In episode 588 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers get into the weeds on Steam store page optimization and what the data from How Many Dudes is suggesting. They break down what swapping screenshots and micro trailers appears to have done for visibility and conversion, where players are actually coming from, and why your visual hook might be doing more work than you think.

"How Many Dudes?": https://howmanydudes.com

00:00 Cold Open
00:48 Introduction and Welcome
02:25 Sales Performance Analysis
08:13 Comparative Sales Metrics
11:29 The Importance of Game Hooks
17:26 Store Page Optimization Strategies
26:26 Understanding Traffic and Conversion Rates
33:34 Analyzing Game Hooks and Marketing Strategies
39:24 Micro Trailers and Their Impact on Sales
45:24 Evaluating Game Trailers and Marketing Strategies
48:51 Understanding Conversion Rates and Traffic Sources
54:15 The Role of Unique Selling Points in Game Design
59:36 Navigating Store Page Dynamics and User Behavior
01:03:29 The Importance of End-to-End Game Experience Awareness

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@coffeewithbutterscotch
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/1LxNEnk
Chat with us on Discord: https://discord.gg/bscotch
Support the podcast: https://moneygrab.bscotch.net

Looking for help making and publishing your own games? Check out LudoKit, the web service we're building to help us with our own games: https://ludokit.com

In episode 587 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers point out that right now might actually be the best time to be an indie developer. They dig into why smaller, faster games are resonating with players, what the data from How Many Dudes tells them about market dynamics and visibility, and how studios can build sustainable businesses without burning themselves out in the process. 

"How Many Dudes?": https://howmanydudes.com
"How Many Dudes?" Timeline blog: https://blog.bscotch.net/post/indie-game-dev-timeline-for-how-many-dudes/

00:00 Cold Open
00:31 Introduction and Welcome
02:15 Postmortem Analysis of 'How Many Dudes'
05:06 Understanding Game Success and Market Dynamics
08:08 The Importance of Research and Development
11:06 Interpreting Data and Making Decisions
14:04 The Great Conjunction in Indie Game Development
17:04 The Appeal of Smaller Indie Games
20:14 Market Dynamics and Player Behavior
29:35 Balancing Game Length and Player Engagement
35:06 Navigating Post-Launch Updates and Player Expectations
49:09 The Dilemma of Updating Underperforming Games
50:05 Understanding Visibility and Market Demand
54:05 The Importance of External Traffic for Game Sales
59:45 The Distinction Between Game Quality and Market Appeal
01:02:02 The Role of Cultural Relevance in Game Success

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@coffeewithbutterscotch
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/1LxNEnk
Chat with us on Discord: https://discord.gg/bscotch
Support the podcast: https://moneygrab.bscotch.net

Looking for help making and publishing your own games? Check out LudoKit, the web service we're building to help us with our own games: https://ludokit.com

In episode 586 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers discuss the current state of game sales, post-launch support strategies, and how community engagement and critical mass influence a game's longevity. They explore the strategic considerations behind post-launch game updates, including when to update, what kind of updates are effective, and how updates influence marketing and player engagement.

"How Many Dudes?": https://howmanydudes.com

00:00 Cold Open
00:33 Introduction and Welcome
04:36 Current Status of 'How Many Dudes' Sales
10:44 Sales Trends and Market Analysis
20:50 Community Engagement and Critical Mass
22:10 The Impact of Game Awards on Sales
25:13 Post-Launch Strategies: What Comes Next?
26:28 Deciding on Updates: When to Move On
29:04 The Role of Player Base in Game Success
31:04 Transformative Updates: When a Game Needs a Relaunch
35:57 The Dilemma of Post-Launch Support
38:24 Navigating the Risks of Game Launches
42:16 The Importance of Marketing and Social Graphs
44:39 Testing Theories: Making Meaningful Updates
48:28 The Impact of Game Updates on Player Sentiment
51:02 Influencer Activity and Marketing Opportunities
53:00 Leveraging Updates for Marketing Success
56:06 The Role of Free Updates vs. DLCs
01:02:11 Evaluating Opportunity Costs in Game Development

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@coffeewithbutterscotch
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/1LxNEnk
Chat with us on Discord: https://discord.gg/bscotch
Support the podcast: https://moneygrab.bscotch.net

Looking for help making and publishing your own games? Check out LudoKit, the web service we're building to help us with our own games: https://ludokit.com

In episode 585 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers dig into the post-launch data for How Many Dudes, unpacking what Steam review scores, wishlist ratios, playtime histograms, and demo numbers are actually telling them. From there they get into the harder question of what to do with negative reviews, how to tell the difference between feedback worth acting on and noise worth ignoring, and how they're thinking about difficulty and accessibility as the game finds its audience.

Support How Many Dudes!
Official Website: https://www.bscotch.net/games/how-many-dudes
Trailer Teaser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgQM1SceEpI
Steam Wishlist: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3934270/How_Many_Dudes

00:00 Cold Open
00:26 Introduction and Welcome
02:16 Post-launch HMD community feedback
07:25 Wishlists trend and projections
13:42 Demo and full launch relationship 
28:10 Accessing feedback
37:08 Addressing negative feedback
41:35 Conflicting feedback
50:47 Updating the game based on feedback

To stay up to date with all of our buttery goodness subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcasts (apple.co/1LxNEnk) or wherever you get your audio goodness. 

If you want to get more involved in the Butterscotch community, hop into our DISCORD server at discord.gg/bscotch and say hello! 

Submit questions at https://www.bscotch.net/podcast, disclose all of your secrets to [email protected], and send letters, gifts, and tasty treats to https://bit.ly/bscotchmailbox. 

We also built Ludokit, a tool for managing store pages, promo art, localization, achievements, credits, fonts, change logs, and more. Check it out at https://ludokit.com!

Finally, if you’d like to support the show and buy some coffee FOR Butterscotch, head over to https://moneygrab.bscotch.net.

In episode 584 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers are fresh off the biggest launch in Butterscotch history, and they're breaking down exactly what happened. They dig into the numbers behind How Many Dudes hitting 100,000 sales in two days, what drove the momentum, how it compares to their previous launches, and what the long tail might look like from here. They also get into the emotional side of shipping something this fast, what mobile looks like as a next step, and what a launch like this means for how they think about building games going forward.

Support How Many Dudes!
Official Website: https://www.bscotch.net/games/how-many-dudes
Trailer Teaser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgQM1SceEpI
Steam Wishlist: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3934270/How_Many_Dudes

00:00 Cold Open
00:31 Introduction and Welcome
01:34 Post-launch How Many Dudes? numbers
13:25 Wishlists trend and price strategy
15:25 Understanding platform algorithms and visibility
26:43 Comparing launch metrics
33:29 Mobile numbers and launch metrics
42:00 Community feedback
45:32 Emotional arc after the launch
01:04 Evaluating the game dev approach for HMD

To stay up to date with all of our buttery goodness subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcasts (apple.co/1LxNEnk) or wherever you get your audio goodness. 

If you want to get more involved in the Butterscotch community, hop into our DISCORD server at discord.gg/bscotch and say hello! 

Submit questions at https://www.bscotch.net/podcast, disclose all of your secrets to [email protected], and send letters, gifts, and tasty treats to https://bit.ly/bscotchmailbox. 

We also built Ludokit, a tool for managing store pages, promo art, localization, achievements, credits, fonts, change logs, and more. Check it out at https://ludokit.com!

Finally, if you’d like to support the show and buy some coffee FOR Butterscotch, head over to https://moneygrab.bscotch.net.

In episode 583 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers are one day out from the How Many Dudes launch and walking through everything still in motion, from wishlist momentum and embargo management to Steam Deck verification and what the algorithm might actually do. They share how they're thinking through best and worst case scenarios, what lessons from Crashlands 2 are shaping their expectations, and how to stay sane when everything is out of your hands.

Support How Many Dudes!
Official Website: https://www.bscotch.net/games/how-many-dudes
Trailer Teaser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgQM1SceEpI
Steam Wishlist: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3934270/How_Many_Dudes

00:00 Cold Open
00:29 Introduction and Welcome
01:57 Pre-launch preparations and expectations
03:58 Tracking wishlists and launch momentum
06:01 Understanding platform algorithms and visibility
08:14 Managing embargoes and influencer coverage
10:09 Dealing with embargo breaks and public reactions
12:02 Impact of demo updates and new content
15:06 Community feedback and stereotypes in game content
18:56 Post-launch content and ongoing engagement
20:50 Leveraging short-form videos and social media
24:03 Viral content and audience engagement
30:02 Platform feature opportunities and challenges
33:02 Lessons learned and final advice for indie devs
41:44 Initial challenges with verification and wishlists
45:27 Audience demographics and regional differences
48:18 Comparing launch metrics: Crashlands 2 vs. How Many Dudes?
51:52 Managing launch day activities and team coordination
55:14 Handling community feedback and negative comments
01:00:17 Setting expectations and scenario planning for launch
01:07:09 Post-launch analysis and adjusting expectations

To stay up to date with all of our buttery goodness subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcasts (apple.co/1LxNEnk) or wherever you get your audio goodness. 

If you want to get more involved in the Butterscotch community, hop into our DISCORD server at discord.gg/bscotch and say hello! 

Submit questions at https://www.bscotch.net/podcast, disclose all of your secrets to [email protected], and send letters, gifts, and tasty treats to https://bit.ly/bscotchmailbox. 

We also built Ludokit, a tool for managing store pages, promo art, localization, achievements, credits, fonts, change logs, and more. Check it out at https://ludokit.com!

Finally, if you’d like to support the show and buy some coffee FOR Butterscotch, head over to https://moneygrab.bscotch.net.

In episode 582 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers share what they've learned about designing games that are easy to talk about before they're even finished. With How Many Dudes days from launch, they dig into how scope, platform focus, and building around shared human experiences can set a game up to market itself.

Support How Many Dudes!
Official Website: https://www.bscotch.net/games/how-many-dudes
Trailer Teaser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgQM1SceEpI
Steam Wishlist: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3934270/How_Many_Dudes

00:00 Cold Open
00:26 Introduction and Welcome
02:36 Letting Content Dictate the Format of Your Game
05:03 The Importance of Cultural Context and Invisible Influences
09:50 Design Constraints: Mass Contentability and Approachability
15:08 Market Testing and Early Feedback Strategies
20:00 Pivoting and Iteration: When and How to Change Course
24:51 Using Community and Social Media for Feedback
30:04 Balancing Creativity, Marketability, and Execution
35:05 The Challenges and Realities of Solo Development
40:05 Leveraging Past Success and Market Trends
45:00 The Power of High-Level Concepts and Simplicity
50:01 Avoiding Over-Reliance on Genre and Trends
55:01 The Iterative Process: From Idea to Market-Ready Game
59:57 Handling Failures and Pivoting Effectively
01:04:52 The Role of Marketing and Community Engagement
01:09:58 Final Tips for Indie Developers and Future Planning

To stay up to date with all of our buttery goodness subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcasts (apple.co/1LxNEnk) or wherever you get your audio goodness. 

If you want to get more involved in the Butterscotch community, hop into our DISCORD server at discord.gg/bscotch and say hello! 

Submit questions at https://www.bscotch.net/podcast, disclose all of your secrets to [email protected], and send letters, gifts, and tasty treats to https://bit.ly/bscotchmailbox. 

We also built Ludokit, a tool for managing store pages, promo art, localization, achievements, credits, fonts, change logs, and more. Check it out at https://ludokit.com!

Finally, if you’d like to support the show and buy some coffee FOR Butterscotch, head over to https://moneygrab.bscotch.net.

In episode 581 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers recap the full year-long journey of How Many Dudes. From a GMTK game jam entry to a bean burrito short that hit 900k views, blowing past 100k wishlists by January, and everything in between. They break down what actually moved the needle, what the numbers looked like along the way, and what the final push to July 30th looks like from the inside.

Support How Many Dudes!
Official Website: https://www.bscotch.net/games/how-many-dudes
Trailer Teaser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgQM1SceEpI
Steam Wishlist: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3934270/How_Many_Dudes

00:00 Cold Open
00:19 Introduction and Welcome
02:02 Retrospective of 'How Many Dudes' development
04:21 Using game jams as market testing
08:24 Early marketing efforts and wish list milestones
12:08 Impact of YouTube Shorts and influencer videos
16:28 The role of signals and metrics in decision making
22:16 Store page strategy and launch preparations
27:15 Marketing levers and cross-promotion tactics
33:56 Demo release and early feedback
44:23 Post-launch growth and community engagement
50:12 Final preparations and launch day insights

To stay up to date with all of our buttery goodness subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcasts (apple.co/1LxNEnk) or wherever you get your audio goodness. 

If you want to get more involved in the Butterscotch community, hop into our DISCORD server at discord.gg/bscotch and say hello! 

Submit questions at https://www.bscotch.net/podcast, disclose all of your secrets to [email protected], and send letters, gifts, and tasty treats to https://bit.ly/bscotchmailbox. 

We also built Ludokit, a tool for managing store pages, promo art, localization, achievements, credits, fonts, change logs, and more. Check it out at https://ludokit.com!

Finally, if you’d like to support the show and buy some coffee FOR Butterscotch, head over to https://moneygrab.bscotch.net.

In episode 580 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers pull back the curtain on exactly how they're launching How Many Dudes, covering everything from timing, influencer outreach, trailer creation, to post-launch strategies. They discuss how they navigate the complexities of game marketing, with a reminder that most of what determines a launch's success was decided long before launch day.

Support How Many Dudes!
Official Website: https://www.bscotch.net/games/how-many-dudes
Trailer Teaser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgQM1SceEpI
Steam Wishlist: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3934270/How_Many_Dudes

00:00 Cold Open
00:27 Introduction and Welcome
02:44 Game Development Status
08:28 Marketing Strategies and Influencer Outreach
11:37 Handling Embargoes and Coverage
14:40 Final Preparations Before Launch
21:41 Crafting Effective Launch Trailers
23:48 Understanding Audience Engagement and Store Page Dynamics
25:36 The Role of Influencers in Game Marketing
29:43 Navigating Pre-Launch Strategies and Expectations
34:45 Leveraging Ads and Algorithmic Visibility
39:34 Game Design Decisions and Player Experience
43:39 Innovative Marketing Strategies for Indie Games
48:06 Navigating Influencer Marketing Challenges
50:46 The Role of Reviews in Game Success
52:34 Balancing Passion and Commercial Viability
55:48 Challenges in Mobile Game Launches

To stay up to date with all of our buttery goodness subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcasts (apple.co/1LxNEnk) or wherever you get your audio goodness. 

If you want to get more involved in the Butterscotch community, hop into our DISCORD server at discord.gg/bscotch and say hello! 

Submit questions at https://www.bscotch.net/podcast, disclose all of your secrets to [email protected], and send letters, gifts, and tasty treats to https://bit.ly/bscotchmailbox. 

We also built Ludokit, a tool for managing store pages, promo art, localization, achievements, credits, fonts, change logs, and more. Check it out at https://ludokit.com!

Finally, if you’d like to support the show and buy some coffee FOR Butterscotch, head over to https://moneygrab.bscotch.net.

In episode 579 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers dig into the pricing on Valve's new Steam Machine and how much of today's hardware costs comes down to components, inflation, and tariffs versus companies testing what the market will bear. From there, they turn to the cost of making a game like GTA6 and whether player expectations have kept pace with what it actually takes to build at that scale.

Support How Many Dudes!
Official Website: https://www.bscotch.net/games/how-many-dudes
Trailer Teaser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgQM1SceEpI
Steam Wishlist: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3934270/How_Many_Dudes

00:00 Cold Open
00:18 Introduction and Welcome
02:47 Pricing and Market Context
05:37 Component Costs and Inflation Impact
08:45 Comparative Analysis of Console Prices
11:41 Historical Pricing Trends in Gaming
17:46 The Value Proposition of the Steam Machine
26:58 Analyzing Price Increases in Gaming Consoles
29:56 Understanding Market Dynamics and Price Strategies
33:55 The Impact of Inflation on Gaming Costs
41:51 Grand Theft Auto Pricing and Market Reactions
48:48 Early Access and Monetization Strategies
53:49 The Cost of Gaming Hardware
56:31 Consumer Expectations and Pricing
01:00:16 Valve's Position in the Gaming Market

To stay up to date with all of our buttery goodness subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcasts (apple.co/1LxNEnk) or wherever you get your audio goodness. 

If you want to get more involved in the Butterscotch community, hop into our DISCORD server at discord.gg/bscotch and say hello! 

Submit questions at https://www.bscotch.net/podcast, disclose all of your secrets to [email protected], and send letters, gifts, and tasty treats to https://bit.ly/bscotchmailbox. 

We also built Ludokit, a tool for managing store pages, promo art, localization, achievements, credits, fonts, change logs, and more. Check it out at https://ludokit.com!

Finally, if you’d like to support the show and buy some coffee FOR Butterscotch, head over to https://moneygrab.bscotch.net.