Why Voodoo’s Model Doesn’t Fit Indie PC Gaming

PC vs. mobile: why rapid development thrives on one but not the other?

I was recently asked about the indie PC game publishing space and why no Voodoo-like company exists in the PC gaming ecosystem. It's a great question, and I wanted to spend some time thinking about it.

A note for those unfamiliar with Voodoo: Voodoo is a French company that popularized the rapid development and testing of hyper-casual mobile games in the late 2010s. They developed games ready to ship in just a few weeks, then relied on early KPIs to determine if they were engaging the audience and generating a return on ad spend. If the results were positive, they'd continue development and invest more in user acquisition. 

So why doesn't this rapid development model exist in PC gaming? There are several factors, but the key one is the current distribution method for PC games.

Steam dominates the PC gaming landscape and has its own quirks, similar to Apple's App Store for mobile. These include game discovery methods, growth hacks developers must employ, and paid marketing strategies. Additionally, consumer habits differ significantly between PC and mobile.

Different audiences

PC consumers typically identify as gamers, whereas mobile consumers don't. Studies show that casual mobile game players differ significantly from PC gamers. They don't see themselves as gamers; they consider games like Candy Crush and others as hobbies.

This distinction affects how games can be shipped and successfully launched. To underscore the key issue, the prevalent ROAS-based (return on ad spend) model for mobile hasn’t established itself on PC. Developers know that the players are more accustomed to purchasing premium products on PC and expect game designs that cater to this preference.

The mobile app ecosystem has primarily figured out data and analytics, which can certainly be applied to PC game development. However, it has been less urgent a need for PC games since paid acquisition isn't as prevalent. In PC gaming, ads matter less; reviews hold more weight in influencing players' decisions.

Engagement drivers, like genre preference and fandom, play a crucial role in the success of PC games. The strong identification that PC consumers have with a particular game can make or break its success. While it might seem like luck to become a viral hit as a PC developer, considering the thousands of indie PC games launched without achieving this feat, one might wonder if Voodoo's model of consolidating more games under one umbrella, launched in quick succession to see what sticks, could increase the odds of success.

However, some factors counteract the idea of quickly testing out new games. First, the quality and depth required for PC games are significantly higher than on other platforms. Launching a Steam game with insufficient content for weeks or months is ill-advised, as sophisticated gamers can easily discern what's happening.

Community approach

Many PC developers have adopted a community-first approach, building their games alongside an audience by sharing gameplay and engaging them through platforms like Discord and YouTube. They are practically building the game for a specific group of people who really crave a game like the one being made. This is not something that a company using the Voodoo model could do, as they rely on quantitative analysis versus an indie's qualitative one.

As for marketing costs, while PC developers may rely less on paid ads through Facebook or Google, influencer partnerships can still be pricey. However, the expense largely depends on where you're coming from and how you approach these relationships.

Building a presence on social media is pretty inexpensive, but it does demand time to craft content for your community. However, this is part of modern game development if you want to stay lean and focused, delivering a great product with an audience already invested in your creation. Authenticity is vital; it's more genuine when the creator speaks directly rather than through paid advertisements.

Summary

To summarize, let's consider why PC developers struggle to adopt the Voodoo rapid development and testing model. It boils down to offering something valuable to PC players. Imagine a fiercely competitive market where, suddenly, something fundamental appears. On mobile, hyper-casual was a product of the mobile advertising ecosystem—getting cheap installs and then effectively reselling them to higher-monetizing apps via UA. Nothing comparable exists on the PC yet.

Mobile developers face a similar challenge when creating a game; they build a prototype and test it with an audience they don't genuinely know – only encountering them through paid advertising. To succeed, you must demonstrate value to your users. PC gamers crave something valuable and won't settle for hyper or hybrid casual games.

Will things change in the future? I do not doubt that the platforms will continue evolving. Games are becoming increasingly social, and I hope that we will create more diverse models of game distribution, perhaps through social means.