Global Game Distribution: A Primer for First-Time Developers

If you’re a first-time game developer, the world of distribution can be an intimidating one. It might feel far outside your skill set, or even be something you’d just rather not think about.

Distribution, though, is simply a means to connect players with your game and reach as many people as you can. It’s what lets your creation thrive after all that effort making it. Get distribution right, and you’ll also maximize the revenues that can help you grow your studio, create more games, and continue doing what you love for years to come.

It is also now easier than ever to reach vast audiences beyond Steam and Itch – something especially important as it becomes very hard to stand out on Valve’s platform, which last year saw over 20,000 new releases. That is especially tough for first-time developers with no previous reputation or a limited marketing budget.

At Rokky, game distribution is our reason to be. We make it simple for teams of every size to reach bigger, more varied audiences. And here we’re going to look at that opportunity, specifically for first-time developers.

It starts with game keys. Once you get your game on Steam, Valve will let you generate game keys that can be sold on other stores. Why would you want to go to other stores? After all, despite the discoverability challenge, it remains essential to release your game on Steam, thanks to the large audience reach, so why not just focus on that?

Those other stores, however, can let you unlock vast new audiences that are traditionally hard to reach – including China’s enormous market. The most famous examples are GOG, Humble Bundle, and Fanatical – but thousands more exist globally, including region-specific stores like ChinaPlay. To harness all those stores, the first step is to release on Steam, but it should never end there.

At Rokky, we help developers publish and distribute their games globally by making key distribution simple. So you might expect us to say that global distribution is a huge opportunity. But don't take our word for it. A notable change is underway, and it’s evident in what developers are saying. When we commissioned an independent study into how game makers perceive distribution today, 53% expressed concerns about how much they rely on Steam. 30% have already distributed to marketplaces such as G2A and Kinguin, and 38% to e-stores such as Fanatical or Humble Bundle. It is becoming increasingly standard practice to serve stores beyond Steam.

The opportunity for first-time developers is huge. But there is a challenge: ‘the gray market’, where keys are bought in regions where the costs are low, and sold in areas where players are used to paying more. That can eat into your profit. Fortunately, with careful strategy you can entirely counter the grey market threat.

Global game distribution really is within your reach and can supercharge your success. To maximize your reach and revenue, manage being in thousands of stores simultaneously, and avoid grey market losses, working with a distribution partner is the way to go. Rokky is here to talk to you, wherever you are in your game development journey.