WiiWare?

[smakian]

Jesus, people. If being obnoxious was all it took to get onto Steam, everything would be on there. They've contacted them, that's really all they can do right now. If you want it to happen, maybe try contacting Steam yourselves and showing them there's a fanbase and a demand for the game out there. It's the gamers' money they're after, not the developers.

Returning to the topic of Wiiware...yeah, I don't really see it happening, unless it went episodic like that Lost Winds is doing. Honestly though, Aquaria could probably hack it as a full release on that platform, if a publisher could be found.

[Triquick]

You know, I actually am trying. But you know what? I shouldn't have to. And with this defeatest attitude to actually marketing the game, why should I bother? 

Good luck to just waiting around, but I can promise you nothing is actually going to happen unless you make a move.  Its a shame too with the talent you guys displayed. 

[inkblob]

I hope you don't take the same approach to hitting on girls. people get turned off by pushy

[Glamador]

Well Triquick I think you had the right idea before.  The thing is, NONE of us know how to properly approach this situation.  So the right move, is to hire someone who KNOWS about Public Relations.  Get a marketer or a PR guy and set him to work.  You need connections and charm and knowhow about who to talk to, when, where, and how.

So stop taking the advice of a bunch of neophytes Alec and get professional consultation.

[Alec]

Uh, I don't have a defeatist attitude about it, honestly. I'd love to find a business guy to work with to improve things! I have tons of energy that I'd like to spend on promoting the game!

But I want to do it effectively, and I don't want to risk annoying people and losing chances. I think doing stuff without thinking it through or without getting an experienced opinion, could potentially make things worse.

What's frustrating for me is that I don't have the ability to make this stuff happen right now. Like I said, I'm working on trying to change that.

I don't see how that's defeatist at all. Its kind of the opposite, there...

Also: I appreciate the interest and the faith you guys have in the game. Its really encouraging!

[Xiagan]

Also: I appreciate the interest and the faith you guys have in the game. Its really encouraging!

It's earned big times!

[Triquick]

Yeah, the PR/Business person is probably going to be the best plan.  I just have a bad feeling he/she is going to recommend some of the stuff I talked about.

But more importantly, I just want to state again that there is nothing wrong with being assertive. An opportunity never taken is just as bad (or ever worse) as one lost. And I really don't think the Steam guys would be that annoyed if you made some sort of post on their general forums. What some of the rumors I heard from asking around in other forums this is a constant problem with the Steam personal. 

And really, it’s not like you're selling a crap product here. You've got the awards, the praise, and positive critic response. You've just needed help getting your name out there.

Edit: Assertive Example


E-mails Reverend Anthony from http://www.destructoid.com. He wrote a Indie Nation article on you Aquaria (in fact, the very first one: http://www.destructoid.com/indie-nation-1-aquaria-64079.phtml) and loved the game. I’m sure he would love to from you guys.

Hell, look at this quote from the above article:

All in all, Aquaria is damned good. If you're at all a fan of 2D adventures -- and if you aren't, what the hell is wrong with you -- you'll find something appealing in its labyrinth of caverns and corals. It feels retro, but totally new; classic, yet fresh. Little surprise it won the grand prize at IGF.

All you would have to do is send him an e-mail; you loved his write up on destructiod about Aquaria, loved the support he gave to Aquaria, and then explain your blight about Steam and having problems getting exposure. Then ask for any help he possible might be able to give.

That’s it. He likes the game, and I’m sure would love to hear from you guys. Alex, you would have nothing to loose and everything to gain. And if he say no, so what? You move on and rest upon how good Aquaria is. 

[Ataraxia]

The first and best place to start with Steam would be to get Aquaria up and running on Steam Works. Once you have that in place contact Steam Publishing, make them aware that Aquaria is up and running with Steam Works and give them some rough sales figures.  A few ideas to consider: Consider the best method that Steam could market Aquaria (ie. what market sector should be targeted, what games already on Steam have a similar target audience, how did those games perform) If you come to them with at least a little bit of your homework done they will consider Aquaria more seriously. Ask them about the certification process, and beta testing. One of the largest hindrances to getting an Indy developed game on a large platform (ie: Steam, XBLA, WiiWare) is the fact that Indy developers don't have a large cloud of testers at their finger tips. Meaning a large amount of beta testing and bug testing needs to be done during the certification stage, which in turn costs a lot of time and money on the publishers part. That's why you see very little Indy goodness on Steam, XBLA etc. the effort involved outweighs the potential profits. So if your looking at distributing via Steam, XBLA etc. do as much of your homework as possible. The less the publisher has to do to get your game on their platform the more willing they will be to accept your game. It's simple as that. Also, if you have any big name references you can give them (ie: the Destructoid guy mentioned above) don't be afraid to name drop. Anyways, that's my two cents, hit me up if you ahve any questions.

[silverflagon]

Besides some of these people have a shuttered outlook on what sells, so it's best waiting untill you have more leverage Alec. The problem with getting a large company to market your game, is that you stand the chance of losing it to them completely, that is what happened the the Lara Croft people
I should know that because my son was hoping to work for them, before the game really took of world wide, and he still kept an interest in them through a girlfriend. She had dated one of the team for a couple of years, no more to be said on that score ._.

[smakian]

Ataraxia talks a -lot- of sense. Having looked at it, I've got to agree that implementing Steam Works in Aquaria is probably the best place to start and would likely fast-track the process considerably.

[Alec]

The guy you talk to get access to SteamWorks is the same guy you talk to to get on Steam. (the same guy we're already talking to)

[Glamador]

Well that's a system frought with nepotism and dead ends.

[Alec]

I think to move forward we'd have to call some people and gather up some really nice "ammo" to use in the conversation.

Not sure when the best time to work on that is. I'm swamped ATM.

[smakian]

The guy you talk to get access to SteamWorks is the same guy you talk to to get on Steam. (the same guy we're already talking to)

So this is the guy that you're waiting to get back to you? Have an email address? Cause we could show some love.

[silverflagon]

The guy you talk to get access to SteamWorks is the same guy you talk to to get on Steam. (the same guy we're already talking to)

So this is the guy that you're waiting to get back to you? Have an email address? Cause we could show some love.

I second that