What I'm trying to speak to here is conventional wisdom around genre and Steam tag selection rather than making a definitive statement about the overall performance of "weird" games. I think "weird" games that exhibit a strong ability to attract and retain players have as good a chance as anything.
How certain are you that “weird“ games underperform in the current indie landscape? At least on Steam, my impression is that strange games (Nubby's Number Factory, Cruelty Squad, everything from Strange Scaffold) are far more attention-grabbing than the umpteenth survivorslike, puzzle-platformer, or roguelike deckbuilder.
Maybe the dynamics differ on mobile, where user-acquisition is less about gaining momentum on Steam, and more about maximizing conversion rates on paid ads? I could see that creating a tendency towards generic, agreeable games with a checklist of expected features, settings and mechanics.
What I'm trying to speak to here is conventional wisdom around genre and Steam tag selection rather than making a definitive statement about the overall performance of "weird" games. I think "weird" games that exhibit a strong ability to attract and retain players have as good a chance as anything.
Gotcha - appreciate the clarification and your articles in general!
How certain are you that “weird“ games underperform in the current indie landscape? At least on Steam, my impression is that strange games (Nubby's Number Factory, Cruelty Squad, everything from Strange Scaffold) are far more attention-grabbing than the umpteenth survivorslike, puzzle-platformer, or roguelike deckbuilder.
Maybe the dynamics differ on mobile, where user-acquisition is less about gaining momentum on Steam, and more about maximizing conversion rates on paid ads? I could see that creating a tendency towards generic, agreeable games with a checklist of expected features, settings and mechanics.