Por Qué No Deberías Lanzar Tu Juego Gratis
Por Qué No Deberías Lanzar Tu Juego Gratis
Revenue generated equals visibility en Steam. Para understand por qué “free” no funciona, hay que mirarlo desde Valve’s point of view: limited real estate en front page de Steam. Every slot earns them some amount de money. Si deciden put free game en one de those front-page slots, hay opportunity cost donde could be making more money desde full-price game.
Desde that point of view, seems obvious que Valve tiene no incentive para promote further porque literally estás costing them money para show tu game porque spot could have been filled por paid game. Most de “phase 2” visibility está based en dollars earned. Si game está making money para Valve, van a want show it more.
Free page en Steam es page con second highest traffic outside front page, pero eso no significa que games ahí reciben ongoing promotion. Initial visibility exists, pero sustained algorithmic promotion depende de revenue generation. Without monetization, games quickly fade desde recommendation systems.
Steam Algorithm: Revenue Drives Promotion
At launch, Steam gives games que tienen enough wishlists y momentum bunch de visibility. Popular Upcoming y Discovery Queue están ahí para show game off. Si enough shoppers browsing those widgets buy o play tu game, dice que passed test y aparecerás en New & Trending y otros recommendation widgets en front page.
Most de phase 2 visibility está based en dollars earned. Free game puede appear en New & Trending based en high number de concurrent users (CCU), pero threshold es significativamente higher que paid games. Research into Post-launch Discovery Queue muestra que Thronefall de Jonas Tyroller made more money, so got more visibility versus otros titles.
When game es free, obviously no está making money so hay less incentive para Valve para promote it. Algorithm designed para maximize platform revenue, meaning paid games con strong conversion rates receive preferential placement en recommendation systems.
Discounts son one de best visibility tools post launch: put game on sale y people que wishlisted pero didn’t buy reciben email. Si haces game 100% free, no hay way para trigger that email hacia wishlisters. Perdiendo critical reengagement mechanism.
Free Con DLC: 10% Attach Rate Máximo
When Valve está determining whether feature game en various widgets, considera main (free) game y all associated DLC como single unit. So si game tiene DLC y good monetization model, could theoretically do well. HOWEVER, Steam players son allergic a aggressive free-to-play mechanics con timers y loot boxes.
DLC attach rate es very very low, usually 10% at most. Visibility desde free no es 10x higher therefore increase en traffic no overcome that low attach rate. Significa que initial traffic might be higher, pero that es short lived porque Valve verá que no estás making much money, so won’t promote further.
Sheer number de free players necesitas para make DLC comparable a paid players es so massive que only AAA companies manage para pull off Free + DLC. Es very very hard para do this. Steam player base es hard audience quien love spending money en favorite hobby.
Free To Play works en mobile porque es primarily casual audience quien doesn’t spend money en games. Free To Play es strategy para casuals. Steam audience fundamentally different: fanatical customers who throw money around like nothing, spend money en games never play.
Day 1 Free Luego Paid: Reviews Eliminados
Weird tactic que took off few years ago y never worked well. Básicamente launch para free, ride rocket de free Steam visibility as long as can para juice CCUs y then cuando reach some theoretical high, flip it hacia paid y hopefully tienes so much “hype” y “visibility” que people just buy game.
Here es why no funciona: when switch hacia paid, every review que got when fue free es zapped por Valve. Those reviews no longer count hacia total as if gave away free steam keys. Básicamente start over con 0 reviews.
What makes matters worse: porque estás post launch, no hay more widgets para boost you como Popular Upcoming, New & Trending, Discovery Queue. So now tienes harder time convincing people para download game AND no tienes any visibility widgets para boost you.
Strategy fails porque combines worst de both worlds: perdiendo social proof desde reviews mientras simultaneously perdiendo algorithmic promotion desde launch widgets. Developers left con paid game, no reviews, no visibility mechanisms.
Bundle 1 Paid Key + 3 Free Keys: Ya No Existe
Valve used para offer option donde could bundle free keys con game purchase. Idea fue mainly para co-op games donde someone could buy it, then give free keys hacia friends para play together. 10-year-old forum threads reference games que used para do this.
In theory sounds awesome, pero Valve realized most often those free keys fueron resold through gray-market key selling sites. So stopped this option para developers. Unfortunately, talked con developers quien all way up hacia launch still thought this fue still thing que Valve offered.
Fue shocking turn de events cuando realized at last minute whole marketing y monetization strategy fue impossible. Please, understand store estás selling into. Cannot do this anymore. Strategy no longer available regardless de how appealing seems.
Hobby Games Deberían Costar Dinero
Please, just charge money para hobby game. Sé que no estás interested en money. No te importa si make money or not. Pero here están reasons por qué should still charge money:
Free no significa game será seen por more people. Asking para money sets market expectations. Indies underprice games already y collectively should be pushing price up so developers pueden make sustainable living. Want people para value our labor.
Steam es one de few places donde puedes get directly compensated para creative work, should keep it that way y setting price hacia free devalues that. Sé que might be insecure about project (every artist es). Afraid que people van a say “This game isn’t worth $x, es trash.”
Pero need para push through. Part de being creative es standing up bravely hacia critics who will try para take you down even though can’t do what you’ve done. Even si es student project, should sell para money. Probably tienes student loans, gotta pay them off somehow.
Precio No Es Real Obstacle
Reason game developers están willing para give Valve 30% de revenue (even si complain about it) es porque Valve built storefront que attracts most fanatical customers who throw money around like nothing. Spend money en games never play.
Si players no mind throwing around money, price no es biggest obstacle para people buying game. Biggest obstacle es que game isn’t interesting enough. Hay so many choices que si game doesn’t sound intriguing, o no hay hundreds de content creators y player’s friends aren’t raving about how awesome game es, people won’t buy.
When shoppers say “eh, maybe next time es on sale I will buy” that sounds like complaining about price, pero what actually saying es que aren’t interested. Basically saying “I will get to it tomorrow.” Es interest problem, not price problem.
Therefore, making game free won’t make game more popular en long run. In fact, raising price could increase visibility porque más likely para get favored status por Valve, show up en more Steam widgets, y reach “real steam” faster.
Mobile F2P No Funciona En Steam
Steam players HATE Free to play y risk subsequent bad reviews. Básicamente only games que can get away con this son very very big companies con huge budgets que can weather storm. También tienen on-staff economist y data analyst who can expertly tailor reward systems para maximize spend.
Hay very very few F2P games que work en Steam. Es just mismatch de audience. Steam players expect para pay upfront para quality experiences, mientras mobile players expect free con optional monetization. Cultural expectations fundamentally different.
Aggressive F2P mechanics con timers, loot boxes, energy systems generate negative reviews en Steam. Community perceives these mechanics como exploitative rather que standard practice. Review bombing common para games attempting mobile-style monetization en PC platform.
Si estás considering free pricing strategy o evaluating monetization models para Steam, understanding de revenue-visibility relationship es crítico. Como consultor especializado en marketing de videojuegos, he ayudado a developers optimize pricing strategies y navigate Steam’s algorithmic promotion systems. Si necesitas guidance sobre pricing decisions o Steam visibility optimization, contáctame.