Usually, as a developer, you want to avoid launching a game really close to the launch of another major game that attracts the same audience.
For example, it would have been bad to launch RimWorld very close to Factorio.
I'm looking at games that are going to launch in July and trying to see if there's any I should avoid. Maybe you know of one?
Do any of y'all know about a game with a similar audience as RimWorld (the game doesn't have to be similar) coming out around then? I'm doing my own research but I don't want to miss something.
Thanks in advance.
Hrm... Not many. July is usually the slump. The only big name is a batman on console I am aware of. No similar indie games I know of or have seen on the youtubers I watch.
I don't know how many people are into them. But I've been watching the GDQs since the beginning. This year Summer Games Done Quick will be streamed 3–10 July, and I'll probably be watching their stream more than playing games myself.
It's a bit early in the month right now, but it doesn't appear that anything remotely close to Rim World is being released anywhere any time soon, although Dwarf Fortress will likely get another update before July (and that will likely occupy my time).
I don't know when the Steam summer sale is exactly, but I think it's during July. It's probably a bad idea to release anything then, because EVERYONE expects some sort of sale, if you buy anything there at that time.
Stellaris might not be a similar game to this, but i have noticed while i play on kongregate that the MMOs i play there have people with very similar likes in chat (i found many games that were MADE for me from there including this and factorio) and people that like this and factorio also were hyped on Stellaris and it is scheduled to have the first major final bug fixing and updates to make how the game was marketed around july end and going by paradox's policy there would most likely not be a dlc for 3 months so anywhere after a week or 2 after or before that would be good. Although since its not paid, it will be more of a question of if people have got the time to play rather than the money to buy the game.
The new Heroes of might & magic game is coming out August 4th.
The new ARK game will be released in July.
Starbound 1.0 is going to be "SOON" but I dont really know when that is going to be.
Quote from: JimmyAgnt007 on June 10, 2016, 08:33:48 AM
Starbound 1.0 is going to be "SOON" but I dont really know when that is going to be.
As one who has played the game from the first public alpha, and periodically plays their daily updates, I don't believe they will release in July.
Also, popularity for it has fallen off significantly, since it's been in development for so long. I don't think a release would be met with that much fanfare.
Quote from: Admiral Obvious on June 10, 2016, 10:49:33 AM
Quote from: JimmyAgnt007 on June 10, 2016, 08:33:48 AM
Starbound 1.0 is going to be "SOON" but I dont really know when that is going to be.
As one who has played the game from the first public alpha, and periodically plays their daily updates, I don't believe they will release in July.
Also, popularity for it has fallen off significantly, since it's been in development for so long. I don't think a release would be met with that much fanfare.
^this
I had so much hope for starbound back when I bought it 2 years or so back. Tried it again a couple of months ago and was very disappointed... Seemed even buggier than when I initially bought it, with barely any more content that made playing fun. So disappointed.
@Thread: Doesn't matter, just release it 1st of july already! :P
From what I see, the biggest ones are:
Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII PC
Strategy - July 5th
Ghostbusters: The Movie PC ... Not that it is gonna be big but...
Action - July 12th
Infinium Strike PC
Strategy , Action - July 14th
I Am Setsuna PC
RPG - July 19th
And... on early august...
No Man's Sky. - August 9th
Beware of that, gonna grab alot of attention.
Well, I'm hyped about Hyperspace Admirals coming out in second half of 2016. It's not exactly july, but worth to mention it anyway.
Ok, thanks for the info everyone :) Still looking for more info if anyone knows more than this.
No Man's Sky is the biggest one I'm trying to avoid right now. And the Summer Sale.
No Mans Sky is pushed to august and that will be a primary holder for months pushing into the christmas season.
Steam summer sales rumor the 23 June to 4 Jul? Add week to that puts it probably the eight would be a nice date. Let people and reviews come in.
According to this site that made the countdown of Steam Summer Sales, it will happen in a couple of weeks.
http://whenisthenextsteamsale.com/
But Steam is an unpredictable bi***. Does anyone know how long the summer sale lasts?
I know exactly when the Summer Sale is. Just trying to figure out how close I could release after it without taking a hit.
Summer is the desert for videogame players.
If you let the game out in summer it will probably stand out.
Or be ignored because no one is looking.
Decisions, decisions... :P
Quote from: Tynan on June 10, 2016, 04:32:13 PM
I know exactly when the Summer Sale is. Just trying to figure out how close I could release after it without taking a hit.
:-( Sad face on the agression. The main consideration is the source of hype. First buyers will be those following the prominent youtube lets players doing rimworld. Considering most sale purchases, that first week of powerplaying will be biggest input. A-list titles on sale wont have as big as impact due to the hardcore gamers already got them.
Ditto for indie titles. Many purchases have that youtube interest. The second weekend is when most time is spent. Players will buy a batch of games and play them in quick bursts. Cheap games with half hearted interest. Like 30h most people will play them unless is some serious sandbox or RPG they are waiting for
Once the inital sale euphoria is over, whatever is new and fresh takes hold for long term.
Be confident in your game. It will sell itself. Present it for what it is. The music, the importance of one pawn. The fact it is a survival game more than just a builder. Encourage the creative aspect and connections to people.
From Blitz and Etalyx plays, the connection to pawns carry across games. It resonates with players and viewers. Comments of experiences come frequently. In Etalyx's live stream. Viewers chose to name the colony after a pawn that died in the youtube colony. As Etalyx put it, you can only have release once be it alpha, early access or full. So if you make that impression, it will carry itself despite what other hype may be around. Look at Stardew Valley.
RIP Taly. You were too good to die.
There is huge update for ArmA-3 (Apex) in June. Looks like developer will need 1-2 more weeks to release it.
Other from that I really see nothing worth my attention in games industry for the whole summer.
The Steam sales are not nearly as popular since steam started their refund policy. It used to be fun to watch for daily and hourly deals, but that stopped because of the possibility for people to refund because of buyers remorse when a game's price drops far below what they paid. Impulse buying has been greatly reduced, for me anyway.
From what I've seen, no game shall impact the steam release of Rimworld. Good choice.
Personal pick? July 12th ;)
Very interesting info, I appreciate it everyone.
Did we miss anything? I'm actually surprised July seems so empty. Maybe everyone's avoiding the Steam summer sale.
The thing though, if everyone avoids the sale, and you release during it, you'd likely remain on the front page for some time.
Although people would be expecting the game to be sold dirt cheap.
I think the game is unique enough, and polished enough to warrant being sold during the Summer Sale to kick off, but that's my personal opinion. Especially for an Early Access game.
Makes me think of all those games I've seen entering steam that got overshadowed by some AAA-title mega release, it's a good thing you're planning ahead.
The other thing to consider for dates is the impact of E3. Since its happening this coming week, many games may be holding release dates close to their hearts until their announcement at E3. It might so happen some AAA publishers might announce a game will come into beta or come out in July and announce it during E3. Or maybe some indie-titles that show up at E3 might use E3 to drum up interest in them and they intend to release in July, but as they may be too small to be currently noticed, the interest raised at E3 might make them hot titles in July.
As an example, two games that may be at E3 and have release dates around July-ish are "Below" and "EITR", as they are both near completion and have release dates set for 2016, and both have been covered by major youtube channels; but a while ago got that coverage (Below got covered by TotalBiscuit and EITR by VaatiVidya). If they showed up at E3, and both released in July, you might have a problem, as those youtube channels will likely drum up more support for them.
Or maybe, the release date of the new PS4 / XBoxOne might come out in July, announced at E3. That would also eat a hole in consumer's pockets.
My advice, is watch E3, and see if any really hyped up Indie titles may be releasing in July, and choose a release date based on these indie titles.
I wound up making an account to help with this so hi all,
Monster Hunter Generations is releasing in the West July 15th, Community is pretty small so I can't see it affecting Rimworld's launch much.
Edit: Also it releases on 3ds not PC so probably less significant.
watch out for this doozy of a game
people die to play this game its so good!
(http://i.imgur.com/aOqdr3D.png)
Well, based on the Bethesada conference it does look like major AAAs are keeping release dates to them selves till their announcement at E3. They announced a few new DLCs for Fallout 4 that come out in July as an example, that may eat up consumers monies in July.
Yeah, I think it's a good point about E3. I'll be watching the announcement and seeing if there's anything hitting in July.
The foundest memory I have from E3 is E3 Abriedged 2013.
You can check it
here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71H69yDZ6W4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71H69yDZ6W4)
and
here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlkZNNaYBro (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlkZNNaYBro)
Is kotaku still a good website to check E3 News?
I would consider the release date of Mount and Blade 2 and Divinity Original Sin 2.
Not sure is going to be July, but if you postpone the release could overlap.
I suppose they are big hit for the average indie gamer.
I would guess summer is a good time. Plenty of time to play during the warmer hours, "kids" are in vacation, less pressure at work.
My suggestions are:
- A good trailer with plenty of humour.
- Let people try to "beat the game", scenarios should be an option (submenu). Big button on the center with the standard "against the computer" game -- storyteller and difficulty level, simple, and with permadeath option on the side of the same screen.
- I'm sure we still have to see the new GUI, but I did some testing with casual gamers and my girlfriend, the actual implementation is far from optimal.
anyway.. I'm sure you already considered everything I wrote. :D
[Strategic consultingpawn here.]
I would wait until the hype around No Man's Sky fades, as well as the possible uptick in popularity Stellaris could get from the update.
From the titles described above, and obviously omitting Factorio and DF, Stellaris does share a very similar market. If they get the update right, it could gather a lot of momentum - and being the time sink it is - I don't see people double-shifting Stellaris and Rimworld.
Think about the (almost) back-to-school window; look for public weekly retail sales reports to validate your hypothesis. I'm sure data is disaggregated at least at the video game industry level. Aiming for this date, you could capture a higher than fair share of the Steam wallet money that will accumulate over the summer.
My two cents...
/edit: typo
Some Fallout 4 DLC landing in July. Aside from games, might want to check the DLC for other games already out.
Quote from: Admiral Obvious on June 10, 2016, 02:40:15 AM
I don't know when the Steam summer sale is exactly, but I think it's during July. It's probably a bad idea to release anything then, because EVERYONE expects some sort of sale, if you buy anything there at that time.
im no expert with business but releasing around the time of mass sales with a "just released" discount or something encourage customers to give it a shot? as far as i can tell usually people are more inclined to buy something if its on sale and if a few people buy it then, their friends will see them play it and might check it out
also sorry im not aware of any rimworld like games coming out
E3 is closing down. Did anyone see anything at the show that might overlap in audience with RimWorld, and is coming out in July?
'We Happy Few' releases July 26th on Early Access.
I think its going to create a lot of buzz so you might want to avoid it even if its very different compared to Rimworld.
I guess early july, after people receive their salarys will be a safe bet.
I didn't see anything that would prejudice Rimworld at early July. But Late July/Early August looks like it will be a trainwreck.
On a similar note, when it hits steam i'm gonna send the page for every gamer I know. Is there another way the community can advertise the game?
Quote from: Tynan on June 17, 2016, 01:15:01 AM
E3 is closing down. Did anyone see anything at the show that might overlap in audience with RimWorld, and is coming out in July?
I don't think any of us mind helping out, but can't you get more specific info about what games are being put out on Steam directly from Valve? Or do they not give out that kind of information?
I'll chime in. I keep a pretty detailed list of upcoming games:
22 June - The Last Leviathan
28 June - Lego Star Wars - Force unleased
July 2(ish) - Fallout Shelter Update and PC release
Early July - Prison Architect on Xbone and PS4
Mirage: Arcane Warfare - Early Summer Beta (my guess is mid-July)
26 July - We Happy Few
22 July - Death Road to Canada
Other possible July games - Okhlos, Overcooked, Pixel Privateers, Worlds Adrift, This is the Police, Niche.
August/September - Astroneer
2 August - Abzu
9 August - No Man's Sky
The biggest competition I see in July is Fallout Shelter. There's no announced release date, so I'd say the earlier the better for RW release. It'll likely be a free to play game which will probably do very well. I doubt Prison Architect will make any difference this time around. We Happy Few and No Man's Sky are going to be the other big ones - possibly Worlds Adrift (depending on when it's released).
Thanks for answering my reply and commenting in here Blitz! Thought it was a good idea contacting you.
Didn't expect Fallout Shelter on July 2nd. I don't know how this got so popular, it's not that good of a game, mostly a cash grab... that for a while beat candy crush.
Quote from: cultist on June 17, 2016, 09:23:17 AM
I don't think any of us mind helping out, but can't you get more specific info about what games are being put out on Steam directly from Valve? Or do they not give out that kind of information?
I don't know about Valve, but until made public, a release date may be kept as an industry secret. That must be the case.
Quote from: Flying Rockbass on June 17, 2016, 12:50:30 PM
Didn't expect Fallout Shelter on July 2nd. I don't know how this got so popular, it's not that good of a game, mostly a cash grab... that for a while beat candy crush.
I have no idea if July 2nd is right. It's in my notes, but I don't remember putting it there and can't find an actual release date. As for it being a good game - it doesn't really matter. It was free and was attached to a big name. This update will be big, especially since they are bringing it to PC and I'm assuming Steam. This may actually work in favor for RimWorld. If a bad colony sim game comes out, it could drive more people to the genre. RimWorld would likely be at the top of the charts on Steam and people may have more interest in it.
Other things in July are dlc for fallout 4, and EITR and Below will likely come out soon; Below is summer 2016, while EITR is q2/q3 2016.
As far as similiar in simulation/combat, I cant think of any except fallout shelter.
Likely its best to release early July rather than later to avoid people saving money for summer sale or other big releases. Or even beat everyone, and release on last day of June to beat July frenzy.
Also, here is a list of July releases:
http://www.vg247.com/2016/05/11/video-game-release-dates-2016/
Just gonna bump/post this for relavancy. The summer sale just happened, and is running until the 4th. If anyone didn't notice.
Quote from: Admiral Obvious on June 23, 2016, 03:44:39 PM
Just gonna bump/post this for relavancy. The summer sale just happened, and is running until the 4th. If anyone didn't notice.
This might be the first Steam sale that doesn't get any of my money. Just nothing jumping out at me in this one.
Thanks for the discussion everyone. July 15 has been chosen, so let's hope all goes well from here!
Quote from: palandus on June 18, 2016, 01:05:04 AM
Other things in July are dlc for fallout 4, and EITR and Below will likely come out soon; Below is summer 2016, while EITR is q2/q3 2016.
As far as similiar in simulation/combat, I cant think of any except fallout shelter.
Likely its best to release early July rather than later to avoid people saving money for summer sale or other big releases. Or even beat everyone, and release on last day of June to beat July frenzy.
Also, here is a list of July releases:
http://www.vg247.com/2016/05/11/video-game-release-dates-2016/
eitr isnt coming to nxt year now
Starbound just updated its unstable branch with what feels like a fairly polished 1.0 beta.
This pokemon GO thingy seems to be taking over the gaming subreddit. I doubt itll impact RW though.
Goodness, steam's front page has been abysmal the last few days!
Do you plan to issue steam keys to qualified existing owners in advance/same day of release? Obviously it would be good to have long standing fans boost reviews from the first minutes...
Starbound will be releasing their 1.0 version on July 22nd
Quote from: christhekiller on July 08, 2016, 04:32:40 PM
Starbound will be releasing their 1.0 version on July 22nd
Blast.
Oh well, at least it's not the same day.
I don't think it's much to worry about. An update isn't a release. I don't even remember if chucklefish even fixed their PR problems.
Blast.
But I believe that Rimworld will outshine starboud greatly, it's past the time we played those crafting games.
It's time to do something greater. And Rimworld will be it.
Let's stand proud for supporting this game, and make the best we can to advertise it!
Well, apparently Fallout Shelter for PC finally got a release date. July 14th, one day before Rimworld. Seeing as it is sorta of in the same vein it may cause problems, but who knows.
I don't think a mobile game ported to PC is much of a concern, especially when the game it was meant to support isn't being seen in the best of lights on PC right now.
Hopefully all those Pokemon trainers won't be too busy exploring the world to sit at their PCs to play Rimworld. Don't think there was any way to plan for that game.
Blast.
But is there anyone left to buy Starbound that doesn't already own it?
Pokemon trainers probably don't even know what Steam is because it doesn't have a cellphone platform.
Quote from: narkul on July 14, 2016, 05:59:41 PM
Blast.
But is there anyone left to buy Starbound that doesn't already own it?
Pokemon trainers probably don't even know what Steam is because it doesn't have a cellphone platform.
Thats true, I bought Starbound on... 2013? 2012? I believe it was just when it released. After that there were alot of sales, with the game going for 2$... So true, everyone should already own starbound.
And RimWorld