Video Game Marketing Guides | IMPRESS Blog

In this talk, Helen breaks down the full, unfiltered data behind the public demo launch of Forbidden Solitaire, a retro FMV horror card game that hit #1 in Steam's New & Trend ing Demosand broke into Trending Free without a publisher or external marketing agency

In this session, award-winning accessibility advocate and Head of Communications at Happy Volcano, Jarvs Tasker, breaks down how one indie title grew to over 120,000 wishlists by focusing on sustainable systems rather than hype-driven tactics. This talk goes beyond surface-level advice to explore what truly moves the needle on Steam: store page optimisation, community momentum, festivals, creator alignment, and iterative improvement based on player behaviour.

Making games is hard. Making games while burned out is harder. Even if you achieve the success you have always dreamed of, is it worth the cost of your long term health and wellbeing? As an ex-indie developer and publisher, Steve has lived though the emotional rollercoaster of game launch many times, surviving highs and lows, successes and failures. In this session he'll share how he has learned how to stay happy and healthy in amongst the chaos.

Accessibility can be challenging for the largest studios, but what about development without a big budget? Harriet discusses the basics of game accessibility, why and how it's relevant for indies, and gives pointers for easy accessibility wins that won't break the bank (or the roadmap)

In this session, Claire Barilla shares her expertise on market research for indie games. She covers the importance of market research, how to do it (with spreadsheets), and how to use the results to make informed decisions in your games business.

Lawyer Mike Ahyow explores the legal and practical issues surrounding the use of AI in game development, and what indie developers need to know when considering use of AI tools.

This talk aims to assist indie developers with navigating the certification process essential in claiming the Video Games Expenditure Credit. Leveraging experience as a Certification Analyst at the BFI, the talk will outline avoidable common mistakes to ensure the assessment process is as streamlined as possible for developers. Additionally, each section on the application form will be broken down point-by-point, from eligible in-game settings to required documentation. Developers will be advised on how to structure their application to best suit individual projects. After this talk, attendees will possess the knowledge and confidence to apply, setting their studio up to later claim VGEC.

In this session, Najmah Salam shares 12 content marketing tips for indie games – from content strategy and refining target audience, to brand assets and marketing funnels, these tips help you think about your audience and how to reach them with your content.

In this session, Abi Le Guilcher shares her expertise on engaging influencers for your indie game marketing campaign. She covers the importance of influencer marketing, how to find the right influencers, and how to work with them to maximise your campaign's success.

Game showcases have become an increasingly impactful opportunity for game discoverability in recent years. But how do they come about, how do you get your game featured and why is it important? We sit down with a panel of experts from leading game showcases, Convergence and PC Gaming Show for a behind the scenes look at showcase curation, reach, optimisation and more.

So what's the deal with indie game publishing in 2026? We'll go straight to the source and explore the current landscape, common pitfalls and what the future of publishing holds for indies in this fireside chat with Curveball Games.

Join Ash Gwinnell and Emily Pitcher (@Sonderingemily) for a chat all about content creation and social media for indie game devs! Should you follow trends? How can you make your posts go viral? And should you be building an audience? We cover a bunch of topics to maximise your game's visibility and success!

Join Ash Gwinnell and Robby Bisschop (Pirate PR) for a chat all about traditional PR for your indie game for Steam Next Fest! From press releases and press kits to embargoes and exclusives, and bonus tips on social media, paid advertising and more, we cover what you should be doing before, during AND after the event to maximise your game's success!

Join Ash Gwinnell and Jarvs Tasker for a chat all about marketing your indie game for Steam Next Fest! From creator outreach and community activations to Steam best practices, we cover what you should be doing before, during AND after the event to maximise your game's success!

Join Ash Gwinnell and Chris Zukowski for a chat about Steam Next Fest marketing – what's new? what's good? and how can you make the most of it? If you're an indie game dev, this video is full of essential tips!

At our recent IMPACT! Indie Games Pitch Up event, 10 UK indie developers pitched their games directly to a panel of top publishers and received real-time, actionable feedback. Before that, however, we asked the panel: what is it like to work with them? what do they like to see in your games? and more!

Join us for a chat with Rene Habermann from Bippinbits on post-success, adaptability, and how a studio changes after a successful game! We'll be asking general “you made it, what now” questions, as well as potentially touching on working with a publisher like Raw Fury is like!

Join Dan Thomas and Rami Ismail for a chat on "The State of Indie Games in 2025" – what's going on with funding, marketing strategy, opportunity, layoffs, and... how can we all survive?

A dive into what publishers are looking for beyond your pitch deck. But wait, is publishing even right for you? What options are there for self-publishing? And can self-publishing at the start possibly help you land a publishing deal later down the line? Or not? This session will help you figure out what's right for you.

Everyone knows their games Steam Page is important. Steve believes it is probably the single most important marketing asset you have when releasing a game on Steam. What is Steam Page Optimisation? Why is everyone so obsessed with Wishlists, and do they really matter? When should I make my Steam Page live? Do I need a demo? This session will provide answers to these common questions and more, delivering practical advice on how to plan your release schedule, how to make your game page work harder for you, and how to evaluate your chances of success, measure the results, and take appropriate action.

Many developers wonder how publishers discover the next big game. What makes them say “yes” to one pitch and “no” to another. Patrick Johnson, Head of Discovery at Playstack, will take the audience for a look behind the curtain at the publishing journey from discovery to launch. Patrick will share the human touch behind scouting – the paradoxes, the “maybes,” and the crystal ball moments that shape a publisher’s decisions. Attendees will hear how intuition, experience, and market insights come together to identify potential hits. With real-world examples from popular games like Balatro and Abiotic Factor, attendees will gain valuable insights into how publishers assess projects, and what they’re likely to pursue in the future. This will be an honest, behind the scenes talk about scouting and what it was like to find games like Balatro and Abiotic Factor.

In this session, Jarvs will explore ways to keep player interest high using events, updates, and meaningful social interaction, while emphasizing the value of building a studio brand that encourages long-term loyalty. With insights into fostering an inviting community culture on platforms like Discord and examples of studios who have succeeded, Jarvs will show how well-engaged players can become key champions of not just one game, but future releases as well!

Join Future Friends TikTok specialist Abi as she discusses all things TikTok! Marketing your game is hard enough, but breaking it down into short-form video content can feel even harder. In this session, Abi will talk about finding your tone and unique style on the app, as well as best practices for reaching a larger audience whilst also finding your own voice on both TikTok and other video app alternatives such as YouTube Shorts and Threads.

Senior video editor Owen Trett is going to break down the creative process for creating eye-catching 2D animated trailers. Looking into the DLC launch trailers for Vampire Survivors, they will showcase the best practices for working with animation teams and enhancing a trailer value with dazzling visuals. This session will look into the pre-production, scripting, and feedback processes when working with an animation team, and how you can synergise your games' essence into a stunning trailer.

In a crowded marketplace, making your game is half the battle. Getting your game seen will determine how successful you are. This talk explores the critical role video plays across every stage of an indie game's journey, from crowd funding pitches and teaser trailers to behind-the-scenes dev diaries, launch assets, and building an audience. Whether you're a solo dev or a small team, learn how to plan, produce, and leverage video content that not only grabs attention but builds a lasting community around your game.

In this session, Claire will explore how indie devs can set themselves up for marketing their games with limited to no budget. Looking at festivals/showcases, making Steam work for you, how to grab press/creator attention, telling your story and more!

Tony Gowland from indie studio Ant Workshop shares lessons from self-publishing Dungeon Golf!

Najmah shares lessons from the production of The Ouroboros Express!

What are the challenges of long-term indie development? What does running a studio for 10+ years feel like? We're joined by indie legends Jake Birkett (Grey Alien), Shawn Alexander Allen (Nuchallenger) and Sam Read-Graves (ReadGraves) for a chat on all things indie resilience!

What makes a great indie game trailer? How can indies prepare for the trailer production process? What debug or camera tools are there? We're joined by popular creative director and trailer editor Derek Lieu for a chat on all things game trailers!

How do you effectively work with content creators to market your game? What makes for successful influencer partnerships? How do you find the right creators, and what should you consider before reaching out?

How do you build, engage and grow your community? What are the common mistakes developers make? What tools and tactics are available? And what does "good" even look like when it comes to community?

Marketing agency professionals share a marketing campaign that they each love! Games include: Another Crab's Treasure, Content Warning and The Ouroborus King.

Stuart Burnside (BFI) shares the latest information on UK video games industry tax credits / expenditure relief.

Anisa Sanusi shares everything Limit Break Mentorship, and how increasing diversity in the gaming industry can lead to unique and innovative game ideas.

Whether you’re a first timer or you’ve been round the block a few times, join Matt Brown (Vicarious PR) as he walks through some important concepts and helpful advice for game devs to remember as you work to reach players and develop an audience for your indie game.

So your Steam page copy is pristine, your Discord’s all set up and you’ve got your community plan ready to roll, but what happens when your indie game succeeds beyond your wildest forecasts? Suddenly your marketing needs have transformed. While every journey is different, in this talk, Haley Uyrus (Former Epic/Mediatonic & Failbetter Games) will delve into practical considerations for marketing, brand and comms at scale –with her VESPA framework– so your plan can evolve too.

It’s no secret that PowerWash Simulator has collaborated with some huge IPs since launching in 2022, from Tomb Raider to Warhammer. FuturLab’s Associate Marketing Manager, Jess Green, shares insights and learnings from partnering with some of entertainment’s most beloved franchises.

Insights on getting started with TikTok for indie game developers, and the latest dos, don'ts, and best practices for increased TikTok algorithm visibility.

Everything has shifted for creators, platforms and games discovery over the past 12 months but most indies are still using an out-of-date playbook and assumptions. In this talk, Rich Keith (Fourth Floor) delivers lessons from 12 years of working with creators and influencers, what has changed and what the future looks like.

Join James Parker as he grills key figures from games publishing about what they are looking for, and how to make your game stand out when hunting for that elusive deal.

An exploration of the PowerWash Simulator community & social strategies for success.

Unique insights from the teams with perspective. This panel has collectively worked on hundreds of games marketing projects, which meant plenty of insights and learnings were shared!

Indie trailer maker, Suzanne of IndieBard, shared tips for working with your trailer editor to make the most impact for your indie game.

Game marketing and Steam discoverability expert Chris Zukowski of howtomarketagame.com brought us the latest insights on Valve's monster marketplace.