Key information
A recent analysis by developer Dream_Ep, shared on the r/gamemarketing subreddit, suggests that Steam follower counts for unreleased games are lower than many developers might assume. By examining approximately 8000 titles with demo versions, excluding those from major publishers, the study found the median follower count is just 12.
The data indicates that having 100 followers places a game in the top 14.3% of the analyzed titles. Only about 3% of games reach 1000 followers. Dream_Ep estimates that wishlist counts are roughly 10 times the number of followers, meaning a median game likely has around 120 wishlists.
The analysis also highlights a concentration of popularity, noting that the top 10% of games captured 74% of new followers over a one-week period. Furthermore, 42% of the surveyed games lacked any linked social media accounts, though the developer noted a correlation between having more linked accounts and higher follower counts.
These findings align with previous data from GameDiscoverCo regarding the February Next Fest, which also identified a low median follower count. While Steam users appear to prioritize wishlists over following, these statistics provide context for developers evaluating their own game's performance.
