Advanced Market Research Strategies For Small Indie Game Devs

Welcome to the Advanced Guide To Indie Game Market Research. Inside you'll learn new techniques to help discover a high probability game market that is potentially profitable.

Here's what you'll get after reading this guide:

1. Three mindsets to help you get better results when you apply these strategies
2. The "Indie Game Market Test": 3 questions to ask to see if there is any potential in a indie game market
3. Two strategies with step-by-step actions you can easily follow: you'll get one strategy that takes the longest, but is free to execute, and one strategy that is cost you some money, but is a bit more faster

Ok, here's...

Mindset #1: Don't Choose Your Market, Discover And Develop It...

You see, a big mistake game devs make is they think that they get to CHOOSE a market, and choose a target audience. But markets aren't chosen. They are discovered. And they are developed.

So if you're a small indie game dev, and you want to make games for a living, then you need to approach business more seriously and put in a conscious effort into NOT going into an oversaturated market with a game idea.

And yes, there are those games that do zero market research and even zero marketing, and they blow up and people love them and buy them.

But hoping that your game will blow up without any effort, is not a good strategy.

Let me show you an example of a game dev discovering a market and developing it:

In June 2011, Felipe Falanghe posted a thread on a space sim forum about his new game project: The Kerbal Space Program.

It was an early-alpha build that only had very basic game mechanics. But regardless, something about the game "struck a chord" with people in that forum. And then a few days after release, it got 5,000 downloads.

Here's the important insight in his story that we can all learn:

In 2011 Felipe didn't go out and choose a genre or market. What I mean is, he didn't just pick something he liked, then spend months or years working on a game, then when he was ready, he put his game up on Steam.

He started with a proof of concept, a very simple prototype.. And then he went out and validated that proof of concept with a small niche group of people.

And when 5,000 people downloaded his game in two weeks, that validated his idea. So once he got his validation, that's when he ramped up and then spent two more years developing, getting feedback, and iterating on his initial idea.

Then in March 2013, the free alpha build was no longer available. And he published KSP on Steam's Early Access.

The big takeaway I want you to get from this insight is that most game devs skip this entire step. They don't take the time to identify and discover a hidden market.

Yeah, they might get feedback from other game devs, or from a game jam... and then they go right into developing.

And because they're so busy developing, research and marketing is hardly done. The only time they take market research and marketing really seriously is when they are close to launching their game... and now they're scrambling because they don't have a lot of wishlists or traction.

Also, they assume that "marketing" will solve all their problems. They assume if they can just finish their game, then they'll think about marketing and everything will be taken care of.

And then when they do go out and market, and nothing works, they then assume marketing doesn't work.

But what they don't know is, because they skipped the discovery phase of market research, all their marketing they do will be wasted. That's because since they didn't do any market research, they have no idea if there is a market for the game or not. And when we get the market wrong, there is NOTHING we can do to fix it. No amount of money or time or marketing or going to game conventions will help us get attention -- if the market is wrong.

Just look at Google Stadia or Facebook Metaverse or even ChatGPT. Even with all the resources, money, expertise, data analytics, it's really difficult to convince people to use something by just throwing money at it. And no amount of marketing can generate demand. Demand already has to be there. And it's our job to discover that demand.

And I'll show you how to identify demand in your market in this guide, but first let's go onto...

Mindset #2: Make It Work Small, Then Go Bigger

The idea is very simple:

1. Get a proof of concept
2. Get it in front of a small group of potential fans
3. See if the idea "strikes a chord"
4. Get tangible validation (i.e. 1,000 downloads)
5. Then develop, get feedback, iterate, develop

And don't worry, you'll learn later on in this guide how to execute this idea.

But when I talk to small indie game devs, I notice that most indie game devs spend months or years creating a game. Then once they feel "ready" to show off their game or demo, then that's when they start thinking about validating their idea and getting feedback.

What I mean is, once they feel "ready" and have something cool to show, they'll spend time and money going to game conventions, posting on Reddit, TikTok, or Twitter, make a trailer, and create a professional Steam page.

In other words, they go BIG first, then see if it works.

And this happens because we like to self-validate our ideas. And this is ok. Making a game, starting a business is very risky. And so we have to be optimistic because otherwise we won't put in all this time and effort. This optimism pushes us to keep going. And that's fine. But what's not fine is when we only focus on what we want -- and ignore what the market wants.

And believe me, I'm guilty of this more than anybody. Before my first successful startup, I spent 5 years starting businesses that I wanted to create -- and totally ignoring what the market wanted and needed.

This is why it's very important to research your market before you spend too much money and time into a game.

Because once you're too far, you're now falling into the sunk-cost fallacy.

You don't want to get to the point where you say:

"We've already put too much time and money into this game. We can't stop now!"

But game devs do put too much time and money into a game without seeing if there is a market for it. And it's only natural to want to hear that we're on the right path. So we only seek out validation that justifies all our efforts.

So this is why most game devs will seek feedback from other game devs, or friends, or family, or even go to a game jam. And this is great if you want to improve your game dev skills.

But if you want to really make a game that people want to play and buy, you have to:

1. Create a simple proof of concept, a prototype, a early-alpha build
2. Validate your ideas by showing this prototype to prospective players (not friends, family, other game devs)
3. Get feedback
4. Iterate, develop
5. Show your new build to prospective players
6. Get more feedback, iterate, develop... repeat

Again:

Make it work small, then go bigger!

And this is exactly what Felipe did with Kerbal Space Program: he created a simple early-alpha build, a proof of concept. Then he tested this idea with his core audience. He didn't try to talk people into playing it. He just put it out there, and the people came to HIM. People coming to him validated his idea. And then he spent years improving and developing his game and his new market.

Ok, so the challenge is, how do you find these players to help you validate your idea? Don't worry, we'll work on that in the step-by-step strategy guide.

But here's one more mindset I want you to learn...

Mindset #3: 80% Of What We Try Won't Work

Please know that I'm not a magician that can do the impossible. Yes, I've had success with three startups, and now I help indie game devs find customers... but I also had way more failures.

That's because I know that 80% of what I try won't work. And that's ok. I know that most of my winnings will come from a few attempts. So that's why it's so important to validate proof of concepts early, and develop those ideas using feedback and iteration.

And like I said, before my first entrepreneurial success, I spent 5 years failing. 80% of what I tried didn't work, until I found the 20% that did. And I did so by making it work small, then going big.

My point is, 80% of the stuff you try won't work. So our job is to find the 20% that does work.

For example, when a game dev spends two years working on ONE proof of concept without testing it, the chances of success are very low.

But the game dev who spends two years testing 3 or 4 proof of concepts, will increase their chances of success.

That's because most things in the short-term don't work. But in the long-term, if you persist, you'll have a better chance at success. And that's because, in the long-term, you'll accumulate knowledge and expertise to help you know what to do to win.

But when a game dev spends months and years perfecting one idea, without testing it in the market, then they learn nothing about the market they're entering.

But the game dev that whips up a proof of concept in a few months, then goes out to get feedback from potential players (and not other game devs), will learn what the market wants and doesn't want. And then they can take that knowledge and expertise to iterate their game... or scrap the game idea, and try another proof of concept.

Remember, most of your winnings will come from a few attempts. The more attempts you try, the higher the chance of success. And that's because in the long-term, and through repetition, you'll learn what works and what doesn't.

And that's why it's very important to make it work small, then go bigger once it starts working. Don't go big and then see if it works later.

Ok, great. So then how do you exactly do all of this? How do these 3 insights help you discover a hidden market? How do you test your game idea and see if it's worth pursuing? Let's work on that next...

The "Indie Game Market Test"

Remember, the idea is to discover a potential indie game market. So how do you "discover" a hidden market?

Well, before you spend time, energy, stress, and money on a new game idea that has a small chance of working, we need to TEST the market using three questions.

And please note, I forget where I learned this idea from. It's not my idea. But I used it to help me find new markets, and start my first startup in 2005... and then used it again in 2009, and then in 2019.

Ok, here's the three questions. And the idea is, if you get three YESes, then you're on your way in discovering a new indie game market:

Question #1: Is my player motivated by a frustration, problem, or issue?

This question is important because it's hard to motivate somebody who isn't already motivated.

For example, I just put in 214 hours playing Elden Ring. And my motivation to play another open-world, Souls-like, is ZERO. AndI have zero motivation to play the DLC -- no matter how much it goes on sale.

But then, another person who put in just as many hours into that game might want MORE Souls-like.

This is VERY important to know because you want to see how high the MOTIVATION is in your market.

That's because if players are not motivated to play a certain game in a certain genre, then YOU have to motivate them. But trying to motivate somebody is VERY hard.

Again, remember: you can't choose a market, you have to discover it and develop it. And no amount of marketing, or social media posts, or cool trailers, or professional Steam pages, is going to motivate somebody. The motivation has to be there. So it's our job to identify how much motivation is in the market, take advantage, and start developing that motivation into something bigger.

And people who already have what they want and need are NOT motivated. But what motivates people is when they have a frustration, or problem, or issue.

So for example, my frustration with Elden Ring is that it was too hard. But if another game came out that was Open-World, that fostered true exploration and discovery and didn't hold your hand with map markers -- and wasn't so difficult.... then I'd play it.

Again, the idea with this question is to figure out how motivated a potential customer is in your genre or market.

And don't worry, later I'll show you how to exactly figure out how much motivation is in your market or genre. But for now, let's move onto...

Question #2: Is my player pro-actively looking for solutions?

Again, if a person isn't taking any action to solve their problem or frustration, then we have to motivate them. And that's hard to do. If you have to motivate a person to play your game, then you're probably in an over-saturated market.

But if they are out actively looking for solutions to their problems or frustrations, then they are highly motivated. And if people are actively looking for solutions, then this means that the market is MISSING something.

And that's the key here: you're trying to discover a gap in the market that no other game is filling.

For example, a new game comes out. People love it. But there are also issues, frustrations, and problems. And players don't want to play the same game twice. They want to play that same game, but in a NEW way. They want the same game, but minus all the issues and frustrations. And when you hear a lot of players complain about the same stuff over and over, then this is your clue to what the market is missing.

Again, I'll show you how to answer these questions in the step-by-step guide. But for now, let's move onto...

Question #3: Does my player have few options?

So when a player is motivated, and they're actively searching for new games, do they have few game options?

This is important to know because most game devs enter indie game markets where players have a lot of options. This is essentially what makes up an oversaturated market place: when players have a lot of games to choose from.

So your job is to figure out what issues or problems or frustration your players have, and see if players have options. If players have no options, if not a lot of games aren't solving those problems, then that's a gap in the market you can test.

Think of markets (or genres) as NEED or WANTS.

There is no market if needs and wants are already met. You need to find out those needs and wants first, before entering a market.

This is why it's so important to test your proof of concept, your early alpha version, as quickly as you can so you can determine if there is a need or want for your new idea. Again, make it work small, then go bigger. And 80% of what you try won't work, so keep iterating until you find that 20% that works.

But if you make a game where the market is full of options a player can pick from, then you've entered an oversaturated market. And now you have the impossible task of talking people into playing and buying your game. Again, you can't create demand. Demand has to already be there. And it's our job to discover that demand.

Ok, how do you find answers to these questions? Let's work on that next...

New Advanced Guide To Indie Game Market Research: Step-By-Step Strategy

The core idea here is:

Validate your game idea before you spend time and money.

How?

By asking yourself these three questions:

Question #1: Is my player motivated by a frustration, problem, or issue?
Question #2: Is my player pro-actively looking for solutions?
Question #3: Does my player have few options?

And if you can get three YESes, then you have potentially discovered a new indie game market that has a high probability for success.

So, let's now take what we've learned and put it into action. Let's do actual research.

And the best way to do indie game market research is by learning directly from potential customers.

If you go and talk to people, they will tell you everything you need to know to help you launch a good game -- a game that people will want to play and buy.

And by talking to potential customers, you'll get some intelligence on what your market wants and doesn't want.

After doing this for a few weeks, you'll start seeing patterns, and come up with even better game ideas or features.

Also, you'll learn if your potential players are motivated or not, or are they actively looking for your type of game, and do they have very little options.

So for example, you're making a roguelike card game. You talk to potential customers, and you learn some frustrations and problems players have with this genre. So that's one YES for question #1 (Is my player motivated by frustration, problem, or issue?).

And then as you talk to players, and you learn that player's are actively looking for new roguelike card games. So that's another YES to question #2 (Is my player pro-actively looking for solutions?).

But then as you do more research, you learn that there are a lot of options -- i.e. there are a lot of roguelike card games. So for the last questions you get a NO (Does my player have few options?). No, they have a lot of options.

But that's ok. So you talk to more players, and you look at all the other games in your market, and you discover that most of these games have way too many complicated mechanics... so you decide to test a new idea: a casual roguelike card game. So then you create a proof of concept... and you test, get feedback, iterate, develop.

You see what I mean? This is what I mean when I say you can't choose a market. You have to develop a market.

By talking to players, and asking these three questions, you'll be able to carefully design an indie game that meets the needs of your market -- and you'll make a game that people will want to buy.

And I'm not talking about pandering to the market and making a game that tries to be everything to everyone. You need a balance between what you like, what you're into... but also you need to know what the market wants, too.

So how do you directly learn from potential customers, exactly?

Well there are two strategies. The first strategy is the cheapest, most reliable... but takes the longest. The second strategy is the fastest, but costs the most.

Let's start with...

Strategy #1: The Cheapest And Most Reliable Way To Discover A New Indie Game Market

Remember how Felipe posted his game on a space sim forum, and in two weeks he got 5,000 downloads?

Well, the thing is, Felipe was an active member on that forum for three years BEFORE he even mentioned his game. What I mean is, from 2008 to 2011, he spent three years just geeking out, and talking with like-minded people on that forum. And then in 2011, after building genuine friendships with people on that forum, he showed off his game. And people supported him. And people gave him feedback. And he used that feedback to iterate and develop. And then finally in 2013 he published his game on Steam's Early Access.

Remember, success in business doesn't happen overnight. There is no magic bullet formula to follow. There is no quick fix. There are no shortcuts. It takes work. It takes risks. And even though I can give you techniques to help you, you gotta put in the work if you want to make it work.

And remember, 80% of what you try won't work. And you gotta make it work small before it can work big.

Now saying that, it doesn't mean you have to spend 6 years. And the idea is to not waste time, and to quickly find that 20% that does work.

So, here's your strategy...

Step #1: Pick A Genre That You Love And Know A Lot About

If you already have a game idea, then you can skip this step. But if you're not sure where to start, then start with what you know: your favorite genre.

That's because you probably know a lot about your favorite genre. You're familiar with all the games in that genre. And you know the rules and expectations your favorite genre has. And so you probably have ideas on how to make a game that offers something different, or solves a problem or frustration in your favorite genre. So start there.

Ok, next...

Step #2: Join A Subreddit In Your Game's Genre And Engage As A Fan Would -- Once A Day For Three Weeks

Today, Reddit is where gamers hang out. This will change in the future. But today in 2025, that's where they mostly hang out.

So chances are there is a subreddit for the genre you're making your game in. And there's a subreddit for the biggest game in that genre. So join both subreddits.

But remember, people are on reddit for one thing: to geek out on their favorite genre or games. They don't care about another "indie game dev who quit their job and are working on their dream game". That's because there are hundreds of these game devs saying the same thing, and users on reddit don't care any more. Users don't want to see self-promotion anymore.

So join at least two subreddits that align with your game idea. But join as a fan of that genre, and not as a game dev.

So for example, say I was making a roguelike card game. I would join:

Genre: Rogulike
r/roguelikes

Biggest Game In Genre, Balatro:
r/balatro

And I would start talking. But not about game dev. Or about my game. I'd reply to posts. I'd share my thoughts about what I don't like and do like. I'd simply engage like I would a fan.

So, make a commitment to talk to users on these subreddits once a day. And do this for atleast 3 weeks.

The idea here is to develop genuine relationships with users, and so they recognize you, and like you.

And I know, this sucks. I know this takes work. I wish that a YouTuber can play your game in front of their huge audience, and you don't have to do anything, and your game blows up and you get 10,000 wishlists and your game launch is a financial success.

But that doesn't happen. Business success takes work. Hoping isn't a strategy. Getting out there, working hard is the only way. So make it a commitment to atleast engage in your subreddit at least once a day, for three weeks.

And I promise you, this simple act of engaging with other users as a fan and not as a game dev, will give you SO many ideas for your game.

You'll see that in three weeks, you'll have a lot of ideas to help you develop a pre-alpha build. So you're not really wasting time.

This time is VERY valuable because the intelligence you're gaining will help you make a game that people will want to buy.

But let's go one step deeper...

Step #3: DM Users You're Familiar With, And Ask Them Your Opinion

So after 3 weeks of talking and engaging your subreddits, you'll have gotten to know some people... and you'll have good karma in that subreddit.

So now it's ok to start DMing people you're familiar with, and asking them more specific questions. And remember, you're not trying to self-promote, or be sneaky, or manipulate anybody. Your goal is to validate your game idea.

So when DM people, ask them their opinion. Ask them what frustrations they have with the genre or with a particular game in that genre (i.e. in my example, I'd ask people what their issues are with Balatro).

And ask them if they've found other similar games that scratch that itch, nor not.

Remember, to find an indie game market that has potential, we need to ask these three questions:

Question #1: Is my player motivated by a frustration, problem, or issue?
Question #2: Is my player pro-actively looking for solutions?
Question #3: Does my player have few options?

So in this step, your goal is to talk to as many people as you can to help you get a better understanding of what your market wants and needs.

And how long do you do this for? Well, it depends. But the point is, the more you talk to people, the more insights you'll discover. Again, the knowledge you get from doing this will help you design a game that people will want to buy.

But we're not done yet. Here's...

Step #4: Self-Promote

The reason you're spending so much time in a subreddit and just engaging is because you want to build a positive karma rating in that subreddit. And when you do self-promote, the chances of your post getting removed is lower. But make sure, because some subreddits don't allow any self-promotion. But some do.

So after 3 to 6 weeks of learning directly from potential customers, you probably now have a solid game idea that has market potential.

But you're not done yet. You can't go off and start developing. You gotta now test this idea, and validate it.

For example, say I spent 6 weeks engaging and talking to users on r/roguelikes and r/balatro. And now I'm ready to show off my proof of concept. And I developed a quick early-alpha build, and put it up on Itch.io.

So then I would make a post on r/roguelikes (they allow 1 self-promotion post every 3 months)...

"Hey, I'm making a game like Balatro, but it's more casual and has less complicated mechanics... can I get your feedback?"

Then in the text I would link my game on Itch.io or web site.

I then would take any feedback, iterate, develop... and come back three months later, with a new build to self promote.

Problem With Strategy #1: Takes The Longest, But Is The Most Reliable And Cheapest

This strategy might turn you off because you don't get instant feedback and there is no instant gratification.

But like I said, all this work will be worth it in the long-run because in the long-run is where you learn what works and doesn't work. In the short-term, you never learn what works or doesn't. You need to test ideas over time, to see what works and doesn't. It's a process. It's all about DEVELOPING an idea.

And this strategy is the cheapest because you're not wasting money. And you're not wasting time, because the intelligence you get from talking to customers will help you design a game that is more marketable.

However, saying that there is a strategy that is faster, but costs more money. Let me show you...

Strategy #2: The Fastest Way To Market Research Your Game Ideas

Instead of spending 6 weeks talking on Reddit, there is a faster way to find out if your idea has a market or not. And that way is through paid ads.

Let me show you exactly how...

Step #1: Get A Simple Proof Of Concept Done

You don't need a demo. You don't need all the features. You just need the core idea done and working prototype.

And yeah, this might take some time. But you need a simple prototype to test for this strategy to work.

And don't worry if it's ugly or all the assets aren't there. You're trying to validate your idea. What I mean is, if you test your ugly prototype, and you get a lot of downloads, then you know you're onto something good.

And even if you don't get a lot of downloads, you'll at least get some feedback to help you iterate your idea and improve on it.

So start as early as you can. Don't aim for perfection. Aiming for perfection will kill your momentum and you'll second guess your efforts.

It's like a cheetah. They don't sit and think and ponder before they strike. They strike. And often they miss. But that's ok. They eventually will get their food.

Remember, 80% of the stuff we try won't work. So don't worry about perfection right now.

Ok, next...

Step #2: Host Your Prototype Up On Itch.io Page (Or Your Own Website)

Once you got your proof of concept... your prototype done... put it up on Itch.io or your own website.

Again, this will take some work. But you need it because in step 3 we are going to start finding people that will give you valuable feedback.

Step #3: Use Paid Ads To Find Players And Get Feedback

Reddit, Google, Facebook, TikTok... it doesn't matter what platform you use. Get an account, and join their advertising program.

Create an ad that simply asks for feedback.

So for example, I would buy an ad to display on r/roguelikes saying:

"Hey I'm making a roguelike card game like Balatro, but it is more casual... can I get your feedback"

Then I'd link the ad back to my Itch.io page (or website). And I'd make sure that on my page I ask for feedback.

Spend $100 bucks and the ad. And see how many people respond and give you feedback. And then try a different platform or a different headline.

Remember, 80% of what you try won't work. But that's ok. Give yourself a budget of say $500. Test 5 different ads. And track which one gets you the most feedback. Find the winner, and use that ad again when you need more feedback.

Strategy #2: Cost The Most, Isn't Reliable, But Is The Fastest

The problem with this strategy is it's not reliable. You'll have to keep testing your ads because your first ad won't work -- probably. And this costs money. But it is the fastest. Say you spend $500 on this strategy. And in about two weeks you'll know if your idea has a market or not.

So if time isn't your biggest concern, then Strategy #1 would be best for you. But if money isn't your concern, then Strategy #2 would work best for you.

And this is exactly what I do for my day job: I use both strategies to help small indie game devs find a market. I research their market, their game.

I then create the marketing for the Itch.io, Steam page, or website. Then I create ads to find players, and get feedback.

The game dev then uses that feedback to help them develop a game people will want to play and buy.

And also, as we do this, the game dev is slowly building an audience. So when they launch, they have a built-in audience waiting to buy their game.

What's Your Goal?

Launching soon, need wishlists? Click: Get Wishlists

Game sales low after launch? Click: Get Game Sales

Want to test a game idea to see if it's profitable? Click: Get Market Research

Thanks for reading! Hope you got one insight to help you market your indie game and start growing your audience, and finding customers!

Later!

Dariusz Konrad
Email: dariusz at mainquestmarketing dot com
Discord Username: dariuszkonrad
LinkedIn: My entrepreneurial successes
Work: Game devs I've helped so far