There's a feeling at many levels in the games industry that people are no longer naturally discovering new games. Publishers and studios complain that recommendation algorithms are broken, the App Store model is outdated, and that even with AAA budgets, developers are constantly having to haggle for ad space. Gamesindustry.biz portal speakIs this really true and how can you get out of this situation.
Unfortunately, the gloomy mood in the gaming industry is backed up by recent surveys. According to statistics, about a third of developers expect that the findability of their projects will be the most serious problem by 2026. It's not hard to see why when looking at the number of releases coming out every day across all platforms.
But there is reason to believe that despair is premature. Developers that rely on large digital storefronts to generate large revenues are lagging behind current trends. Of course, a big banner on the Steam homepage or App Store is still valuable, but the context for users to discover new games is fragmented. Developers should meet players where they actually find new games and the latest news.
According to marketing agency Big Games Machine, 64% of gamers discover new games on YouTube. Even good word of mouth is more effective than traditional and modern tools, such as advertising on online stores.
In other words, the battlefield has expanded beyond stores and into social media territory. Studios that invest in growing social media conversations, content creator ecosystems, and player communities will be better positioned to maintain the visibility of their games in such a competitive market.
But here we cannot ignore the issue of commissions for digital stores. While new opportunities are emerging in this space, developers should consider how to get the most out of their chosen platform, from technical capabilities to analytics tools and most importantly, audience engagement.
Engaging a store's audience requires more than just uploading a game build to the store. Authors need to understand the update cycles of each specific website, as they are partly algorithmic. The “new,” “recently updated,” and “sale” tabs contain different products because the algorithm's internal priorities change periodically.
For example, we can safely assume that in 2026, Google Play will prioritize games that integrate new platform features, and Apple will continue to promote its new game app as an additional channel to find new games. Valve won't be abandoning the Steam Deck Verification program in light of the upcoming Steam Machine launch, and Microsoft will continue to reward developers whose projects integrate support for Xbox Play Anywhere. Developers should take advantage of additional promotions from partners – provided, of course, that such programs will benefit both the game and the players.
Many modern games operate as de facto live services, requiring studios to maintain a constant cycle of discounts and content updates. In fact, studios projecting success in 2026 will likely release games optimized for marketing, not the other way around. Judging by the last few years, a number of “life hacks” have emerged in the industry that change the way things normally work.
First are referral programs. They've been in the mobile gaming scene for a long time, but PC and console developers have only recently begun to understand their ability to turn casual gamers into living creatives. For example, for Raid: Shadow Legends, the referral program was one of the key success factors.
Second is Steam integration. In 2025, some of the most popular releases are games of the so-called. Friends Catalog are indie projects focused on social gameplay, perfect for streaming. The next logical step would be to create games that integrate directly with platforms like Twitch.
Third is acceleration through AI. Creative AI can help both small and large companies produce marketing content. And developers who already use AI for internal processes may try to tailor content for advertising use.
Of course, users' search and discovery of games is just the beginning of the journey; For it to be truly worth the money, studios first need to create a good project. However, at the same time, today it is important for developers not only to attract public attention to the release of a game, but also to keep the marketing flywheel moving throughout the life of the project.
