The producer at Oro Interactive advised developers not to wait for Steam Next Fest and to release demos in advance
Several times a year, Valve hosts the Steam Next Fest, a festival of demo versions, also known as the "Play What’s Next" event. Although the event has many advantages, Hans Haave, a producer at Oro Interactive, believes that developers shouldn't rely solely on it.
Haave shared his thoughts on social media. He posted a thread where he explained that Steam Next Fest is very unpredictable in terms of its impact on game visibility and wishlists. The festival constantly changes its design and format, so "there's simply no point" in relying on something so unstable.
Additionally, competition increases significantly during the festival. It's harder for demo versions to make it onto the "Popular Free Games" list on Steam, and bloggers’ and streamers’ inboxes get flooded with emails from numerous teams asking them to play their games.
Therefore, Haave recommends developers try to "push" their demo versions themselves. Release it not directly during the festival but 3-4 weeks earlier or at entirely different times. For example, as part of a themed event or another presentation. It’s also possible to publish it on itch.io and observe the initial audience reactions, which can be useful for refining the game and its further promotion.
Simon Carless, the founder of the analytics service GameDiscoverCo, partially agrees with Haave's position. He shared the Oro Interactive producer’s thread in his latest newsletter and added that he usually advises making a "marketing push" for the demo twice: during a calm period and during the Steam Next Fest. Carless also emphasized that a demo version is not just a fragment of the game that gamers try before buying. It’s a tool that allows the audience to learn about the project as a whole.
Remember, the next Steam Next Fest will begin in just two weeks. It starts on June 9 and runs until June 16.