Fix Gaming Channels Guide to Indie Game Success With Contributions From Aidan Minter

Smart strategies, expert insight, and practical advice for indie devs who want to get seen—without breaking the bank.

Getting people to notice your indie game takes work. There’s no big marketing team, no endless budget—just you, your game, and the challenge of making people care. The good news? You can do it. It’s all about getting started early, sharing your progress, and making real connections.

As someone who reads hundreds of emails every day, I see all kinds of approaches developers and publishers take to promote their games. Some do it right, others miss key opportunities, and a few really stand out. My job is to help games get seen, whether they need a boost, a little more visibility, or just the right push to keep momentum going.

But marketing starts long before a press email goes out. It begins the moment you start building your game.

Start Early: Build in Public

If you wait until launch day to promote your game, you’re already too late. One of the best ways to build interest early is by keeping a development blog or sharing devlogs.

• Show your progress: Share early art, concept sketches, mechanics—even your struggles. People love watching things grow.
• Be consistent: Posting once a month is better than vanishing for half a year.
• Engage your followers: Ask for feedback, run polls, include your community in decision-making.

Use Social Media Like It Matters—Because It Does

Social media isn’t just a megaphone—it’s a tool for building trust, recognition, and curiosity.

• Use multiple platforms: X (Twitter), Discord, TikTok, YouTube, Rumble, Reddit, Instagram—each platform has different types of players.
• Cross-post consistently: A short dev clip can be used on Shorts, TikTok, X, and your Discord all at once.
• Make links easy to find: Put your website, Steam page, and Discord server everywhere—your bios, pinned posts, emails, trailers.

Industry Insight: Aidan Minter on Indie Game Marketing

The following contribution was written exclusively for Fix Gaming Channel by Aidan Minter, a seasoned video game marketing and PR professional with over 25 years of experience. Aidan spent 9 years at leading PR agency Plan of Attack and has supported a wide range of publishers including JVC, Atari, Midway Games, and Toplitz Productions. His portfolio includes standout titles like Permafrost, Medieval Dynasty, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, Warhammer 40K: Darktide, UnMetal, and War Thunder.

“Community building is the secret sauce to any successful game launch.” Starting early, talking about your product, being transparent, and inviting the community to share your journey are all absolutely essential factors. Alongside that, increasing the awareness of your game through the relationships you forge with content creators is equally important.

“We’re in the midst of a huge shift in video games right now, but essentially, how your game is perceived comes down to the steps you take early on. You have to go and find your audience. The dynamics of game discovery are becoming increasingly more challenging as more and more games are being released.”

“In the current climate, the attention economy is often overlooked. This refers to the limited time consumers now dedicate to gaming, with competition from other forms of digital entertainment like Netflix, Disney+, Amazon, and Spotify.”

“Consumers have even less time to notice new games because their attention is being pulled away more than ever before.” This doesn’t just affect the time people spend playing—it impacts where they spend their money, too.

“Additionally, players aren’t driven to play through new releases as much as they used to. In 2024, over 19,000 games were launched, yet only 15% of total playtime was spent on them—compared to 37% of playtime spent on games released more than 8 years ago, according to recent Steam data.”

“Having a game that’s really unique, that brings new ideas and a huge fun factor, speaks for itself.” The biggest question to ask yourself is: How fun is my game to play? Defining what makes it wholly unique or different should be the first building block of your communication pillars.

— Aidan Minter

Press Kits Still Matter

A good press kit makes life easier for everyone. Don’t make editors or creators chase down your info.

• Short description of your game
• Key features (bulleted)
• Trailers & screenshots
• Studio logo & game logo
• Game key or demo (if available)

The Takeaway: Keep Going

Some days it’ll feel like you’re shouting into the void. Other times, momentum picks up out of nowhere. The key is consistency.

Not every game goes viral. Not every launch is perfect. But if you keep sharing, keep connecting, and keep improving, the right people will eventually find you.

And if you ever need help getting the word out, Fix Gaming Channel is here. Let’s talk.