by Game Marketing Genie, on 14-Jul-2022 12:22:11
Gaming has become one of the most popular pastimes. Though it started as a mere form of immersive entertainment, people are now taking it more seriously. And thanks to the global COVID pandemic that propelled the gaming industry to a new level! Today, the gaming industry is worth more than $300 BILLION!
Figure 1: Indirect revenue the gaming industry helps generate. Source: Earth Web
You might be wondering, is Epic Games better than Steam? This is a hard question to answer, but the platform is definitely worth considering. New digital game stores and platforms are flourishing — Epic Games being the classic example. Epic Games has around 194 million PC users according to data from Statista.
But traditional video game marketing strategies won’t yield fruitful results since Epic Games is a unique store. You need Epic Games-specific marketing strategies to launch a game here successfully—and that is precisely what we give you in this blog. So, keep reading!
Get your Epic Games Store listing going!
Figure 2: Game listing on the Epic Games Store. Source: Epic Games
The first step to Epic Games marketing is to let the audience know your game exists. For this, obviously, you’d have to list your game. If you want control and are wondering which is the better choice when it comes to Steam vs Epic Games, Epic is known for offering more when it comes to listing games.
Start by creating a Product Details Page for your game. Add necessary details such as your game’s logo, title, description, images, videos, and play-throughs. Don’t forget to add the genre appropriate for your game along with the game’s features, primary language, regions, and ratings. All this will help attract your target audience. Epic even allows you to add your social media links.
One of the best features of Epic Games Store is that it doesn’t leave the developers in the dark about their game’s performance. You can assess your game’s performance and other helpful information through the Developer Portal Analytics Dashboard. You can review your daily sales history, wishlist data, and affiliate payout trends.
If the report shows disheartening results, conducting sales for player acquisition is advisable. Offer your game at a discounted price for a limited time to attract your ideal players. The discounting strategy won’t only maximize sales but even grab the attention of new customers. You can either conduct custom sales for enhanced visibility or participate in the Epic Games Store campaigns.
When launching a game on Epic Games, try to build hype around your game before it even launches — yes, this is possible! You can get your listing up and running before your game is available for purchase. Publish your game’s page before the game’s release by enabling the Early Store Discovery option. The page will have the “Coming Soon” button instead of “Buy Now.” Publishing the product page before the launch will grow your game’s awareness, and the players will be able to add the game to their wishlist.
Pro tip: Once you’ve built the Coming Soon page, start building your ads, too!
Make it evident that your game is on Epic
Figure 3: Fortnite includes the Epic logo in its assets. Source: Epic Games
Assets you upload on the Product Page and share across social channels determine your audience’s curiosity about your game’s launch. Therefore, don’t compromise on the images, play-throughs, social media posts, trailers, and ad copies — invest in producing high-quality assets.
You can upload up to 20 images or videos on the store’s product page. However, less is more. Therefore, pick the best 5-6 images that describe your game in the most appealing and impactful visual manner. The images should highlight the art and features you want your audience to see. They should make a positive impression and show what your game looks like.
Most importantly, ensure all visual assets proclaim that your game is available on Epic Games Store. To that end, add the Epic Games logo to your marketing assets, like screenshots, images, and trailers — refer to the image shown above. This will let your audience know where they can find and play the game. Adding the Epic Games logo is no less than giving your customers a call to action, which, in this case, is to download your game from Epic Games Store. You can add the logo at the bottom in the end slate for trailers, just like Fortnite did.
Figure 4: Fortnite’s trailer also includes Epic’s logo. Source: Epic Games
Apart from images, pay attention to your tone in your textual content. Epic Games is known for its friendly, engaging, and informative social style. And if you’re launching a game on Epic Games, it only makes sense to stick to such a tone. For extended social media reach, consider adding #EpicGamesStore in your captions. You can explain why you launched your game on Epic Games on your website’s blog.
Linking to your Epic Games Store or wishlist
Figure 5: The “Add to Wishlist” option. Source: Epic Games
The best part about launching a game on Epic Games is that Epic doesn’t strive to keep the players on its website only. Instead, it is open to players heading to your game’s website to explore more. It allows the developers to add their social media and website links to the product page to let the players fully understand the game. After reviewing more information on your primary website, the audience can judge better if your game is for them. This is beneficial for you, too, boosting your site traffic. Likewise, links to your social media profiles boost your online presence, increasing your follower count. So, launching a game on Epic Games is a win-win!
We cover the top social platforms where the gaming audience resides in our blog, What Are The Best Social Media Platforms To Reach Gamers On?
Conversely, you can add your Product Page’s link to your website and social profiles’ bio. This will bring more traffic to the game, potentially boosting conversions and revenue. Upload riveting social media posts enticing your customers to download your game. Additionally, you can invest in email marketing and publishing press releases. Emails and press releases are also remarkable ways to convince your customers and get a high download rate.
We recommend encouraging your target audience to wishlist your game for better results and enhanced visibility. This way, users will receive email updates and push notifications about your game’s ongoing sales and new updates.
Give them an offer they can't refuse
Figure 6: Discounts attract the audience. Source: Game Riv
One of the practical and surefire ways to compel your audience to purchase your game is by offering discounts. Discounts attract all customers and help you generate a higher revenue at a relatively quick pace. Discounts make customers buy products even when they must put in more effort. Therefore, the discounting strategy works wonders on Epic since the audience has to switch platforms and create an Epic account.
You have two options to conduct sales on Epic Games: custom sales and Epic Games sales campaigns. Register your game for the promotion calendar if you wish to join the native Epic sales, which is voluntary. The store sales usually begin on Thursdays, giving users ample time to decide which games to purchase. Additionally, you can launch your marketing campaigns once the Epic Games Store team has approved them. Developers often launch personal campaigns when introducing new in-game updates. Both sale types aim to increase Store’s traffic and maximize your game’s visibility. Epic recommends partaking in both for better results.
A crucial point to remember is that solely launching discount campaigns on Epic Games Store isn’t ideal. You need additional promotion to spread the word about the discount. Inform your community on social media and publish press releases to publicize the ongoing promotion. This will get your players talking and boost conversions, resulting in a highly successful campaign.
Get your game on with our game launch guide!
Enjoyed this article? Want to know more about launching a game? We've got much more to share with you in The Game Dev’s Guide to the Best Game Launch!
Need a helping hand and genius brain for your Epic Games marketing strategy?
Marketing a new game on Epic Games Store can be challenging — your game will be lost among a thousand other games if not marketed properly.
Therefore, you need an expert game marketing agency and bespoke game marketing strategies to launch a winning game — and Game Marketing Genie is a video game marketing connoisseur! We will create a custom game marketing strategy to make your game a hit on Epic Games.
Chat with us today to find out more about our services.
