Insights: Four Interviews with Indie Studios on Themed Steam Sales

The Tower Defense Games Festival, the Group-Based Role-Playing Games Festival, publisher-focused events, and the massive seasonal sales - there are numerous themed, specialised and general sales events on Steam. Following the major Steam Autumn Sale, the Unmistakable Festival was launched on the platform – a Steam festival celebrating art and animation in video games. Running from 8 to 12 October 2026, it will feature game demos, discounts and a showcase with more than 180 participating games. The event is organised by ICO Partners, a UK-based self-publishing games agency that has been providing marketing, communications and crowdfunding support since 2008.

Studios participating in this showcase will present making-of videos explaining how they created their games. These videos will be shown in 3-hour daily episodes featuring speed painting, master classes and process tutorials. The showcase will be live on the Steam event page, as well as on Twitch and YouTube. Each episode will loop until the next one starts, allowing viewers to watch the content at their own pace, regardless of their time zone. Over 25 content creators will co-stream worldwide the Unmistakable Showcase.

We spoke to four participants about choosing the right events for their games, increasing visibility, releasing new content in time for events and discount fatigue.

GamesMarket: What criteria do you use to decide which themed Steam sales you take part in, such as Steam Next Fest, the Halloween Sale, or specific (genre/niche) festivals? Are there any events that are more successful for you than the major seasonal sales?

Kathrin Radtke (Spellgarden): "Unfortunately it's often not us who decide which sales and events we are in. We try to apply to the ones we think are a good fit and pray that we get in. It's also bit of a puzzle to figure out which events we can fit in because of the Steam sales cooldown of 30 days. Events that have a front page feature in Steam are the ones that are the most important ones. And for us especially those focused on cozy games like the Wholesome Direct are most successful."

Rafal Jaki (The Astronauts): "We primarily look at whether the theme of the event fits our game - putting Witchfire on sale as part of a cozy games festival wouldn't make much sense, so we focus on events centred around genres such as horror or shooters, while also taking part in the major seasonal sales. The sheer number of games participating in these events can be overwhelming, so while we see a substantial uptick in sales, our own sales accompanying major game updates tend to perform better. That is hardly surprising, given the marketing effort and longer promotional period leading up to those releases."

Lauranne Cauduro (The Game Bakers): "We take part in all the sales we can (so all the sales we're a fit for), unless there's an associated cost, in which case we decide based on the genre fit and the expected featuring of the event ! Steam's first party sales are still the bigger events, due to how prominent their featuring is. But they are few and far between for us, as we're in a specific niche, so third party events have done more to move the needle recently!"

Rebeca Polo (The Game Kitchen): "When it comes to criteria for deciding which themed Steam sales we should take part in, it really depends on the game and where it fits best. The first step is to consider the theme of each event and confirm whether it aligns with the game’s genre and positioning. The second key consideration is whether the event fits with the game's current state of development (and ultimately, validate that it fits with the marketing lifecycle too). When looking at the Steam Next Fest specifically, the decision depends on whether the game is going to have a strong demo available by then. This event in particular is very focused on demos and discovery, and we would only consider participating if we have a strong demo in a good state (it’s key to make a strong first impression! More so considering that you can only participate once). For more niche festivals, we tend to look at how closely the event's audience matches our own target audience, to ensure that the game’s presence in that festival is relevant. That's why we don’t necessarily participate in every major sale "just because". It's important to ensure that your game and the festival you’re evaluating are a natural match. In terms of performance, we find that a targeted event can sometimes deliver better conversion, because those events create stronger matches between audiences and the participating games. However, results can vary heavily between events, because performance ultimately depends on the individual title and on the reach of the event itself.

GamesMarket: Do you feel that themed sales help you to reach new audiences who would otherwise never have considered your game?

Rafal Jaki (The Astronauts): They certainly can, but a lot depends on the visibility you receive during the event. The landscape is so crowded that simply participating does not necessarily put the game in front of a large new audience - prominent placement on the storefront or additional promotion can make a significant difference. We also use the channels at our disposal, particularly social media, to let people know that the game is discounted. That, combined with the additional exposure provided by the event itself, helps us reach new players and drive additional sales.