One Steam expert claims devs will "know immediately" if their game "has the magic" to be a hit on Valve's digital storefront, but claims there's generally only a short window for a title to fly, because if they don't hit 250 reviews within their first month, "it's more than likely not gonna happen." Despite this, however, one singular game last year managed to be an exception to that rule.
Speaking at a panel during GDC, game marketing consultant and strategist Chris Zukowski says devs will know "within a week, maybe a month" if they have a hit on their hands. He explains that if Valve "detects that your game has the magic, they will give you all the visibility they can muster," and this generally happens very quickly. Zukowski reveals that he looked at "all the games that got into real Steam" last year – "real Steam" being the "goal" that the consultant says devs should aim for, which he estimates happens after hitting around $150,000 in gross revenue in "the first six to nine months." Of those games, a whopping 74% of those made it within their first three months. "It happens very fast," he adds.
