Sponsoring and advertising works, but I’d go with Sponsoring.
Some people don’t click on ads at all because they usually bring you to a group and ads can’t be seen on the games page.
But with a Sponsor, the game, not a group, can actually be seen as a game. On top of that Sponsors kins of blend in with other games, so it’s had to tell if it’s an ‘ad’ or a real game.
I’d suggest that before you do any marketing, make sure your icon is eye-catching and will have a good click ratio. Furthermore I’d suggest sponsoring over ads, and if it’s multi platform compatible, I’d suggest starting off with marketing on tablets.
I’d personally go for sponsorships. Advertisements used to be a good way to get players, but with the removal of ads on the games page and the extra work to create an eye-catching ad would make it easier and cheaper to go with a sponsorship.
I’d also recommend having a colorful icon that attracts clicks too!
Talking from experience to 3 projects (2014, 2016, 2020)
You don’t really need to think that much about sponsoring, despite being the main source for introducing your game, because it is ONLY lasting for 24h, which is equivalent as, to what i said, a mere introduction to your game…
So the issue isn’t funds, there are games that went popular from other options, doing some announcement with gameplay footage could eventually works on social medias, if it’s appreciated and exciting.
The real question should be about your game, is it fun ? do you think people liking your game are willing to stay or come back ? when sponsor ends, you will only relies on the current activity, you should confirm that your game is INDEED finalized instead of a way to lose robux in a quick fashion.
Also, you said that it’s not mobile/tablet friendly :
To clear things out, it will most likely hightly affect you, 52% of users are on mobile (Source RDC 19)
Means that your game is accessible to only 43% of the community (- 5% xbox)
I did had a very bad CTR to my game, but really, as long as your game contains a gameplay cycle that is attractive, some people are willing to come in daily, and easily become part of your community.
Both ways have pros and cons so I think the best way to find out is to test both systems for yourself and to collect as much data as possible about both systems.
A good technique to test both systems would be to spend a small amount of Robux on your first few runs maybe like 1 - 2 thousand Robux. This way if the runs fail then you wont loose much compared to if you spent all your Robux on one single run. Doing these test runs will allow you to determine what days are best to advertise on, whether people actually play your game and what to improve on next time. You may want to read over this community tutorial that goes more in depth in this process and advertising: Using the Roblox Advertising System.
If I was to launch a new game I would go more towards sponsors than ads because ads only run on PC. Then also a large number of people have different ad blockers and other things that block ads so you are limiting the amount of people that see them. Whereas with sponsors they are displayed directly on the games page where people go specifically when they want to play a game. Sponsors also allow you to set what platform they run on.
I am a strong believer that if a game is fun and good enough it should advertise itself once it has gained a bit of traction. Word of mouth is the most powerful form of advertisement on the Roblox platform because it is free and could gain lots of players very quickly. Some top games like dungeon quest gained there player base with zero advertisements and pure word of mouth.
It’s hard to really estimate, but the game is a magic combat game. I guess you can test it out here. I still have a couple things to do and bugs to fix, but it’s close to beginning the process.
Word of mouth is the dream for a new developer, but I also assume that Dungeon Quest developers had a previous community from another game. Is there a way for me to develop my own community like that?
I suggest using Discord, I’ve built communities around my game using Discord (the build to about 1k members but can vary depending on how attracting your game is).
If you’re interested, private message me here or on discord (Mystifine#4924).
Actually I already have one set up with RoVer and everything. The only thing that confuses me on that is how to attract people in. It still requires a sort of spark to get the flame started.
Of course, to make money you have to spend money. But what is the most efficient/cost-effective way to get things moving?
To attract people in you’ll need to set up partnerships. For my current project I have 600 members at the moment. Some of my projects go up to 2000 members. What you need to do is set up partnerships with other servers trying to grow. DM me if you want more info.
You may want to read through this medium article about vCaffy(the creator of dungeon quest) because it briefly explains how dungeon quest became so popular: https://medium.com/roblox-developer/developer-spotlight-vcaffy-be82d03e5641. The reason why dungeon quest literally blew up in players is because players enjoy it. They only had a discord server of about 100 people and then the next day it was on the front page.
I am not a professional on this because I have never done this before but I do have a few idea of what you could do to get a community:
You should put one of your social links on your game as your discord server because whenever someone sees your game they will also see you have a discord community.
You should run a few ads and sponsors to gain a bit of traction to your game and then people should naturally start joining your discord server if they are a fan of your game.
It could be as simple as telling all your friends about your game and your community and getting them to tell there friends.
Maybe post a few topics in the #help-and-feedback:cool-creations or post in the What are you working on currently? (2020) thread to get a little bit of interest to your game.
Huh, thats interesting. Of course the game also has to be able to appeal to all devices as well as have mechanics even the youngest of users can understand? I am limited in both senses.
Specially since not many people want to sit around in a round-based game for long. I have a training mode, but I’m not so sure that it is going to retain players for long enough.
