Game Smithing

1️⃣ Background:

We started our collaboration in August 2023. The game is “Soulstone Survivors” - a roguelite with a unique vibe and artstyle. It is more complex than a typical game from this genre - it contains several maps of different difficulty levels, countless achievements to unlock, 15 various characters and what seems like endless possibilities to upgrade them. 

That’s why it gained the nickname - 肝 (“liver”). Chinese gaming slang for ‘something that takes a long time to complete’.

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Our main goal was to increase the % of sales from China to fully use the potential of the market, create hype around the game and build the Chinese community. The game is currently in Early Access and it already makes waves among Chinese players. Let’s look at the numbers:

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2️⃣ Results:

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Game sales in China - Steam:

• 20% of sales are from China - from 12,9% to 20% in 4 months (53% increase)
• 118k copies sold in China total
• +23k copies sold in China since August (start of our collaboration)

Our work with Game Smithing over the last 4 months made the % of sales from China go from 12,9% to 20%. To give you some context - 20% of sales from China is an equivalent of Germany, France, UK and Polish market combined. Also, 24% of players on Steam speak Chinese - so if your game still has only a few % of Chinese sales, there is room for improvement. 

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Heybox:

• 90k players on Heybox total (20k growth since September)
• 54k wishlists on Heybox
• peak number of players on Heybox grew by 151.6% in September

Heybox wishlist numbers are the determinant of your game’s popularity in China. In December, Soulstone Survivors reached 54 thousand wishlists.

Michalina Kujawska, Allan Smith and Fernando Colombo created great results on this project and show the importance of a long-term approach to game marketing. 

How did we achieve it?

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3️⃣ Our solution:

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We started our collaboration with Chinese influencer outreach. To mention a few remarkable numbers:

👉 video published by Douyin creator with +1,5 mln followers

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👉 videos published by BiliBili creators with 368k and with almost 200k followers 

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👉 almost 100 organic videos created - a sign that the players and creators enjoy the game and want to talk about it

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But the crucial factor of our collaboration was the long-term approach; allowing us to build up game sales and wishlist numbers over time - steadily growing from August till now. 

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The trust built during the months of working with @ Game Smithing and the continuous game tweaks, dramatically improved the gamers’ experience. Regular game updates, listening to our suggestions, and adjusting strategy together is what made the project successful. Our cooperation doesn’t end now - the results and organic interest in Soulstone Survivors is the reason for the next steps.

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4️⃣ Next steps for Soulstone Survivors:

To increase the effects of our work, in December we’re leveraging a flexible approach to Content Creation and Community Management in real-time. The strategy behind it is to gain even more Chinese players and build a stronger community - which, when led with the understanding of cultural contexts, can bring valuable insights.

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The open-minded approach of Allan and Fernando during our collaboration over the months allowed us to bring value to the community by including elements of Chinese culture into your games. Our Specialists spent time with the @ Game Smithing team to discuss cultural contexts, history, and upcoming festivals. We don't want to spoil anything yet, but keep an eye on Game Smithing’s social media in the following months - something amazing is coming up! 

5️⃣ Summary:

Long-term approach to game marketing is key - allowing for a steady & consistent boost in game sales and wishlists on the Chinese market. Results like 53% increase in game sales are a testimony of great work.

But what is most important, players enjoy the game - which is the ultimate sales booster. 

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