New game studio that is to indiginious games what EA Sports is to the ...
...major sports
Confidence
Engagement
Net use signal
Net buy signal
Idea type: Pivot
Current solutions aren’t working well, but there might be a way to adjust your approach. This isn’t about starting over, but rather making thoughtful changes based on what you’re learning.
Should You Build It?
No. Think & pivot.
Your are here
Starting a game studio focused on indigenous games is an interesting idea, positioning itself as the 'EA Sports' of indigenous cultures. Given the limited data (n_matches=2), our confidence is low, but the comparable engagement (avg n_comments=30) is high, suggesting potential interest if executed well. However, the 'Pivot' category suggests that existing solutions in this space have faced challenges, so it's crucial to understand why. The lack of net use/buy signals from the comparable products is a neutral indicator, so we can't infer inherent demand from those.
Recommendations
- Given that you are in the 'Pivot' category, your first step is to rigorously analyze why existing attempts in this niche might have faltered. Research the landscape of indigenous-themed games or cultural content, identifying common pitfalls or unmet needs.
- Based on the criticism from similar product launches, prioritize a user-friendly and intuitive platform. Address potential usability issues like navigation, mobile functionality, and shareable links from the outset. Iterate on your design based on continuous user feedback.
- Sketch out your unique value proposition. What can your studio bring to the market that will differentiate you from existing entities? Focus on what makes indigenous cultures and stories special, and how you can create compelling gameplay experiences that respect and celebrate these narratives.
- Rather than immediately building a full-fledged studio, start with a specific, well-defined project or prototype. This allows you to test your core mechanics, artistic style, and cultural representation. Gather feedback from indigenous communities to ensure authenticity and respect.
- Consider focusing initially on a specific indigenous culture or geographic region. This targeted approach enables you to deeply understand the nuances and cultural sensitivities, creating a more authentic and engaging experience for players who belong to this culture.
- Since marketing is crucial in the indie game industry, develop a pre-launch marketing strategy focusing on building wishlists and generating hype through trailers, demos, and community engagement. Allocate a sufficient budget to marketing and ensure it's done respectfully, avoiding cultural appropriation.
- Set up a clear and trackable set of KPIs to measure your progress and success. Some KPIs may include but not limited to, number of wishlists, demo downloads, community engagement metrics, and feedback received from indigenous communities.
Questions
- What specific steps will you take to ensure authentic and respectful representation of indigenous cultures in your games, and how will you involve indigenous communities in the development process?
- Given the oversaturation of the indie game market, what is your plan to break through the noise and get your games discovered by your target audience, especially those with a demonstrated interest in indigenous cultures?
- How will you balance the need for artistic freedom and creative expression with the responsibility to accurately and sensitively portray indigenous cultures?
Your are here
Starting a game studio focused on indigenous games is an interesting idea, positioning itself as the 'EA Sports' of indigenous cultures. Given the limited data (n_matches=2), our confidence is low, but the comparable engagement (avg n_comments=30) is high, suggesting potential interest if executed well. However, the 'Pivot' category suggests that existing solutions in this space have faced challenges, so it's crucial to understand why. The lack of net use/buy signals from the comparable products is a neutral indicator, so we can't infer inherent demand from those.
Recommendations
- Given that you are in the 'Pivot' category, your first step is to rigorously analyze why existing attempts in this niche might have faltered. Research the landscape of indigenous-themed games or cultural content, identifying common pitfalls or unmet needs.
- Based on the criticism from similar product launches, prioritize a user-friendly and intuitive platform. Address potential usability issues like navigation, mobile functionality, and shareable links from the outset. Iterate on your design based on continuous user feedback.
- Sketch out your unique value proposition. What can your studio bring to the market that will differentiate you from existing entities? Focus on what makes indigenous cultures and stories special, and how you can create compelling gameplay experiences that respect and celebrate these narratives.
- Rather than immediately building a full-fledged studio, start with a specific, well-defined project or prototype. This allows you to test your core mechanics, artistic style, and cultural representation. Gather feedback from indigenous communities to ensure authenticity and respect.
- Consider focusing initially on a specific indigenous culture or geographic region. This targeted approach enables you to deeply understand the nuances and cultural sensitivities, creating a more authentic and engaging experience for players who belong to this culture.
- Since marketing is crucial in the indie game industry, develop a pre-launch marketing strategy focusing on building wishlists and generating hype through trailers, demos, and community engagement. Allocate a sufficient budget to marketing and ensure it's done respectfully, avoiding cultural appropriation.
- Set up a clear and trackable set of KPIs to measure your progress and success. Some KPIs may include but not limited to, number of wishlists, demo downloads, community engagement metrics, and feedback received from indigenous communities.
Questions
- What specific steps will you take to ensure authentic and respectful representation of indigenous cultures in your games, and how will you involve indigenous communities in the development process?
- Given the oversaturation of the indie game market, what is your plan to break through the noise and get your games discovered by your target audience, especially those with a demonstrated interest in indigenous cultures?
- How will you balance the need for artistic freedom and creative expression with the responsibility to accurately and sensitively portray indigenous cultures?
- Confidence: Low
- Number of similar products: 2
- Engagement: High
- Average number of comments: 30
- Net use signal: -11.0%
- Positive use signal: 1.0%
- Negative use signal: 12.0%
- Net buy signal: -5.0%
- Positive buy signal: 1.0%
- Negative buy signal: 6.0%
Help
This chart summarizes all the similar products we found for your idea in a single plot.
The x-axis represents the overall feedback each product received. This is calculated from the net use and buy signals that were expressed in the comments. The maximum is +1, which means all comments (across all similar products) were positive, expressed a willingness to use & buy said product. The minimum is -1 and it means the exact opposite.
The y-axis captures the strength of the signal, i.e. how many people commented and how does this rank against other products in this category. The maximum is +1, which means these products were the most liked, upvoted and talked about launches recently. The minimum is 0, meaning zero engagement or feedback was received.
The sizes of the product dots are determined by the relevance to your idea, where 10 is the maximum.
Your idea is the big blueish dot, which should lie somewhere in the polygon defined by these products. It can be off-center because we use custom weighting to summarize these metrics.
The x-axis represents the overall feedback each product received. This is calculated from the net use and buy signals that were expressed in the comments. The maximum is +1, which means all comments (across all similar products) were positive, expressed a willingness to use & buy said product. The minimum is -1 and it means the exact opposite.
The y-axis captures the strength of the signal, i.e. how many people commented and how does this rank against other products in this category. The maximum is +1, which means these products were the most liked, upvoted and talked about launches recently. The minimum is 0, meaning zero engagement or feedback was received.
The sizes of the product dots are determined by the relevance to your idea, where 10 is the maximum.
Your idea is the big blueish dot, which should lie somewhere in the polygon defined by these products. It can be off-center because we use custom weighting to summarize these metrics.
Similar products
Relevance
Former game devs building a platform showcasing game projects
Users provided constructive feedback on website usability, such as navigation and mobile functionality issues, and compared it to existing platforms like itch.io. There's a consensus on the importance of marketing in the indie game industry, with suggestions to focus on wishlists and strategies for game launches. The budget allocation between marketing and product development sparked debate. Some users expressed cynicism about the industry and the challenges for indie developers. Positive feedback included the potential for specialized directories and the idea of a Product Hunt for games. Technical discussions touched on game engines and the use of no-code tools for prototyping.
Users criticized the Show HN product for poor navigation and UI, including issues with back button functionality, lack of shareable links, and frustrating carousels. The market for indie games was deemed oversaturated, with marketing overshadowing product quality, leading to a prevalence of uninspired titles. Budget allocation was questioned, with too little spent on creation. The platform was seen as unnecessary in the face of established competitors, and lacking in unique value. Some suggested that existing platforms like Itch provide better support for developers. There were also calls for improved functionality, such as clickable OS tags and a better feedback loop.
115
60
-18.3%
-8.3%
60
115
1.7%
1.7%