gavinmcfall/steam-publisher

steam-publisher

The gap between "game is done" and "game is on Steam" is wider than you think. Plan for it.

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Capsule: CapsuleIsKing

Invariant Your capsule image is the single most viewed asset. If it doesn't stand out in a grid of other capsules, nothing else about your game matters.

Example Players browse Steam like a bookstore — they scan covers. A mediocre game with professional capsule art gets more clicks than a great game with programmer art capsules. This is one place where commissioning professional work pays for itself many times over. //BOUNDARY: "Professional" doesn't mean expensive. A competent freelance artist on Fiverr or ArtStation can produce quality capsule art for $50-200. But programmer-art capsules are almost never acceptable.

Depth

• Capsules cannot contain review quotes, award logos, or marketing text beyond the game title
• The logo/title must be readable at small sizes (462x174 for Small Capsule)
• Art style should represent actual gameplay, not aspirational concept art
• Test your capsule at multiple sizes — it needs to work at every dimension

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Capsule: ComingSoonIsMarketing

Invariant Your Coming Soon page is your first and most important marketing tool. Launch it the moment you announce your game publicly, not when the game is "almost done."

Example A viral tweet about your game reaches 10,000 people. Without a Steam page, that attention evaporates. With a Coming Soon page, those people can wishlist — and Steam will email every one of them on launch day. //BOUNDARY: The Coming Soon page must be live at least 2 weeks before release (Steam requirement). But "as early as possible" is the real guideline. Games that outperformed expectations averaged ~214 days of pre-release visibility.

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Steamworks Setup

Registration Process

1. Create a Steam account (if needed)
2. Sign up at partner.steamgames.com
3. Sign NDA and Steam Distribution Agreement
4. Complete identity/financial verification (legal ID, tax interview W-9/W-8BEN, bank info for payment)
5. Wait 2-7 business days for verification

Costs

• $100 per app (Steam Direct fee) — recoupable at $1,000 revenue
• 70/30 revenue split (developer/Valve) — standard tier
• Free: CD key generation, matchmaking, mod hosting, merchant services

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Store Page Requirements

Required Graphical Assets (August 2024 dimensions)

Verify current dimensions at partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/assets/standard before creating art — dimensions have changed before and may change again.

Store Assets:

| Asset | Dimensions | Notes | |-------|-----------|-------| | Header Capsule | 920 x 430 | Primary store listing image | | Small Capsule | 462 x 174 | Auto-generates smaller variants | | Main Capsule | 1232 x 706 | Featured placement | | Vertical Capsule | 748 x 896 | Sales and events |

Library Assets:

| Asset | Dimensions | Notes | |-------|-----------|-------| | Library Capsule | 600 x 900 | Vertical art in player libraries | | Library Hero | 3840 x 1240 | Wide banner in library | | Library Logo | 1280w and/or 720h | Your game logo (PNG) |

Other:

| Asset | Dimensions | |-------|-----------| | App Icon | 184 x 184 (JPG) | | Shortcut Icon | 256 x 256 (ICO/PNG) | | Event Cover | 800 x 450 |

Screenshots

• Minimum 5, gameplay only (no concept art, no marketing text)
• Recommended: 1920 x 1080 (16:9)
• At least 4 must be "suitable for all ages" for broad visibility

Trailers

• Not strictly required but strongly recommended
• A good trailer is the highest-converting store page asset after capsule art
• Lead with your strongest trailer if you have multiple

Store Text

• Short description: ~300 characters
• Long description: Supports basic formatting
• Tags: Community-driven, developer sets initial tags. Tags drive recommendation algorithm.
• Categories: Developer-set feature flags (Singleplayer, Controller Support, Achievements, Cloud, etc.)

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Build Upload (SteamPipe)

Key Concepts

| Concept | What It Is | |---------|-----------| | App | Your game. Identified by App ID. | | Depot | Logical file grouping within an app. Simple game = one depot. | | Build | Specific version of your depots. Gets a Build ID. | | Branch | Like a git branch. "default" = what players download. |

Upload Process

1. Download Steamworks SDK
2. Place game files in ContentBuilder/content/
3. Create VDF configuration files in ContentBuilder/scripts/
4. Run SteamCMD to upload: steamcmd.exe +login <user> +run_app_build <path.vdf> +quit
5. Set build live on the "default" branch in Steamworks

SteamPipe is chunk-based — only changed files re-upload on updates.

SteamPipeGUI (Windows only) provides a visual interface if you prefer not to use the command line.

Engine Integration

Your game needs the Steamworks SDK integrated to use Steam features (achievements, cloud saves, etc.):

• Godot: GodotSteam plugin (godotsteam.com)
• Unity: Steamworks.NET
• Unreal: Built-in Online Subsystem Steam

SDK integration must be working before build upload — listed features that don't work cause review rejection.

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Release Timeline

Minimum Timeline

| Step | When | |------|------| | Coming Soon page live | As early as possible (minimum 2 weeks before release) | | Store page submitted for review | 7+ business days before release | | Build submitted for review | 7+ business days before release | | Practical minimum | 4-6 weeks from first submission |

Review Process

• Store review: Valve checks assets, descriptions, compliance. 3-5 business days.
• Build review: Valve checks the game launches, runs on listed platforms, listed features work. 3-5 business days.
• Plan for potential feedback and resubmission rounds.
• After initial approval, updates do NOT need re-review.

Common Rejection Reasons

• Build fails to launch
• Listed features (achievements, cloud saves) not actually implemented
• Copyright-infringing content
• External payment systems instead of Steam Wallet

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Pricing

Guidelines for Indie Games

• Most indie games price between $5-$20
• Price 20-30% above your "real" target — most sales happen during discounts
• Use Steam's recommended regional pricing (based on purchasing power parity)
• Pricing too low signals low quality AND leaves no room for meaningful discounts

Launch Discount Rules

| Rule | Detail | |------|--------| | Range | 10% to 40% | | Duration | 7 to 14 days | | Must configure | Before release | | Cooldown after | 30 days before next discount | | Wishlist notification | 20%+ discount triggers email to all wishlisters |

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Wishlists

Why They Matter

1. Direct notifications: Steam emails wishlisters on launch and on 20%+ discounts
2. Popular Upcoming placement: One of the few widgets where wishlist count directly influences visibility
3. Wishlists do NOT broadly drive the recommendation algorithm beyond that widget

Conversion Benchmarks

| Metric | Value | |--------|-------| | Median first-week conversion (>25k wishlists) | ~15% | | Games priced over $10 | ~10% | | Lifetime conversion | ~10% of total wishlists | | Key conversion factor | Review score (91% positive for outperformers) |

What Drives Conversion

• Review quality matters most — positive reviews correlate with higher conversion
• Shorter pre-release windows (~7 months) convert better than longer (~14 months)
• Price — higher price reduces conversion rate

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Early Access Decision

EA Launch IS Your Launch

Steam gives Early Access the same algorithmic visibility spike as a full release. The 1.0 release does NOT give you a second full launch. Your 5 Update Visibility Rounds are shared between EA and full release.

When EA Makes Sense

• Iterative genre (survival craft, colony sim, roguelike)
• You have a polished vertical slice, not a prototype
• You can commit to monthly updates
• Realistic plan to reach 1.0 within 12-18 months
• You are NOT counting on EA revenue to fund core development

When to Skip EA

• Narrative-driven or has a defined ending
• Cannot commit to update cadence
• Close enough to done that EA would be a premature launch

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Marketing Timeline

| When | Action | |------|--------| | Game announced publicly | Coming Soon page live immediately | | 9-12 months before release | Capsule art finalized, store page polished | | 6-9 months before release | Steam Next Fest with demo (if applicable) | | 3-6 months before release | Social media, press outreach, content creators | | 2 months before release | Finalize pricing and regional settings | | 1 month before release | Submit for review, configure launch discount | | Launch week | Be present in forums, respond to bugs, post announcements | | Post-launch | Updates, Visibility Rounds, seasonal sales |

Steam Next Fest

• Runs 3x/year (February, June, October)
• Free event — showcase a demo
• Release demo 2 weeks before Next Fest to gather initial feedback
• Aim for 15-25 minute demo showcasing core mechanics
• Median demo earns ~300 wishlists; 5,000-7,000 is a breakout
• Livestreaming during the fest boosts visibility

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Steam Features Worth Implementing

| Feature | Effort | Priority | |---------|--------|----------| | Achievements | Low | Important — players expect them | | Cloud Saves (Auto-Cloud) | Low | Important — lack of cloud saves draws negative reviews | | Controller Support | Medium | Important for Steam Deck | | Trading Cards | N/A | Gated behind ~$50k revenue — post-success bonus | | Workshop | High | Post-launch, only if natural modding potential | | Remote Play Together | Low | Valuable for local co-op games without netcode |

Auto-Cloud Setup

The easiest path: specify file paths/patterns in Steamworks settings. Steam syncs automatically on launch and exit. No code changes needed. Configure byte quota and file count per user.

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Post-Launch

Update Visibility Rounds

• 5 rounds per product (shared between EA and full release)
• Each round: front page placement for 30 days or 1M impressions
• Requires a community announcement within the last 30 days
• Does not display during seasonal sales (but days still count)
• Use wisely — pair with meaningful content updates and discounts

Announcement Tiers

1. Patch Notes: Bug fixes. Low visibility.
2. Regular Updates: New content/features. Moderate visibility.
3. Major Updates: Significant additions. High visibility. Can trigger Visibility Round.

DLC Strategy

• Created as separate App ID attached to base game
• Extends revenue lifetime
• Cosmetic/content DLC is lower-risk than mechanical DLC for solo dev
• Well-planned DLC can account for more than half of lifetime revenue

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Common Solo Dev Mistakes

| Mistake | Why It Hurts | |---------|-------------| | Marketing too late | No time to build wishlist base | | Underestimating store page work | Dozens of hours of asset preparation | | EA without polished vertical slice | Burns your one launch opportunity | | Not using Visibility Rounds | Algorithm interprets silence as abandonment | | Pricing too low | Signals low quality, no room for discounts | | Skipping Steam events | Leaving free visibility on the table | | Programmer-art capsules | Invisible in the store grid |

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Constraints

• Never enter Early Access with a prototype — polished vertical slice minimum
• Always verify exact asset dimensions against current Steamworks docs before creating capsule art
• Submit for review at least 7 business days before target release
• Configure launch discount before release, not after
• Coming Soon page must be live minimum 2 weeks before release
• Track revenue split terms in your current Steam Distribution Agreement — terms have changed over time

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For AI Assistants

When helping with Steam publishing:

1. Check the timeline: "When are you planning to release?" If it's less than 6 weeks out, flag the review timeline. "Store and build review each take 3-5 business days. Let's plan the submission schedule."
2. Asset dimensions: Always reference the August 2024 dimensions. Old sizes are rejected. "Header Capsule is 920x430 — double-check before creating art."
3. Marketing timing: If the user has a playable game but no Coming Soon page, this is urgent. "Your Coming Soon page should have gone up when you first announced. Let's set it up now."
4. EA decision: If the user is considering Early Access, check the criteria. "EA launch IS your launch algorithmically. Is the vertical slice polished enough for that?"
5. Scope the store page work: Users consistently underestimate this. "Preparing a Steam store page is easily 20-40 hours of work. Let's break it down."
6. Capsule art priority: If the user plans to use placeholder capsule art, flag it. "Capsule art is the highest-ROI marketing investment. Commission this even if you DIY everything else."

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Deeper

• The art-pipeline skill — Capsule art as a special asset category
• The scope-guardian skill — Store page preparation is scope
• The prototype-coach skill — Vertical slice readiness for EA
• The playtest-coordinator skill — Steam Playtest feature, Next Fest demos
• The sprint-manager skill — Store page tasks in sprint planning
• partner.steamgames.com — Steamworks documentation and portal

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The store page isn't a chore after development. It's a marketing tool during development.