This is a very interesting marketing strategy. They clearly want to maximize interest in the game, likely to stir up interest for the sequel, so instead of releasing it for free they hold an easily winnable raffle for a finite (but large) number of copies for a finite amount of time. While nobody would care about it being released for free (most flash portals are inundated with simple puzzle games with Skinner box RPG mechanics), creating a sense of a limited time offer is a proven strategy for marketing a product, or in this case, getting the consumer to check out the page, enter the raffle, and download the game. The only thing I'd have done differently is that I would have offered a few less copies, say 5000-10,000, as falling short of the total would make their game look unpopular while slightly overshooting wouldn't hurt the goal of generating buzz.
Well it's either that or they misplaced three zeros and I'm grossly overestimating them. I'm also wondering why they're selling their game on Steam, when it doesn't strike me as something that would appeal to that demographic while it could likely thrive as a Facebook microtransaction farm. While I admire their innovative approach to marketing, I can't say that they do a good job of selling the idea of the product.. Is it just me or is their pitch unappealing and bizarrely worded?
Don't like solitaire? It has a bad reputation because of many bad games, but we would like to change that. We are making solitaire games which are fun to play and have a lot to offer. We make other sorts of games too of course. Like Dark Souls? Monster Hunter? EVE? So do we, and we try to bridge the gap between the games we like to play and less popular genres to make it easier for people who may normally not like games like solitaire to have a good time playing the games we make. Good luck to all who enter!
Also, he'd better not be implying that his game is in the same league as, let alone above Spider Solitaire.
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Topic: Faerie Solitaire Givaway (25000 Copies) (Read 4205 times)