About Me, The Indie Game Marketer
Hey, my name is Dariusz.
Probably like you, I'm a very creative type that wants to make a living doing creative things. I draw, do 3d art, and graphic design. I also love programming and stats.
But I learned that if I wanted to make a living doing creative things, and not have to work a mind-numbing corporate job, I HAD to learn how to sell and market my niche, weird, innovative ideas.
Let me explain quickly...
After graduating University in 2001, I spent my 4 years working an office job, and then at night, I worked on my business ideas.
I failed hard. For four years, I never found any customers... never made any money pursuing my creative ideas.
But then I had my breakthrough...
In 2005, I started a scanning company (ScanCanada.ca). It was a graphic design company where I scanned old slides, negatives, and photos into digital, and fixed them in Photoshop. I also developed an online file sharing portal where people can share, view, and download their scans (remember, there was no DropBox back in 2005).
So after a lot of trial and error, I figured out how to find gaps in the market, create something people want, and learned how to sell my innovative, creative ideas using a web page, email, blogs, social media, and video.
And thanks to these digital marketing and product development skills, I attracted some of the biggest brands and organizations in Canada...
List of clients my marketing attracted
So I took those lessons, and in 2009, I built my second successful startup (HowToScan.ca). I found a gap in the market, and offered courses on how to scan.
Then in 2019, I found another gap in the market: creating map art for indie game devs (my Artstation page).
Then around 2023, I realized game devs need marketing help more than they need game maps... so that's when in 2024 I started MainquestMarketing.
Anyway, I learned that if you want to make a living doing creative, innovative things, you can't just do what YOU feel like. You also gotta look at the market, and figure out what people want that they are not getting.
But at the same time, you sometimes have to forget the market, and test your innovative ideas to see if you can CREATE a market.
It's the same with video games. If you want your game to get attention and cut through all the noise, you need to:
- Know what your player wants and doesn't want
- Know what your player is already getting from other games -- so you avoid making a game that gets swallowed up in the void of an overcrowded market place
- Discover gaps in the market that no other game dev is taking advantage of -- so you can maybe even create a NEW market or category (think Vampire Survivors)
- Test innovative ideas at the small scale to see if they resonate with players BEFORE committing to making a game that may or may not sell
- Know how to clearly communicate the benefits of your game and why it's different -- so that player is motivated to play and buy your game -- basically, marketing
How I can help you find players, increase wishlists, and improve your chances of a successful game launch...
If you hate marketing, and don't have time to do it, then you can hire me. But before you commit to anything, let's start small. So first, I want to know where you're at in terms of developing your game...
You Want To See If There's Any Demand For Your Game Idea
You have game ideas, and you want to test them to see if there is a market for your ideas. And maybe your last game idea failed because there was no market for it. So this time, you want to make sure your game idea is marketable before you spend years on it.
If this is you, then check out: Indie Game Market Research Campaign
You Want Wishlists And To Grow Your Audience
You've ramped up development, and you have a Steam page (or Itch.io). And now you're ready to build your audience and get wishlists so that when you launch your game, it'll be a financial success.
If this is where you're at, then check out: Wishlist Marketing Campaign
Your Game Is Launched... Sales Are Slow... Now What!?
You don't need wishlists. You need sales! You have a great game. It's high-quality. It's fun. But you're not sure why Steam isn't showcasing your game.
If this is you, then check out: Indie Game Sales Campaign
Free Indie Game Marketing Tips
If you want to learn how to market your own indie game, and grow your game studio, then check out my...
Indie Game Marketing Tips Blog
Indie Game Marketing Tips YouTube Channel
Thanks! Looking forward to helping you find players, grow wishlists, and increase sales for your indie game!
Dariusz Konrad
Email: dariusz at mainquestmarketing dot com
Discord Username: dariuszkonrad
LinkedIn: My entrepreneurial successes
Work: Game devs I've helped so far