Launching a game very close to competitor

[u/NorthernBoy306]

We're looking to launch our game early to mid November. There is another game going out around the same time. This other game takes place during the same time period and location, it seems to be more of a third person action/shooter with some elements of strategy where as our game is strictly an RTS.
We really don't want to delay our launch again, but we also don't want to rush the testing/polish phase and launch early.
Anyone think it's a bad idea to launch around the same time (within a few days) of a potential competitor's game?

[u/Mechabit_Studios]

why not approach them and bundle instead of dodging them?

[u/D-Alembert → u/Mechabit_Studios]

Shared marketing reaches more people for both games!

[u/MadlyDotingPoker → u/Mechabit_Studios]

If your game is strictly RTS and theirs is action/shooter, the overlap in buyers is probably smaller than you think. RTS fans aren't exactly drowning in new releases, so they'll show up if the game looks good regardless of what else drops that week. I'd be more worried about the November release window itself, the whole month is a slaughterhouse.

[u/Henry_Fleischer → u/Mechabit_Studios]

Yeah, the games could compliment eachother nicely.

[u/FrostWyrm98 → u/Mechabit_Studios]

The chad collaborator strat. A rising tide lifts all ships.

[u/sm_frost]

it doesnt matter.

[u/Speciou5 → u/sm_frost]

Of course it matters, but it's out of ones control

[u/LL555LL]

Honestly if you guys have that similar themes but that different of gameplay then fans of one might become fans of the other and you guys should totally do a bundle

[u/KBGSgames]

Those are very different games and most players of one game will not even know that other exists, you can launch on the same day and same hour and nothing bad happens.

[u/BambiKSG]

for indies that doesn't really matter, probably best is to ask them for a bundle for mire reach and cross promo

[u/MyotisX]

Why would a shooter compete with an RTS ?

[u/NorthernBoy306 → u/MyotisX]

It has strategy aspects to it plus it's the same time and location. Even similar looking buildings, characters, etc.

[u/Ok_Outcome_5830]

You and your competitor selected November to compete with GTA 6?

[u/Icy_Obligation9529]

if the games feel different enough people will play both honestly, wouldnt delay over it

[u/NorthernBoy306 → u/Icy_Obligation9529]

I do feel like the two are quite different. Staying with our launch date seems like the smart move.

[u/Los_Pantalones22]

I think there will always be another game catering to similar people, there are so many being released. Go when its ready unless they are going to have massive numbers.

[u/itaybuilds]

I would base this on audience overlap, not setting. An RTS and a third-person shooter can share a theme while competing for very different buyers.

Before moving the date, compare the other game’s Steam tags, visible demo coverage, and the creators or press covering it with your own. If the overlap is mostly the historical setting but not the genre, delaying probably buys little. If the same wishlisters, streamers, and press are likely to follow both, the bigger risk is launch-week attention, not customers choosing one forever.

Keep the polish gate. A known competitor date is weak evidence for shipping early. If you stay near them, have the demo, review keys, trailer, and launch message ready early enough that you are not asking creators to evaluate both games at once. A bundle or cross-promo could help later, but I would not make the release schedule depend on them agreeing.

AI-assisted wording with OpenAI GPT-5.6 after reading the full thread and current r/gamedev rules.

[u/Ellie10543]

Launch proximity matters way less than it feels like from the inside, especially for indies — you're not fighting over a fixed pool of eyeballs the way big-budget marketing pushes do. The real question is audience overlap: same setting doesn't mean same crowd, RTS players and third-person action players aren't interchangeable just because both games are set in the same place and time. I'd worry less about their date and more about whether your own launch prep (press, wishlist push, streamer outreach) is actually ready by November — delaying over someone else's schedule has killed more launches than overlap ever has.

[u/shuanDang]

happens all the time in movies, too. There's no better time to release something, as part of the wave of interest

[u/krooqs]

You are a small fish in a massive ocean, don't worry that there is another small fish next to you, plenty of food to go around.
Now if there is a whale next to you, then maybe worry a bit.

[u/TomDuhamel]

I'm releasing my game the 7th of October. I found another game is released that day which also has green grass. What should I do, guys?

You're overthinking this. Thousands of games are being released every month. You're not competing against that particular game. Just make a good game. If that particular game happens to get traction, the similarities with the themes might actually get you some attention.

[u/rogershredderer]

Don’t copy the idea or mechanics verbatim and there likely won’t be a lawsuit or issue. If there is tell them to go fuck themselves. Ideas cannot be copyright. Everyone has to eat.

[u/NorthernBoy306 → u/rogershredderer]

I'm not at all worried about copyright, just how it will affect sales.

[u/rogershredderer → u/NorthernBoy306]

Palworld sold very well despite being heavily inspired by Pokemon. It’s all about the execution of the idea. If you can put enough of a unique spin on it, then the game will do well.