Influencers are playing an increasingly important role in marketing new games. Through viral clips on Twitch, a game can skyrocket. A developer now reveals how many copies of his game were sold on Steam after major influencers showcased it.
The title image is a stock image by Vitaly Gariev via Pexels.
What kind of math is this? The developer of the brawler game Knock’Em Out compiled how many views videos from well-known content creators received on YouTube and TikTok containing his game. He then showed how many units he sold on Steam as a result of the videos.
Knock’Em Out is a multiplayer game that, despite its colorful visuals, is quite brutal: fights occur under the rotating blades of a helicopter or a circular saw – those who are thrown into the air quickly lose their heads. The game has been in Early Access since April 2024 and is regularly available for €5.99 on Steam.
Millions of views are not enough for a new car
Here are the numbers: The developer with the username AdriBeh shows on Reddit that videos featuring his game on YouTube garnered a total of over 4 million views. Additionally, there were several videos from smaller influencers, each receiving several thousand views, as well as a video on TikTok that achieved 1.2 million views.
In total, around 6 million people watched his game.
As of now, about half a year after the Early Access launch on Steam, he has sold 5,000 copies of his game, according to AdriBeh. While this is indeed a significant amount for an indie game, he hasn’t become a millionaire, as the developer reveals in a video on YouTube. In fact, he couldn’t even afford a new car.
You can find the exact breakdown in the video:
The audience of influencers could play a role
What is the reason? AdriBeh attributes two main factors to why the views do not translate into higher sales numbers: the content and the target audience of the respective influencer, as well as the mention of the name.
The videos of YouTubers SSundee and SMii7Y both reached 1.6 million views, but while only about 300 people bought the game after the first video, it was 1,000 after the second.
The developer believes: SSundee usually makes videos about games like Minecraft and Roblox, which are particularly popular among younger viewers. Many of them probably have less interest in other games and sometimes also lack the means to buy games on Steam.
SMii7Y, on the other hand, primarily uploads videos about party games and unusual multiplayer titles – Knock’Em Out fits perfectly with the YouTuber’s target audience.
Moreover, SMii7Y was the only one from a group of 4 YouTubers who had played the game together to mention it by name in his video. The other 3 videos received over 600,000 views combined, but according to AdriBeh, resulted in no sales at all.
Only when he pointed out his game in the comments did he manage to sell 30 units.
Twitch streamers can push a game – or harm it
Why is this interesting? Especially crazy games can become viral hits through the attention of influencers. For instance, countless Twitch streamers suffered in Only Up! and turned the controversial game into a viral success.
But as AdriBeh shows, it doesn’t necessarily motivate fans to purchase when they watch their favorite influencer play a game. However, if a game seems very fun in videos or streams, it may be that more and more creators post content about that game.
This could lead to a hit. The developer mentions LOCKDOWN Protocol as another indie game that had just a few followers on Steam at its release. However, due to the attention from influencers, it went viral and reached up to 10,000 concurrent players.
That the attention from influencers does not always have positive consequences for indie games is demonstrated by the game Dustborn from Norwegian developers Red Thread Games. Because it is considered by some as the epitome of all evil in the gaming industry: YouTubers like Asmongold criticize the developers of a tiny game – Now the CEO behind Dustborn speaks
