Release Timing

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https://discododgeball.tumblr.com/post/99490913925

The game has been in development for about a year and a half, and has been on Steam Early Access for about six months. I’m hoping to launch the game officially within the next 3-4 months.   If there were some reason to rush it out the door, I could probably have it feature-complete and sufficiently polished within just a few weeks. But my main concern is that releasing during November-December can be very difficult for a game without a big advertising budget. Plus, the additional time will mean the game is even better when it is finally out the door and will hopefully perform better once it’s in the launch spotlight.   I also have the advantage of the game being self-funding through Early Access sales, so there’s no pressing budgetary need to release it ASAP. I’ll still be able to eat. And this means I can be a bit picky and wait for the best possible launch timing. Delaying will also give me a bit more time to do outreach and PR, which I’ve unfortunately let slide a bit as I was focusing on building new features. But once I update my trailer and screenshots again, I’ll be ready to reach out to more mainstream games press outlets and hopefully grab some fresh coverage. Content-wise, I’d like to make another arena or two, polish up the UI, and add some more singleplayer content. I’m wary of the stigma against Indie multiplayer games so it’s become critical that the game could pull people in solely due to strong solo gameplay. My main focus for this will be an extended ‘Arcade’ mode, where you can pick from randomly available perks - such as slow-time, shields gained from catching, greater jump height, bot-disabling EMPs - and battle waves of powerup-equipped enemies and perhaps take out a final boss. Furthermore, additional perk options could be unlocked by completing other challenge modes or playing multiplayer matches. I think this could be a really fun mode that creates hours of gameplay, and I’ll post more details as I begin working on it!
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