30 Minute Steam Page Makeovers

[@aussieraver7182]

What makes this presentation amazing is that he uses real case studies and examples instead of just talking.

[@polishguy8495]

What the hell? I didn't know I was even looking at those parts of the page until now. Started the video thinking "Welp, it's just a steam page, what's the 30 min all about?". Ended the video amazed by how much there is to learn about stuff you don't think about.

[@Magroo42]

GDC should let presenters have their links in the descriptions of these videos.

[@brettabraham]

Saw the name of the talk and knew exactly who it was. This guy is great - only weekly newsletter I've been purposefully subscribed to for like 2 years now

[@howtomarketagame]

Thanks for subscribing.

[@kiyopawn]

Same, I too remember this guy. He had my favourite gdc talk as well.

[@tomsko863]

@@howtomarketagame Love every GDC video you make. Best of luck!

[@StarContract]

A GREAT presentation. Didn't waste a second and was very practical.

[@jacrispy4]

what did we not watch the same talk ? the first 4 min was just him making the same point 5 times. the rest was great tho

[@dansilvers8052]

A little heads-up addendum: Steam no longer allows extra text on capsules outside of time-limited events. 90% of the time, capsules need to be limited to just logos, so make your event capsules especially stand out!

[@JuanUys]

yeah, at 27:20

[@casachezdoom2588]

There is an option to add what's called Artwork Overrides to capsules so that it doesn't permanently replace your base capsules. You can set how long you want the updated capsules to show before reverting back to the base ones. Check out the Steamworks documentation for details since I can't post the link here.

[@dwilliams21]

I, too, LOOOVE "before and afters" in almost any context. I will try to adapt this to a fiction Kickstarter page I'm working out, since I feel like many of the principles illustrated here work for almost any entertainment audience. FABULOUS presentation.

[@howtomarketagame]

Hi Chris Zukowski here. Let me know if you have questions. I tried to link to my resources but got caught in some spam filter

[@juanrodriguez9971]

I have one thing to say, the tip of "don't use pixel art" felt a bit poorly used, what I would have said is "use illustrations with an art quality higher than your game's art style", like, even non pixel art games can look cheap, like The End is Nigh which looks like a flash game from 2012 but the illustration it used was perfect and more attractive, using the game's original art style wouldn't have been as attractive.

[@howtomarketagame]

@@juanrodriguez9971 Good point, its just I always get the question from developers "I have a pixelart game, should I have a pixelart capsule or an illustrated one" So I am just addressing that common question.

[@juanrodriguez9971]

@@howtomarketagame nice, I guess being more direct helps people to understand easier, but in the future, it could be nice to add something like "this is not limited to pixel art, the point is using something that looks better and more attractive"

[@Youmu_Konpaku_]

Thanks for the insightful talk :)

[@Lunareon]

Brilliant talk with clear, simple instructions for how to do things better. Also, I appreciate how the purple-pinkish background of the speaker matches the GDC background illustration. Together with the white font, it is clear that this talk is of a futuristic genre. The yellow and black slides imitate the look of warning signs, drawing your attention as intended. This talk could also work as an example of how to design your GDC talk. It matters how the information is delivered.

[@maxjohnson808]

So, so, so many developers would seriously benefit from watching this talk. Amazing job.

[@lucbloom]

My man is single-handedly destroying his own market with these helpful tips. So good. I bet it’s still worth it to hire him :-)

[@SimplyPhoenix]

Honestly if you use a bit of your brain juice you can come up with that stuff yourself. Marketing is no magic 😄

[@cozymonk]

UI might be boring from a designer's perspective, but, as a player, the UI needs to be good, because I'm always going to be looking at it and interacting with it. It's one of the most important things for me to check out when buying a game.

[@pokemnfan1]

Oh nice, Chris, I saw his video with Jonas Tyroller. Great talk!

[@n0seblunt]

Two years later, and such a good video.

[@NorBdelta]

Fascinating, I am not a developer, but seeing the skeletons behind the hobby is really interesting.

[@hoplite_softworks]

Great presentation, very concise, useful and practical information, straight to the point, excellent energy by the speaker

[@ColorauGuiyino]

One of the best GDC videos. Right to the bone.

[@NeonFraction]

Top tier GDC talk

[@KristerCederlund]

Thank you for this, as a solo dev it's way to easy to focus on the "fun" stuff so this will really help me do the all of the work in a proper way.

[@metalicarusbr]

That was a great talk, 30 minutes of awesome tips and tricks.

[@nintendude794]

9:07 FEZ should’ve been listed as one of the pixel art greats with a fantastic non-pixel illustration for its capsule and covers

[@howtomarketagame]

Great point!

[@nintendude794]

@@howtomarketagame thanks! Good talk!

[@nintendude794]

Maybe Shovel Knight as well?

[@nintendude794]

Also DOWNWELL

[@juanrodriguez9971]

Also, I would change the tip, it isn't simply "don't use pixel art" what he should have said is "use illustrations with a quality higher than your game's art style", for example, some months ago I finished The End is Nigh, a really good game that looks like a flash game from 2012, the thing is its cover or capsule or whatever the name is, was a beautiful high quality illustration that is just eye-candy, that way you can get people's attention.

[@SimplyPhoenix]

Good to see I have (nearly) already implemented and optimized all this points. Big traffic still not coming, but thats ok I know theres more to it than the Steam page. When youre small you have to fight for every visitor yourself.

[@samhblackmore]

Hey what's your game?

[@nintendude794]

Yeah, which game?

[@SimplyPhoenix]

@@nintendude794 Damit, KZbin keeps swallowing my damn comments. Don't know why. Shht its RAIDBORN :D. Feedback is welcome.

[@SimplyPhoenix]

@@samhblackmore See my comment to @Hunter Short

[@SimplyPhoenix]

Looks that it works now. I think some keywords get filtered.

[@Lovuschka]

14:45 Sound like a 1v1 spy game, similar to Spy vs. Spy that was based on MAD. It's evoked by the final sentence.

[@nintendude794]

14:00 The game in question is Phantom Doctrine, turn-based tactics. Looks like XCOM, Shadowrun, and/or Mutant Year Zero.

[@nikolaszsz]

Thanks Jake Gyllenhaal!

[@tsk5328]

great stuff, and the capsule art is huge, I know thats one of the first things I look at after the price when checking if a games pro or hobbyist

[@TheRealJackArthur]

This was... fantastic! Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

[@leonard4]

9:50 Interesting take on low res/pixel art games using real drawn art assets. We tried that approach with a 2D side scroller about 8 years back with a real art asset main image and intro video and the biggest response was that our game was a bait and switch. Interesting to think of how that approach has changed.

[@Patangy]

Wow 8 years ago is pretty much antiquity in gamedev terms :)

[@leonard4]

@@Patangy Really date myself here, I remember coding in C on some old bbs doors back in the early 90s. Now thats an antique. :D

[@Husmanmusic]

This is so invaluable! Thank you much (Rushes to steam page)

[@getrekt8365]

Amazing talk and captivating speaker.

[@AngelStarStudios]

Great video. Thanks for posting!

[@Lovuschka]

12:34 Indeed, it looks like a high budget title, just from the description.

[@johnhickersantilan4295]

Love the explanation it was straight to the point 🗿

[@itsQuilow]

Hey, this is the guy that was on Jonas channel

[@howtomarketagame]

That was me!

[@_weebzee]

this dude is the best

[@jesustyronechrist2330]

As a consoomer doomer, I almost solely base by Steam shopping on the thumbnail. Cool fonts, logos and/or art that makes me click to the game's page is the first step. Then I do my decision to put it in my basket based on gameplay trailers, varied screenshots, genre tags and of course the reviews. I don't read the description as it typically is too vague and misleading to describe how the game actually plays (even when it's the truth).

[@Noqtis]

you are missing out on the short descriptions. they are super accurate and often times mention the specific genre of the game. the only way to see if a game mixes multiple genres together and which. the core gameplay loops are mentionend most of the times with some words aswell. give it a try. it needs some time to get into but when you know at what to look for reading the short descriptions, they will make a lot of sense. and a lot of devs do actually work out a quite nice premise for their game, because this is where the sales pitch starts. it's often times quite thought-out and not as random as you might think (a little few are useless though)

[@Khud0]

How did you know that's exactly what I was Googling for a couple hours ago?

[@tailwhipolaf]

Thanks for all the help

[@JustDaZack]

Very, very informative and well presented. :)

[@TheBugB]

Thanks Chris

[@Sagaan42]

Amazing talk, thank you for the insights!

[@Retanaru]

100% if I get interested in a game and I see no patch notes, or any kind way to see updates I assume the game has never been updated, not even bugfixes. I'm not interested in a game that got dropped on steam with zero support.

[@perianh]

Really good talk! A lot of useful info!

[@mrqe5]

Great talk, very informative. 🫂👍

[@Shivyyy]

Amazing talk !

[@howtomarketagame]

Thanks

[@WeaselJCD]

Why is it that with some of the titles on the store, it doesn't show the blue "IN LIBRARY" font on the left side of the banner, although I have the game in my library? Especially with games on sale recently? Any ideas?

[@acidente_dev]

jake gylhenhal is teaching me about steam

[@johntomes]

Devs: ALWAYS INCLUDE SCREENSHOTS OF UI!!!!! No UI, no buy.

[@howtomarketagame]

Awesome! What kind of UI do you like to see

[@johntomes]

@@howtomarketagame If it's an RPG, anything that shows how stats/equipment is displayed and handled. As it's been mentioned in the video, it conveys depth or lack thereof. If it's a strategy game, what info is displayed on the screen while I'm playing (could be too much/cluttered screen or could be not enough). Can I make sense of the game/resources/actions without actually playing it? If it's an action game, how are important elements (health/ammo/map etc) displayed? Any innovation there or is it sticking to the traditional format?

[@Kamil_O]

great talk

[@batyaggy325]

I’m having difficulty comprehending that this is not Jake Gyllenhaal.

[@Ryanflees]

Good , easy to understand. But what if I’m making an asset flip, all my assets are from asset store (crying :-(

[@Panohiro]

Very cool stuff

[@lolindirlink]

I spent $100 on software, around $150 on plugins, And $99,- on Steam. Paying $500,- for a capsule that in no way represents the gameplay (Feels fake, like those classic non-smartphone games back in the day) doesn't make sense to me.

[@lewis1341]

Your capsule isn't neccessarily meant to only represent gameplay. It is meant to represent your artistic vision for the game and what occurs in it.

[@howtomarketagame]

Also (audio) cameo appearance by my cat lilly at kzbin.info/www/bejne/nHK3dnunab-plbs

[@dragonhunter8807]

what i found often enough on early access titles is, that a lot of devs have an idea, produce it and it just looks like a lazy version of a game i played 20 years ago. and they dont even know that game. found this several times trough forums. thats just lazy too, not looking up if this game has existed and LEARN from it

[@__dane__]

Lazy isn’t the right word. It’s more that they couldn’t develop their idea enough to where it stood out as something unique. That’s never because someone is lazy, it’s due to experience and creative direction. Lazy devs aren’t a thing

[@citywizardgames]

@@__dane__ Almost .. both of your ideas exist. There are both devs that didn't have the skills/time/money to develop the idea fully as well as devs that are lazy. But I think there's many more of the former than the latter.

[@TheZenytram]

What if you didnt compared a game that was made and completed in a couple of years by a team, to a game that are in its first or second year of production possibly being done solo. And get rid of this lazy dev fallacy, they dont exist, and this just badmouth unknowns devs.

[@dragonhunter8807]

@@TheZenytram so its totally cool to make a game where you build buildings, units out of that building and then you are flabbergasted by a game called age of empires. got it.

[@BanditLeader]

idk why these people are saying lazy devs dont exist. they do exist. and its very easy to spot them. ever heard of an asset flip? you're telling me thats not a lazy dev? trend hoppers? copycats? those are lazy devs as well. a lazy dev is a dev who doesnt put the time, effort, and passion into making a good and original game. technically ubisoft is a lazy dev if you look at their skull and bones game. or how call of duty and battlefield are the same thing every year. fifa/madden are also the same thing every year. there are lazy devs.

[@lrdalucardart]

As some one who doesnt like to play Inidigames (I do play 1 or two if they are good enough after ear ppl talking about htem for a while) if I see this 1:42 I would definitly never even click the game shop. Definitely get an artist to do it, look even a bad artist like me can draw something like that for a less than 100bucks...

This talk is horribly underrated. Maybe it needs thumbnail rework. So I do not need to find it by looking through a channel, but recommended videos.

[@Ashtarte3D]

The one part I would recommend against is relying on Steam's notoriously awful "Similar To Games" system. The problem with it is it relies only on the tags and often users are either poisoning the tag pool with silly bullshit or the tag is too vague. For instance I'll go to my Steam right now, click a game at random and see what insane comparisons it makes. I clicked Sonic Frontiers and the "like games you've played" it compares to are: Fallout 4 and Monster Hunter World. In what reality are any of those three games related? Oh, the tag "Open World." So yeah, be real careful with tagging.

[@Waffle4569]

09:25 Really...? People prefer an illustration? I find the screenshot more tangible. When I see over the top cover art I know the game will be almost nothing like what's seen.

[@bepkororoti8019]

Same here, I can't count the instant heel-turn back-to-stores when the game behind a cool artwork wasn't at all what I expected. If you're a pixel platformer don't put high fi characters in your capsule. Seems to work for most people, though I don't get it

[@FireflyInTheDusk]

It doesn't help that the illustration for Kingdom Workshop shows a very cool dwarf crafting something but then you go to the screenshots and you don't really see very cool dwarves crafting something, instead you see the most featureless and depressing (low quali... sorry, low poly) human models flipped from the asset store. The issue with the old capsule is that the branding elements (the logo) are barely visible so it does look a bit like a random screenshot on top of which someone wrote the name of the game. Put the branding in the forefront and make it look good, the specially crafted and edited screenshot in the back, and you don't need to pay someone hundreds of dollars to draw something.

[@shadowblaster124]

I agree. I never trust the packaging. I've seen too many bullshots in actual gaming magazines and on Steam pages to fall for it. I only care about screenshots and videos that show actual gameplay with the actual UI on screen.

[@embersworkshop]

It's weird because I know for a fact it was a big feature of Game Box Art for decades, I think the hope is to capture people's attention in the short 2 seconds people decide if the game is for them or not. I don't mind being lied to, I'm sure I subconsciously judge games with pixel art capsules, but that's because I would bother to play a pixel art game and I think it's fair if devs need to make their frugal decisions look competitive against the sea of painterly art.

[@nintendude794]

17:00 Disagree, I’ve only seen capsule art for Fall Guys, and now after reading the description I still have no idea what the “genre” or “verbs” would be.

[@nintendude794]

17:30 clarified that it works in conjunction with the rest of the page and shouldn’t be taken as a substitute for screenshots or trailers.

[@nintendude794]

“But what is gameplay?”

[@haveiszalfaroqie]

"Party-game" isn't one of the most popular genre or even a verb per se, but it is a genre of a game. Usually couch coop that centered around the chaos and hilarity that ensue from its casual, "party" nature. As such, it doesn't have specific technical, mechanical, or gameplay verb as you can basically do anything in your friend's birthday party. The genre popular would be: 1. Stick Fight: The Game 2. Overcooked 3. Among Us 4. Super Smash Bros

[@nintendude794]

@@haveiszalfaroqie I guess “party game” is a genre in much the same way “pop music” is a genre

[@erebosnyx7563]

Great talk but I disagree about the resident evil bit. If your game has an art direction even half as breathtaking, put that forward, not the UI. You can leave the gameplay to trailers/gifs.

[@gamongames]

that whole thing about shoppers going "this is shovelware because its focusing on this single asset so it probably just bought that from the asset store and made a whole game around it" sounds really misguided. sure, thats true for someone that 1) is familiar with the concept of 'asset flip's and cares enough about it for that to impact their buying habits 2) can clock specific asset packs at a glance from screenshots of their pieces and 3) even knows what an asset store is, or even cares about that when buying games. it seems like it assumes your consumer base will be mostly comprised of other devs or gamedev hobbyists and enthusiasts instead of, you know, the truth, that is these people are the tiny minority and the general shopper will only care if it looks good and different enough to be engaging. its like the never ending discourse you read on gamedev communities with people arguing about whatever shit they believe means quality and appeal when the end consumers have absolutely no idea those things even exist and absolutely dont care

[@gamongames]

the actual point is "show production quality because people tend to value expensive-looking things" and instead gets bogged down by this tangent that only gamedev professionals would even think about. this is all specially wasteful because a good art director can asset flip absolutely seamlessly, even to the point of getting professional-looking art for the capsule, a kickass logo and even the themed UI pieces to embellish the About section, straight out of asset stores and free resources with minimal retouching. hell, I assetflipped many games for work and I always followed all of these tips, it makes anything look good. asset flipping itself is only a sin if it gives your consumers the wrong vibe. if the game convinces them, they wont care. even an original game made by someone that prides themselves in modeling every single rock can look like a generic uninspired flip if it has bad direction, so the focus above else should be on good art direction, reaching all the way to your marketing

[@gamongames]

that aside, nice video, lots of valuable tips. thanks for the talk.

[@isaiaslafon9329]

Really nice talk! As an user I avoid in steam list cheap miniatures a lot, or overcharged with stuff. / Elements

[@czarnoksiezhnik]

I never really read the game description (because the tags and reviews do the job already) and never watch cinematic trailers, if there are no gameplay trailers its already a turn off

[@sidremus]

Wow, GDC actually got Jake Gyllenhaal and would you know it, he's an expert on Steam Page Makeovers!

[@fizzplease6742]

I"m enjoying this, but the word "asset" lost all meaning for a little bit.

[@illsaveus]

16:22 Oh great now I have to answer "What happens when you die?" Making money in games is harder everyday. :P

[@ThunderWorldInteractive]

Where is a good place to get someone to professionaly make my capsules.

[@lewis1341]

Reach out to illustrators for hire

[@r1pfake521]

I hate pixel art games with a non-pixel illustration. They look so nice, fool me and then I click on them and see pixel art in ingame screenshots and at that point I already lost interest in the game. I spent all my childhood playing pixel art game, I can't stand it anymore.

[@philipp594]

Do you know what would be good for steam sales? FIX VAC.

[@Magroo42]

how do you feel like VAC is negatively affecting game sales? Not disagreeing. i'm legit curious.

[@philipp594]

@@Magroo42 It definitly affects steam community market revenues and a lot of my friends prefer to buy anywhere else because we are not supporting valves. Let them cheat policy. The industry doesn't matter >60% of your revenue is from returning customers, when you piss them off they stop returning.

[@Magroo42]

@@philipp594 they're charting more revenue than ever you and your friends aren't affecting the market at all.

[@Magroo42]

If your apprehensive about my response I would absolutely encourage you to look into how much money valve is making

[@Magroo42]

Also: just coming back around to this mentially, you really should research anti-cheats and *why* vac is like that, as much as it does appear to affect more consumers this way they actually catch more cheaters or they wouldn't do it.

[@kanalkucker14]

Great talk!