In December 2024, a young developer asked in a forum on reddit if he might be jeopardizing his chances of success with his abstract name. Because the name of his game refers to a term from US law. Today we know: no. Because Schedule 1 became a massive hit on Steam.
That was the question: On December 12, 2024, the developer Tyler from “Tyler’s Video Game Studio” asked on reddit GameDev:
I’m a little worried that the name “Schedule 1” is too niche and vague and may limit my audience too much. Most games similar to it have “drugs” or “narco” in the title. I’m considering changing the name.
He was very grateful for feedback.
How important is a name for the success of a game on Steam?
What were the answers? The developer’s question sparked lively discussion on reddit. The responses were friendly but not particularly conclusive:
The answer with the most upvotes was: He thinks too much about this. The title isn’t that important; it only appears at the end of trailers.
Another said: Really bad names could harm games; particularly very long names are difficult.
Another one said: He likes the name “Schedule I,” he doesn’t even know what it means, but when he saw pictures of it, he could immediately associate the name with the game.
A fourth reddit user explicitly advised the developer to avoid something like “Drug Dealer Simulator.” That makes him yawn. Especially the images of his game are good. He will succeed with it.
What does “Schedule 1” even mean?
Where does the name come from? “Schedule 1” is a name from US law. The drug agency DEA classifies under “Schedule 1” all drugs that have the highest potential for abuse, so to speak, drugs of the highest hazard level.
In total, there are 5 different levels of danger.
One of the reddit users warned the Australian developer to take the name. It is very “US-specific.”
Another responded ironically that “Grand Theft Auto – GTA” also refers to a US law.
But the developer said that is true. The name is US-centric, but he hopes it can work if the name is established.
Developer is very successful with his game on Steam
This is how it really turned out: Schedule 1 is the hit of the month on Steam and peaked at 414,000 players. The actual number of players could be even higher. Rumor has it there are some pirated copies: A 63-year-old game has 138,000 players on Steam because pirates stole a popular game
Your opinion is important to us!
Do you like the article? Then let us know!