Selling Your Indie Game Online: The Complete Guide

The indie game market has seen a significant uptake in interest and sales over the last year. As of September 2021, indie games made up 40% of all units sold on Steam - showing non-AAA-rated companies and investors that the indie landscape is a critical part of the game development space on PC.
The genre's popularity is higher than ever, so it's the perfect time for independent game developers to be selling their games online.
Are you trying to create your own success story in this industry but are unsure where to start in making this dream come true? Let's take a closer look at your publishing options for your own products as well as the pros, cons, and practicalities of each.

Selling Your Indie Game

A major platform is very much like an online marketplace. Platforms allow developers making games to achieve some cost savings, which is of course a huge advantage and should most certainly be regarded by independent devs as a major part of their business strategy. Obviously, while an online platform can help game businesses sell, there are also downsides to using them.

Major Platforms: Pros and Cons

• Right now, the most popular PC gaming platforms are Steam, Epic Games, and Origin. For consoles, Microsoft Xbox and Nintendo PlayStation continue to dominate the market. Currently, mobile gaming sales are typically made through Google Play and the Apple App Store.
• These platforms have several attributes in common, with similar pros and cons.

7 Pros of Selling Indie Games on Major Platforms

• Your audience is as big as the platform's user base.
• Make your game cross-platform compatible to have access to an even larger user base.
• The royalties received will provide a much larger income than initial sales.
• Some platforms market your product to make it immediately visible to their player base.
• These platforms have extensive libraries, so your game has high chances of being approved for publication.
• These platforms offer strong social support, with Steam leading the pack.
• Built-in community forums, chat functions, and multiplayer capabilities are true advantages for game developers.

5 Cons of Selling Indie Games on Major Platforms

• Your game will be listed among thousands of others. If you don't push for visibility from the start, your game could get lost among other titles.
• A significant portion of your online business profits will end up going to the platform. However, the amounts differ per platform. Epic Games & Microsoft Xbox take 12% from each sale, Google takes 15% for the first year and 30% for consecutive years. Steam is taking a $100 submission fee which is recoupable after your game has made $1,000 in Steam sales and a 30% royalty rate.
• You won't have full control of how your game is sold. Many platforms draw players in with special offers, which obviously impacts your overall revenue. Epic Games offers a free game every week, for example, and Steam sells games for up to 95% off.
• Even the most straightforward platforms to sell games on, such as Steam, will not advertise your game for you. You will be required to promote your titles from the very beginning.
• Your game will have to adhere to the platform's standards and regulations, which may not be to your liking.

Niche Platforms: Pros and Cons

If you'd rather market your game to a smaller and more invested audience, indie game platforms are the way to go. GOG (Good Old Games) and Itch.io are top favourites in the indie community. The Humble Store and Game Jolt are also fairly popular with this crowd.
Once again, the platforms share comparable pros and cons.

4 Pros of Selling Indie Games on Niche Platforms

• Since these are about showcasing indie games, online consumers will already be interested in buying games designed by independent devs.
• Even after playing through the base game, niche platform users will continue supporting the developer's future projects.
• You have greater control over pricing and royalties. GOG takes 30% as a standard but allows you to take 40% on release. Itch.io gives you a range of pricing options, even allowing a 0% rate. The Humble Store has a 95/5 revenue split, with the option of contributing 10% of your net revenue to charity.
• Indie platforms have more support for indie developers.

3 Cons of Selling Indie Games on Niche Platforms

• The smaller customer base of indie platforms means it will take longer for your game to pick up traction.
• You'll have to work much harder to communicate with your customer base, meaning more marketing efforts and time.
• Even though the revenue splits are more in your favour, the net profit may not allow you to do more than break even.

Read on to learn the pros and cons of selling your indie game on your website and top marketing tips on PayPro Global's blog.