Historical video games have become more popular in recent years, with the overall gaming landscape becoming significantly larger. And with more gamers comes a higher demand and interest in video game development. As a result, numerous indie development studios have emerged, each wanting to create their own video games. This is obviously a good thing, as it helps to diversify the video game market and gives players more options for games to play, but it also poses more challenges for smaller indie developers. Here are a few of the many challenges that indie devs face, as well as a few solutions to those problems.
Oversaturation
The most obvious problem that’s arisen from an increase in indie developers is an oversaturated market. Historical video games used to be somewhat an oddity in the gaming world back in the ’90s and early 2000s, but now they’re a dime a dozen.
As an example, 15 years ago, consumers only had a handful of different World War II RTS titles to choose from, and today there are well over fifty different games available to them in that sub-genre alone. Historical video games are not uncommon, and that can be problematic for many game developers who are brand new to the market.
Standing Out in Crowd
As a result of an oversaturated market, it can be challenging for indie devs to stand out in the crowd. Whether that means finding a new spin on an existing gameplay style, setting your historical game within a rarely explored setting or period, or simply giving your game a unique graphical style, indie game devs need to do something to stand out from their competitors. This isn’t an easy task to achieve, but it is still possible.
The recent title Going Medieval sets itself apart from the competition by combining the city-building gameplay of games like Sim City and the graphical style and survival mechanics of titles like Minecraft to create an entirely unique gaming experience. If indie developers want to get anywhere in the industry, they have to get creative with their game’s design and concept in order to stand out.
A Lack of Resources
Another major hurdle that many indie devs face when creating their historical video games is working with a limited budget and resources. While not all smaller developers have this problem, it does tend to be an issue faced by many. With a limited budget, developers have to be extra careful with how much money goes into which aspect of the game; if 100% of the budget goes solely into your video game’s development, nothing is left over to help market the game. Suppose too much money is given to marketing and other miscellaneous resources. In that case, there may not be enough money left over for the development team, and you’re left with an unpolished title.
Less Focus on Marketing
Many small indie studios make the same mistake of not putting enough resources into marketing. Or they simply do it the wrong way. Marketing is essential when trying to sell your game and get it into the hands of players, but you have to use the correct marketing strategies to get the best bang for your buck.
Epoch XP can help with marketing your historical video game so that you don’t have to. We have a team of marketing experts and historians that can assist with any marketing that you may need, and all for an affordable price. If you’re a game developer and are stressing over the marketing for your game, then Epoch XP has got you covered.
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At Epoch XP, we specialize in creating compelling narratives and provide research to give your game the kind of details that engage your players and create a resonant world they want to spend time in. If you are interested in learning more about our gaming research services, you can browse Epoch XP’s service on our parent site, SJR Research.
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(This article is credited to Ben Price. For as long as he can remember, Ben has always loved playing, discussing, and writing about video games. Since receiving his B.A. in English, he now writes about them for a living.)