Steam analysis of 2,100 games links pre-launch posts and page polish to hits

A Reddit user, posting as u/TheEntityEffect in r/IndieDev, shared an analysis of 2,100 games released on Steam between March 12 and August 3 this year. They compared 128 games that crossed 200 reviews with 193 that were still under 10. Big-budget games and older Early Access titles were left out, so the sample is mostly smaller teams.

Five differences stood out. Among the hits, 77% posted on Steam before launch, against 22% of the others. The median hit made its first post about three months before release, while most of the others stayed silent until launch day. 84% of hits had a GIF or video in the About section, versus 25%. 84% supported more than English, versus 42%. 76% used all 20 tags, versus 39%. 95% went past the five-screenshot minimum, versus 63%.

The poster is clear about the limits. It is correlation, not proof, and bigger teams tend to do more of everything. The figures are self-reported from a Reddit post, and we have not seen the underlying dataset or method, so treat the percentages as indicative.

The post's practical point is that all five items are free and within a developer's control before a player sees the game. Checking your own page for tags, screenshots, a GIF or video, language support and a pre-launch posting plan costs nothing.

The post also promotes a free checker at theentityeffect.com that the author built. The author says it tests a page for these five points and more, needs no signup, and also works for the App Store, Google Play, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, Epic, GOG and itch.io. The author offers a free full page rewrite for the three pages that need it most, and asks for feedback if a result looks wrong. Treat it as a self-promoted tool from an unofficial source.