Optimizing Steam Accounts for the Russian Market
To ensure that your game stands out among the vast selection on Steam, proper optimization of your Steam game account is essential. This involves effectively pitching your game on the platform. Here are some key steps to consider:
Localization:
One crucial aspect of engaging the Russian-speaking audience is localizing your Steam game account into Russian. The statistics speak for themselves:
- Russian ranks as the third most popular language among Steam users, with approximately 11.15% of users being Russian-speaking, according to Statista.
- Around 12.5 thousand games have been translated into Russian.
When it comes to translation, certain elements need to be addressed:
- Game Description and Quick Reference: Translate the game description and quick reference into Russian. This enables potential players to understand the game’s features and storyline in their native language.
- Russian Tags: Ensure that the tags you assign to your game for quick search are in Russian. This helps Russian-speaking gamers discover your game more easily.
- Game Title: Keep the game’s name the same as the one you introduced to the market; there’s no need to translate it.
By localizing your Steam game account and providing the necessary information in Russian, you increase the chances of attracting and engaging the Russian-speaking audience, leading to greater visibility and potential player conversions.
Effective Positioning
When it comes to positioning your game accurately in the Russian market, clarity is key right from the opening lines of the game’s description. Especially if your game is not a AAA title that receives extensive promotion, paying special attention to its positioning is crucial. This aspect significantly influences the tone of the localized Steam game account.
It is essential to convey to users, in a concise description, what they can expect to experience in your game. Additionally, mentioning the genre once again can be beneficial. By providing a clear and concise overview, potential players can quickly understand what the game is about and determine if it aligns with their interests. This helps to attract the right audience and generate interest in your game within the Russian market.
Graphic Design:
Images, banners, game screenshots, and trailers play a crucial role in capturing users’ attention. When browsing for a new game, Steam users are immediately drawn to the game preview image or thumbnail. At this stage, the key objective is to capture their attention. If the image appears unique and visually appealing, users will hover over it to gather additional information that will influence their decision to click through.
Screenshots serve as a means for gamers to assess whether a game aligns with their preferred genre. They examine the interface and game camera type to gain insights into the gameplay experience.
The four screenshots that users see when hovering over a game hold greater importance for the game’s success compared to its trailer. Since a significant majority of potential buyers may not watch the trailer, the screenshots should be carefully chosen to effectively showcase the essence of the game. This is what players expect from them.
As for the trailer, it should demonstrate gameplay and highlight key interface elements right from the beginning. This is what interests gamers and provides them with a glimpse into the game’s experience.
Leveraging Reviews:
Reviews not only offer insights into gamers’ opinions about the game but also serve as a valuable source of ideas for development and bug detection. Developers have long recognized that Russian gamers are eager to “test” games, identify issues, and share recommendations. On Steam, it is essential to engage with both negative and positive reviews.
Working with negative reviews presents an opportunity to address concerns and potentially transform feedback into positive experiences. Responding to feedback, even if it’s just one out of ten negative reviews, can make a significant impact.
It’s important to note that users not only consider the game’s overall status based on reviews but also read the reviews themselves. Therefore, a game with a very positive status, coupled with the developer’s proactive response, has a higher chance of being purchased by users.
By prioritizing compelling graphic design elements and actively engaging with reviews, developers can enhance the appeal of their games on Steam and increase the likelihood of attracting and retaining a satisfied player base.
Prioritize Marketing and Visibility
Merely placing a game on Steam is insufficient. It quickly gets pushed down the list and loses visibility on the front page of new releases. Therefore, it is crucial to develop a comprehensive marketing strategy for promoting your game even before its launch. Our article, “Checklist for Promoting Games in Russia,” provides a detailed plan on how to accomplish this in the Russian market.
If you have chosen to market your game on Steam in Russia, the experts at QB Agency can assist you in optimizing and localizing its description, refining its positioning, and effectively promoting it to the vast community of Russian-speaking gamers. With our guidance, your game can reach millions of potential players and maximize its visibility and impact in the Russian market.