(Image credit: Valve)
A seasoned Steam authority suggests that developers will “know immediately” if their game possesses that elusive “magic” needed to succeed on Valve’s digital platform. However, there is a tight timeframe for these magic moments—if developers fail to accumulate 250 reviews within the first month, “it’s more than likely not gonna happen.” Yet intriguingly, one distinctive game last year managed to defy this trend.
During a panel at GDC, game marketing strategist Chris Zukowski emphasized that developers often know “within a week, maybe a month” if their creation is a potential success. He explains that if Valve “detects that your game has the magic, they will give you all the visibility they can muster,” a process that unfolds rather swiftly. Zukowski conducted an analysis of “all the games that got into real Steam” last year—”real Steam” being the coveted milestone that developers should aim for, which, according to Zukowski, happens after reaching around $150,000 in gross revenue within “the first six to nine months.” Remarkably, 74% of those games achieved this within their initial three months. “It happens very fast,” he adds.
A notable exception to this trend is the game Among Us, which soared in popularity in 2020 after its release in 2018. However, Zukowski clarifies that this outlier is far from typical. He examined 114,000 games released last year that failed to capture the magic, that didn’t transition into “real Steam.” Among them, only one— Beltmatic—managed to rise from the ashes.
Created by Notional Games, Beltmatic defines itself as “a casual factory game where you combine numbers using mathematical operations.” In its initial three months, it secured only 51 reviews. “This is not real Steam,” Zukowski remarked. Despite these odds, Beltmatic did not falter. “With 1,000 reviews after nine months, they somehow pulled it off.”
Shifting the focus away from last year’s singular exception, Zukowski candidly states, “I’m gonna be honest with you all, if you don’t hit 250 reviews in the first month, it’s more than likely not gonna happen. It’s just not. It’s time to move on. Plan B, whatever. It doesn’t work. You can’t do it afterwards. One game, Beltmatic, was the only one that pulled this off. I’m just gonna be honest. I’m sorry.”
The gaming landscape is undoubtedly tough, but stories of games making impressive comebacks do provide a silver lining. Although Steam is generating more revenue than ever, only 2.6% of games surpassed $250,000 in their first month, with approximately 200 games raking in over $1 million during their first 30 days. For those looking to explore more options, take a glance at our roundup of the best Steam games for more engaging play.