I think we finally figured out a decent way to get the word out about our (3DGS) games, and wanted to share some stuff that worked.
Here's why I think this method worked:1. Kotaku, Rock Paper Shotgun, IndieGames, Joystiq, IndieGames, etc. picked up either the initial announcement, the alpha release, or both. (See:
http://tinyurl.com/rbqc4g)
2. From the initial announcement, alone, the game's crappy-looking prototype videos, alone, got about 100,000 hits.
3. We've received somewhere from 6,000 to 10,000 downloads of the ugly alpha demo in one day.
4. We're finally running into people at game dev conferences that have played our games. This really makes me happy.
Here's what I think did the trick:1. There are several things we tried to make unique about our game. Take the name, "AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! - A Reckless Disregard for Gravity." You either love it or hate it. Or both. But the press has received it warmly. There's also the post-alpha game mechanic: jump off buildings, and flip fans off for points. Something unusual enough for press to want to write about. Here, take these two titles:
Name: AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! - A Reckless Disregard for Gravity
Description: You dive off a skyscraper, relying on quick reflexes to negotiate the intricate tangle of girders that make up the City. You perform aerial stunts at terminal velocity before parachuting into the arms of your cheering fans. As you descend, you toss the spectators a thumbs-up -- or flip them off -- to boost your score.
~vs.~
Name: Thunder Armada
Description: Take to the skies and destroy the Kaldorian Empire in your G-Space-Fighter in this fast-paced action-style game!
Features: Over 9 different levels. 15 different weapons. 2 power ups. Jaw-dropping, eye-popping backgrounds.
The second description is boring. Every game has something cool and unique about it. It's not that it has 9 levels. Screw you, Mr. 9 Levels! The press never writes about a game because a game has over 9 levels.
2. We sent out a press release. We did this by contacting individual press outlets, but press release services could also do the trick. Here's what we used most recently:
Press Release: Dejobaan Games, LLC releases playable alpha of "AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! -- A Reckless Disregard for Gravity."
Dejobaan Games has announced the publicly playable alpha of "AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! - A Reckless Disregard for Gravity" for Windows. The alpha shoves you off of floating skyscrapers in eight levels set over an alternate Boston, MA, and ends with an upsetting "thank you for playing" speech by the studio. You can check out their work-in-progress at
www.dejobaan.com/aaaaa.In AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!!, you dive off of a building and rely on quick reflexes to negotiate the intricate tangle of girders that make up the City. You perform aerial stunts at terminal velocity before parachuting into the arms of your cheering fans. While other skydivers have it easy, you have to earn the adoration of the crowds by gliding within an eyelash of that glass super-skyscraper at 91 miles per hour.
The game is scheduled for a Q3 2009 release, and will require Windows XP/Vista, a 1.5GHz processor, 1.5GB memory, a 3D card with 256MB memory, and Microsoft DirectX 9.0c. Visit Dejobaan Games online at
www.dejobaan.com, and follow them on Twitter at @RoRoDejobaan.
# # #
Press info: Press kit with screenshots and video available at
www.dejobaan.com/aaaaa.Videos:
http://www.dejobaan.com/aaaaa/media/aaaaa_alpha_1.wmv http://www.dejobaan.com/aaaaa/media/aaaaa_alpha_2.wmvScreenshots:
http://www.dejobaan.com/aaaaa/media/AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA_Alpha_PNG_Screenshots.zip http://www.dejobaan.com/aaaaa/media/AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA_Alpha_JPEG_Screenshots.zipPress contact: aaaaa.press@dejobaan.com
Your keyboard quivers under the gentle caress of your fingertips.
3. ModDB. Seriously.
4. Other stuff, but it's 12:32am.
Und So... I can't claim that we know everything. But I thought I'd share a few things that have worked. If anyone feels like sharing what's worked for them, I'm all ears as well.
