Chris Zukowski founded How to Market a Game, a research and education platform for indie game developers. He tracks Steam wishlist data, launch conversion rates, and Valve algorithm changes to help independent studios build discoverability strategies grounded in empirical evidence. His analysis has covered Steam Next Fest performance patterns, Popular Upcoming eligibility changes, and the emerging role of personalized discovery surfaces in pre-launch campaigns.
Operating themes
- Platform algorithm forensics. Zukowski documents how Valve algorithm changes affect indie launch trajectories, translating opaque platform mechanics into actionable developer guidance.
- Wishlist as the leading metric. Wishlist accumulation rate and conversion to launch-day sales drive most of his launch strategy frameworks.
- Empirical over anecdote. He tracks aggregate Next Fest cohort data and compares against historical baselines rather than reasoning from individual case studies.