Key Takeaways
1. The Epic Games Store’s free promotion of Blood West led to a significant sales increase on Steam, with a 200% surge noted by New Blood Interactive’s CEO Dave Oshry.
2. The timing of the sales peak on Steam occurred several days after the free promotion, raising questions about the promotion’s immediate impact.
3. Oshry described the Epic Games Store as a “Marketing Black Hole,” but acknowledged that offering games for free can effectively advertise on Steam.
4. Steam’s community features, including forums, ratings, and workshops, play a crucial role in user engagement and game performance compared to the Epic Games Store.
5. Blood West’s holiday sale, pricing it at $9.99 from $24.99, attracted players looking for deals and convenience, contributing to its sales success on Steam.
The Epic Games Store offered a range of free games this holiday season, featuring the ghostly stealth shooter Blood West. However, this promotion seems to have boosted the competing Steam platform instead. Dave Oshry, the new CEO of New Blood Interactive, took to social media to explain how Blood West experienced a notable surge in sales.
Sales Surge on Steam
Oshry posted a graph indicating that players on Steam rushed to buy Blood West, even though it was available for free on the Epic Games Launcher. Users on the ResetEra forum pointed out that the timing of the promotion wasn’t entirely clear. The game was free for 24 hours, starting December 20, yet the sales peak on the graph appeared several days later. Still, Oshry is convinced that the roughly 200% increase in sales was not just a fluke.
Marketing Insights
The co-founder of New Blood Interactive expressed, “I always thought EGS was a Marketing Black Hole, but it turns out offering your game for free on Epic is excellent advertising for Steam sales!” He further mentioned that the developers received some form of payment from the store for this promotion.
The marketplace, which has the approval of Tim Sweeney, has shown considerable growth, largely thanks to an ongoing supply of free games. Regardless, Steam keeps breaking its own records, recently surpassing 42 million users. Fans often cite the community-centric features as key factors in Valve’s dominance.
Community Engagement
Steam provides game-specific forums where players usually go first to express their thoughts or ask for support. Additionally, its well-liked rating and review system can greatly impact how a new game performs. Workshops also enhance content creation, keeping gameplay exciting. In contrast, the Epic Games Store lacks many of these features, making it harder to keep users engaged.
Trying out a distinctive shooter like Blood West without spending any money can be alluring. However, many gamers soon gravitated back to their preferred platform and a central collection of beloved games. Blood West also had a holiday sale, reducing its price from $24.99 to $9.99, which made it more attractive to players looking for convenience.
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