Video game developers undergo many challenges throughout the development process, from planning to actually building and selling their games. But one of the last questions that many will likely have to ask themselves is which platforms the game should be released on? For many devs, these questions can pose a dilemma as the answer isn’t always clear.
Steam
The most popular platform to develop on in recent years has been PC, with the Steam Store being the biggest storefront. Steam has risen in popularity because of its massive user base and the simplicity of sumitting their games to the store. Historical video games, in particular, find the most success by getting released on Steam, as strategy games (which quite frequently are rooted in history) are usually best played with a mouse and keyboard. While this isn’t true for all strategy titles, many of these types of titles are developed with PC gaming in mind and therefore make the most sense getting released onto the Steam Store, at least initially.
There are drawbacks to releasing your title on Steam, however. With such a high volume of games, Steam is also the most competitive platform. Thousands of games are released on Steam every year, meaning that it can be quite easy for your indie title to get lost like a needle in a haystack. Even if your game is great, it can easily get missed if there are a dozen other games like it, so developers will have to do a great job with marketing to become successful on the platform.
Xbox and PlayStation
If you decide that Steam isn’t the right platform for you, then the next best option might be releasing your game on either the Xbox or PlayStation consoles (or both). The Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 are both very similar consoles, with comparable graphical capabilities, online storefronts, and expansive user bases, so either one is as good a choice as the other. The pros of releasing your historical game on Sony or Microsoft’s home consoles is that these platforms are still very new and don’t have nearly as many games as Steam does, and will have an easier time standing out among the rest.
But like Steam, there are some drawbacks to releasing your game on Xbox or PlayStation consoles. The biggest downside is that you have less freedom; PlayStation and Xbox are a bit more strict than Steam, and it is harder to get your game published by these companies. Additionally, the young age of the new Xbox and PlayStation consoles can also work against developers, as their playerbase isn’t very large at the beginning, therefore limiting the success of small indie titles. Historical games are also in a niche category, which might be a harder sell for many console gamers. There’s also the issue of making your game playable on consoles, which comes with its own complexities. Overall, releasing your game onto consoles can be a great idea but might take a bit more work and planning over releasing it on Steam.
Nintendo Switch
One gaming platform that has seen an astounding amount of success since its release in 2017 has been the Nintendo Switch. Unlike Sony and Microsoft, which recently launched their newest consoles, the Switch has been out for over five years and has a massive playerbase. The Nintendo Switch eShop is perhaps the most active and popular digital storefront, second only to Steam, with thousands of games available for purchase, many of which are indie titles. The Switch is a popular choice for playing smaller indie titles, thanks to the Switch’s handheld-hybrid nature. It apparently is also quite easy for developers to release their games on this platform.
Granted, there aren’t a ton of historical video games that are getting released for the Nintendo Switch, but that may actually be beneficial for historical video game developers as their games might end up standing out more on the platform. The biggest drawback of the Nintendo Switch, of course, is its graphical limitations. While it’s a popular platform, it can’t handle many games that are more graphically demanding, so the finished product may not be the technical powerhouse that was envisioned.
Multi-Platform Release
Overall, all of these platforms are excellent, and developers should consider all of them when picking a platform for their historical video game. Steam is the most accessible and easiest to develop titles for, but every current console on the marketplace is a valid console to release your game on. There are also few barriers to releasing your title on every platform, as many developers opt for multi-platform releases. This will allow your game to get into more players’ hands and give your game wider exposure. Multi-platform releases also require more time and money, so there are drawbacks to this.
All in all, you should definitely weigh your options before deciding on which platform to release your game on. If you are brand new to video game development, then perhaps Steam may be the best platform to start with, and then consider other platforms later down the road. But no matter which platform you decide to develop for, you should remember that the quality of your game and its marketing will ultimately be the factors that affect the success of your historical video game.
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.)