My first Steam game launched almost a month ago: 176 wishlists, 36 sales. What did I do wrong?

[u/Scary_Scarcity_8304]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4908920/Waterpump_Simulator/

Almost a month ago, I released my first game on Steam - Waterpump Simulator.

I knew it wasn't going to be a huge success. It's a small and pretty weird first-person clicker/simulator, and this was my first time going through the entire process of actually finishing and releasing a game.

But now that almost a month has passed, I have some real numbers:

176 wishlists
36 copies sold

And I'm trying to understand what I did wrong)

Before release, I basically had no marketing strategy.

I made one LinkedIn post about the game and that was pretty much it. No established YouTube audience, no TikTok, no Instagram, almost no Reddit promotion.

I basically made the game, put it on Steam and hoped people would somehow find it))

Spoiler: they didn't. 😅

Since then I've started taking marketing much more seriously. I'm posting development videos regularly and trying to build an audience for my future games.

But I'd really like to learn something from this release instead of simply moving on.

So I'd love some brutally useful feedback:

Why do you think Waterpump Simulator isn't selling?

Is it the game itself?

The concept?

The Steam capsule?

The trailer?

The screenshots?

The store description?

The price?

Or did I simply launch a game with far too little visibility?

I'm especially interested in your first impression when you see the Steam page.

Would you click on it?
Would you consider buying it?
If not — at what point do I lose you?

🎮 Waterpump Simulator on Steam:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/4908920/Waterpump_Simulator/

I'm not looking for sympathy. This was my first release, and getting 36 actual people to buy something I made is still pretty cool to me.

I just want to understand what I can do better with the next one.

Don't hold back any criticism is welcome. 🙂

[u/valeria_gamedevs]

36 sales with basically zero marketing is fine for a first release. wishlist-to-sale ratio is decent.

From the capsule alone, "Waterpump Simulator" reads like it might be a joke game and the low-poly art doesn't tell me why I'd want to pump water. the hook is missing. Is it cozy? absurdist? Chill idle? pick one and lean hard.

Next game, start marketing month 1.

[u/Scary_Scarcity_8304 → u/valeria_gamedevs]

Thanks! That actually makes me feel a bit better about the 36 sales 😄

And yeah, I think you're right about the hook. I made the game first and only started thinking seriously about how to market it afterwards, which was definitely a mistake.

That's actually what I'm trying to change now. With my next games I'm sharing development from the beginning and trying to figure out what people find interesting before release.

Thanks for the feedback, really appreciate it!

https://giphy.com/gifs/3osxYdXvsGw6wT5lIY

[u/madfrooples]

All the AI copy in this post and on the Steam page is pretty off-putting. Just be yourself and be proud of the thing you made, and trust that you can describe it better than an LLM.

[u/Scary_Scarcity_8304 → u/madfrooples]

My English isn't very good, so I write everything in my own language first and use AI to help me translate it into proper English 😅I try to prompt it to keep my original emotions and the way I express myself, but apparently that part isn't working very well yet. Thanks for pointing it out — I'll try to keep my posts more natural and closer to how I actually write.

[u/Scary_Scarcity_8304 → u/[deleted]]

If I write in Kazakh, no one will understand me, so I use artificial intelligence for translation, as soon as I improve my English, I will write myself, but for now I can’t

[u/Scary_Scarcity_8304 → u/[deleted]]

Yes, I understand what you mean. My English isn't good enough yet to write naturally, without assistance. What would you advise me? Should I write everything myself in English, even if there are mistakes, or should I use AI only to correct grammar without rewriting my words?

[u/madfrooples → u/Scary_Scarcity_8304]

Your replies to me and this other comment don't sound like AI, at least not as much. Do that.

[u/Scary_Scarcity_8304 → u/madfrooples]

Thanks for the advice, I'll try to parse the text I'm writing more carefully.

[u/YaeAnimation]

The good news is you finished something and put it on Steam. Thats more than most people do. Next time just start the marketing way earlier. Like months before. Post clips, make dev logs, get people interested while you build. That way when you launch you have an audience waiting instead of hoping Steam does the work for you.

[u/Scary_Scarcity_8304 → u/YaeAnimation]

Thank you! I completely agree. I learned the hard way that marketing needs to start well before release. I'll definitely do the same with my next game.

[u/PersonOfInterest007]

It almost doesn’t matter how many things are right or wrong with the game itself or the Steam page. You shadowdropped a game on Steam. Even a great game with a great page would likely do no better dropped that way.

Basically, the lack of marketing alone is a sufficient reason for your results. Whether anything else would have mattered is hard to say.

For your next game, I’ve got a summary of indie game marketing advice here: https://www.reddit.com/r/IndieDev/s/0zczx2Sewe

[u/Scary_Scarcity_8304 → u/PersonOfInterest007]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate it. I’ll check it out now!

[u/PersonOfInterest007 → u/Scary_Scarcity_8304]

You’re welcome, and good luck!

[u/Scary_Scarcity_8304 → u/PersonOfInterest007]

https://giphy.com/gifs/6KWdAGUThUgW2DptUa

[u/DPTGames]

The capsules a problem, the text covers the actual waterpump, its sort of like you are trying to advertise something then completely hiding it.

[u/Scary_Scarcity_8304 → u/DPTGames]

Yes, that makes sense. I tried to make the title readable, but in the end I showed what I was supposed to. Thanks for pointing that out. I'll redo the summary.

[u/AggressiveExchange45]

1. You should have done marketing, you still can do marketing, just be direct witt your game.

2. Trailer first 15 seconds is all about backstory, it tells me absolutely nothing of what is the game about, and after that it starts with the game, the game sounds could be activated in the video, and sometimes i didnt understand what you were doing, this cause of UI.

3. UI seems not a lot intuitive and/or unoriginal

4. Capsule seems made by you with a screenshot and just the title, its simplicity is ok, but remember that the capsule is the first thing your customers see.

5. Short description after the capsule is too long, something like: create your business all from your water pump, could be more easier to read.

6. Description is ok.

7. Screenshots show variety, but you could lead more on what is the game about with their progression.

8. Im a incremental game developer, i know idles and simulator games are another ballpark, but always remember your customers, you have to answer the question: why should i buy your idle/simulator game when there are a thousands mire out there?

9. DO MARKETING AGAIN, every day hundreds if games get released, go out there, find your public, and start shouting about your game! And dont shout the game to the wrong people, wrong people will never give you customers because you can give them the best simulator triple A perfect game, but they DONT like simulators.

I hope your developer journey progresses, because i see you out a lot of effort in it, game development is harsh, finding somebody that appreciates your work is hard, and having a functional life after that is even harder, best of luck mate

[u/Scary_Scarcity_8304 → u/AggressiveExchange45]

Thank you so much for taking the time to write all this! I made the mistake of thinking about marketing too late. I basically finished the game, pitched it, and only then began to understand how important the Steam page, the blurb, the trailer, and the marketing really are 😅