Founder @FutureFriendsVG ◍ Promoting & publishing cool indie games ◍ 8 times GDC speaker ◍ He/him ◍ PR podcast bit.ly/39t8ZST
London, UK (Austria import)
- Tweets 11,683
- Following 2,437
- Followers 7,075
- Likes 21,738
Pinned Tweet
publisher intro: we're Future Friends Games!!
our usual deals:
- 80% rev share for devs, 20% us (no funding)
- 75/25 up to 100k funding
- we've published games like CloverPit, Summerhouse, Slots & Daggers, Exo One
- we do all your marketing in-house, properly us!
pitch info ⬇️
42
55
833
61,098
iOS 14 let’s you re-do app icons so naturally remade them all much worse in MS paint style
Sorry to all app icon designers that spent years making them nice
574
6,831
56,353
a horror game where you need to inspect cabins and cast your vote if they are haunted or not (so you need to look at everything VERY closely omg)
574
3,773
59,337
3,115,123
PR tip of the day on launch dates:
- Nintendo Labo - 20th April
- God of War - 20th April
- Your indie game - NOT 20th April
🌟Please🌟
14
270
1,124
Indie games PR tip for release date planning 2019:
- 22nd Feb: Anthem
- 22nd Feb: Crackdown 3
- 22nd Feb: Days Gone
- 22nd Feb: Metro Exodus
- 22nd Feb: NOT YOUR INDIE GAME
🚨PLEASE🚨
26
286
1,034
Is TikTok a good platform for indie games?
Stats from a recent Omno post that went big:
~ 1.9 million views
~ +2000 Steam Wishlists
~ 473k likes
~ 8000 comments
~ 120 new discord members
~ 36000 new TikTok followers
- Game by [by @StudioInkyfox]
21
124
980
Indie PR tip:
With a trick it's possible to add animated gifs to your Steam store page
Just rename the file extension from .gif to .jpg
20
314
896
The last time I was this obsessed with a Balatro-like, it sold 750,000 copies in 2 weeks – and this one has a D&D twist"
wild gamesradar headline about our next game!!
21
48
953
79,261
🚨content creators🚨
we've got codes for a very sick upcoming game!!
- 4-player pill-roulette horror game
- pick your poison
- use experimental items to shift the odds
- only one can survive
- by indie hit team @freelives (Stick it to the Stickman)
- Side Effects, info below
75
78
760
48,372
our indie horror game went VIRAL on social media 3 times in one week!! how many wishlists does going trending actually get you?
here is a 🧵thread with all the data and HOT TAKES!
a horror game where you need to inspect cabins and cast your vote if they are haunted or not (so you need to look at everything VERY closely omg)
19
38
737
101,673
BIG NEWs for indies: Steam is updating the rules for the text on Store pages:
- No links to other websites allowed (like custom ‘join our discord’ banners)
- No embedded images that mimics store UI or buttons
- No images, links, widgets pointing to other games on Steam
Changes Coming to Store Page Written Descriptions steamcommunity.com/gid/[g:1:…
19
118
618
82,261
Numbers from a recent Exo One TikTok:
~1 million organic views
~143,000 likes
~2,000 comments
~1,400 DM shares
+ Over 3,000 Wishlists (comparable to latest Steam Fest)
Can’t overstate how much organic potential TikTok has compared to most social media for indies at the moment
16
61
490
the tiktok announcing for Vampire Survivors for Xbox is probably my fav platform announcement of all time
7
56
475
here is the studio account if you wanna follow development @ICS_indie and here is the steam page if you wanna wishlist store.steampowered.com/app/3…
6
23
464
79,243
indie devs!!! my latest GDC talk is now also on YouTube!
"The Golden Rule of Indie Game Promotion: No One Cares About Your Game" we used this rule to work on games like Vampire Survivors, Exo One etc and think was helpful for us! beep beep
piped.video/-341jEXj-iI
16
91
445
38,865
a game where you play a buddy duo called Chick and Nugget
- sick 3D platformer!
- everything is made out of crafting materials
- levels open, unfold, rotate
- theme song by Banjo-Kazooie composer
- voice cast ft the voice of Sly Cooper
PaperKlay, coming 27th May, DM for codes
13
49
406
18,399
PR tip of the day:
If you want to cut out a picture background quickly for social media posts etc. remove.bg does that automatically (free and no sign-up required).
✨magic ✨
5
97
357
!!!! GDC indies!!!
will be giving my talk "The Golden Rule of Indie Game Promotion: No One Cares About Your Game" soon
obvs sounds very over the top but think it makes sense once you hear it & we used it working on Vampire Survivors, Exo One etc
cinematic trailer here pls come
8
32
355
39,104
🚨Twitter🚨
At #GDC19 I have the honour of talking about the most important topic in the universe.
✨✨✨GIFS✨✨✨
I'm looking for 👌 examples - please send your fave gifs used to promote games!
RTs = eternal 💕
Details ➡️ ubm.io/2RTjsCg
64
105
325
PR tip of the day:
Don't release your indie game early April
Don't release your indie game early April
Don't release your indie game early April
9
75
290
a game where you play a cute spider, cause chaos and solve tasks:
- build super big physics-based spider webs
- ride a fingerboard (!!)
- ride a soap
- fix a printer
- make toast
- super tiktok viral
A Webbing Journey - coming to Steam 19th May, pls DM for review codes!
11
39
344
11,741
We just reached 100,000 Wishlists on Steam for Exo One (launching tomorrow, ah!) so here is an overview where those Wishlists came from
Disclaimers and hot takes below
12
48
307
PR tip of the day:
- Gifs in your press kit can be super handy for press, influencers & fans
- Especially if you let them know what the gifs are optimised for (web, discord, twitter, websites etc.).
- Great example: WHAT THE GOLF? by @tribandtweets
triband.net/press/whatthegol…
8
78
296
a little game that sits at the bottom of your screen and lets you collect small creaturs while you work, study etc.
- think Pokemon x Rusty's Retirement
- relaxing creature collector
- breed rare whimlings
- decorate your space
- DEMO JUST LAUNCHED!!
Whimside - demo link below
6
43
322
12,927
🚨IMPORTANT for devs with games on Steam🚨
Steam will roll out the new library design in the next weeks (starting with a beta) and there are new assets needed so your games look all nice and shiny ✨
Details ➡️ tinyurl.com/y64yf7jl
RT pls so no one misses this 💕
4
110
273
EXTREMELY GOOD indie marketing talk/vid:
- by @JonasTyroller (Islanders, Thronefall)
- main idea: algorithms are the new kingmakers
- dives into the core of making a game you can market
- "Making Successful Indie Games Is Simple (But Not Easy)"
piped.video/watch?v=xej_wsBB…
4
48
292
22,691
Slots & Daggers is getting a demo on 22nd September! creators that want early access, pls DM me!!
- a retro-fantasy roguelike
- set inside a slot machine
- addictive gameplay that goes “pling” a lot
- numbers! fights! goblins!
- steady your blade and spin!
by @Friedemann_A
16
40
291
14,970
🚨 Work opportunity 🚨
We are looking for someone to PR/market super nice indie games for the next few months with us. It's fun! Starting ASAP!
- Temporary freelance gig
- Work from home
- Junior or senior level
✨ Pls RT for reach boost ✨
23
176
247
PR tip of the day:
If you release your game on #Steam, Store Optimization is SUPER MEGA EXTRA important to drive organic sales.
Here is a criminally underrated talk with tips on the topic.
Please watch & share 🙌 piped.video/watch?v=PNCgFbc5…
11
78
258
indie devs!!! my latest GDC talk is now up for FREE on the GDC vault. hope it's helpful!
"The Golden Rule of Indie Game Promotion: No One Cares About Your Game" we used this rule to work on games like Vampire Survivors, Exo One etc think was helpful!
gdcvault.com/play/1029347/Th…
13
53
254
28,845
⚠️For all indies interested in marketing & PR⚠️
- Made a list of the best @Official_GDC 2019 talks in the field
- Most are FREE online now
- Please RT so lots of people can see these lovely talks
medium.com/@olima/best-marke…
5
105
246
PR tip of the day:
If you make your game trailer for different consoles/platform holders there are A LOT of specifications & following them saves you a lot of re-submission time.
Luckily @Derek_Lieu collected them all on a holy website. derek-lieu.com/blog/2017/10/…
2
87
222
🚨 indie devs: my latest GDC talk is now FOR FREE on YouTube!!
- "The Marketing Money Talk: How to Budget Your Indie Game's Promotion Campaign"
- DOLLAR TIME!!!!
- with loads of price estimates
- and a list of what to spend your money on first
piped.video/-jM9Tx6AVIE?si=8uGe…
12
72
241
17,074
updating my pinned post, please like to make me look cool
- I’m the co-founder of @FutureFriendsVG
- we publish indie games (Europa, Summerhouse, Gourdlets, Exo One)
- and do self-publishing support (Vampire Survivors, Thronefall, What the Golf)
- love the juice pack emoji 🧃
10
15
245
20,110
Good article about hidden gems on Steam
"How many Steam games have great reviews but little exposure? A LOT" gamasutra.com/blogs/BillBorm…
14
108
212
Our first co-published game Omno is out now😊
Would have never thought we publish such a cute game one day when starting a small PR agency a few years ago
Very proud of the whole team & no idea how
@StudioInkyfox made this game solo but v glad he did
Studio Inkyfox ⛩️ Wishlist Kibu!
10
36
221
we're publishing a sick RPG:
- it’s also a personality test—for real, you get results at the end
- branching story - you only see 1/3 of the game first
- big cast of spirit characters
- crab man with nipples
- Undertale vibes, Dreamcast aesthetic
Freeride, 1st May. DM for codes
20
27
239
9,175
Announcement
- I'm now a PR freelancer for sweet indies games!
- Got a sick game? 📧 me
- Pls RT for bonus points 💗
futurefriendsgames.com
12
114
208
Indie dev social media tip:
there is a really good site that lets your turn Twitch streams into TikToks
handy if you are doing dev streams to make them into TikTok posts
streamladder.com/
4
44
211
🚨Indies🚨
I wrote a list of my fave ONLINE TOOLS FOR PROMOTING INDIE GAMES (PR, marketing, community etc.). Most of them are free!
Pls retweet & let me know about sick stuff to add
Let's make this super helpful 🛴 bit.ly/2MQ3tRE
16
87
220
!!!! GDC indies!!!
today is my talk “The Golden Rule of Indie Game Promotion: No One Cares About Your Game"
obvs sounds a bit rude but pinky promise it makes sense once you hear it & we used it working on Vampire Survivors, Exo One etc
14:00, room 2001 west hall pls come!!!!
3
19
200
27,768
The true Christmas miracle is that @frogdetective is featured on buses, trams and tubes across Austria
Makes me laugh to think my home friends and family got quality frog boi time today
12
173
⚠️Frog Detective 2 is coming out on 9th December⚠️
If you are press or influencer and want a code for the most important game of all time DM me pls
✨🐸🔎✨
Full trailer piped.video/_d6ld2nNn1o
6
19
157
🚨COOL OPPORTUNITY
we are looking for campaign/project manager help in May and June for 'indie games PR and marketing'
we’re called Future Friends and have worked on games like Summerhouse, Vampire Survivors, Thronefall, Exo One, Cloverpit etc
info and application form below
6
48
170
13,637
frog detective 3 is…
… probs the best game we’ve ever worked on
… defo the best game ever made
… coming 27 October
DM for review codes
8
24
144
BLOG POST: How to TikTok for indie devs
💠Guide with top 10 tips to make the tok tik
💠Examples of great accounts to follow
Pls RT to share brain knowledge
olima.medium.com/tiktok-guid…
7
50
141
the next game we are publishing is launching this friday and it’s REALLY good!!!
Some incredible numbers from Slots & Daggers, two days before launch:
- over 70,000 wishlists (in 3 months),
- Northernlion played the demo (!!),
- finished next fest with +26k wishlists,
- demo has 92% positive rating
Thank you all so much 🔥🖤🎰
7
7
163
10,984
the regular ‘socials links’ on the right side of the store page remain at least, but no more fancy in-page banner links
1
138
6,425
Game where you're a dog who lost all his social media followers and is working on his big comeback
It's called TikDog, we are sorry
4
26
132
Slots & Daggers passed 100k sales in 10 days!!
mega congrats to mega genius dev Friedemann for making such a sick game so quickly (started dev in March this year, wild!!)
and many thanks for publishing with us <3
Slots & Daggers has sold 100k copies in the first 10 days 🤯
Was not expecting that when I sent this message to Future Friends (was also not expecting to work on it for longer than 6 weeks so I guess I've got bad expectation skills):
4
151
8,019
Just footage of ScourgeBringer that is launching today on PS Vita
Vita
Vita
Vita
DM me for review EU review codes
11
25
136
Super proud we helped on this: BIG itch.io NATURE CHARITY BUNDLE
+ 60 sick indie games
+ $450 value
+ for only $5
+ all money goes to the World Trust Fund
(organised by top boy @kriswb with help from @FutureFriendsVG gang)
Plant Based Gaming 💚
2
78
134
pls DM for review codes, kotaku says this is a ‘perfect indie mystery’
19
17
131
19,060
New pinned tweet, pls like to make me look cool
Video of what we do at @FutureFriendsVG
Future Friends Games
2
7
133
My GDC talk about 'The 5 Pillars & Pitfalls of Indie Games PR' is online for free
Please RT gdcvault.com/play/1023322/Ev…
7
48
127
Think I just found the best Kickstarter??
- Sauna 2000
- PS1 looking sauna sim?
- With a horror twist?
- I think?
- Made by Finnish studio because Finnish game Control had NO saunas?
- All text on the KS page are jpgs??
- 94% funded!!! 🥰
kickstarter.com/projects/mad… by @AmosSorri
3
34
116
pls shout if you want review codes for this (launching tomorrow)
very normal gardeing game Grunn. super normal
24
24
125
10,272
we just sent out a press release with the very normal subject line
"Vampire Survivors gets animated show - by Sonic Movie producer and John Wick writer/creator"
OK
Story Kitchen, the company currently bringing TV adaptations of Tomb Raider and Splinter Cell to life, is reportedly partnering with poncle founder Luca Galante to adapt the BAFTA Best Game Award winning Vampire Survivors as an animated series.
9
8
128
19,037
Desert Child:
- New Hoverbike racing RPG
- Getting super Cowboy Bebop vibes 💗
- Looks 👍& demo is out
piped.video/watch?v=SiHRdHGW… @moomoomang
3
34
111
PR tip of the day:
There is a Chrome extension that shows you the estimated revenue for each Steam game on it's store page
(just found it in @AdventureMtn newsletter, not sure how good the data is but looks fun)
chrome.google.com/webstore/d…
9
19
115
we are publishing our fourth game soon and it's very small and very sweet!! the "world's smallest city builder" called The Block 💜💜
- coming 16th Dec to Steam
- by @paul_schnepf (The Ramp, very nice!)
- price: less than a slice of pizza
- DM for codes
nitter.app/paul_schnepf/status/15…
7
18
109
Sorting out my old stuff at my mum’s place and found this official magazine, promoting the N64 launch in Austria.
What
happened
here
7
44
109
update on the new Steam Demo rules:
- currently 4 out of 10 games in 'new & trending' charts are demos, wild!!
- (demos couldn't chart before the changes)
- could make demos better for marketing
- will probs make it harder for indie games to get into or stay in 'new & trending'
11
11
109
20,283
we just announced a new game we are publishing!!!
- strategic castle builder: build and destroy brick by brick!
- funded by Slay the Spire Dev @caseyyano via Outersloth (Among Us)
- made by nopopo (Devolver Tumble Time)
it's VERY GOOD, demo out now!!!
announcing my new new game: Castle V Castle!!
a strategic 1v1 castle battler that has you build up your castle and reduce your opponent to rubble, brick by brick! DEMO OUT NOW!!
with funding from Slay the Spire dev @caseyyano via Outersloth (Among Us) and Future Friend support!
12
9
116
5,245
🚨ATTENTION: there's a FROG BREEDING SIM launching on Steam tomorrow
- think A Link to the Past meets Potion Craft… with frogs
- loads of menus, numbers and things to figure out to make nice frogs!!
- be a frog
- befriend frogs
- eat flies
- 20-30h long
pls DM for review codes
13
9
114
5,492
Very much into the new Steam page design for 'art of rally'
(We helped setting up the page but someone else in the team made the gifs. I'm very impressed and gif jealous lol)
store.steampowered.com/app/5…
8
14
102
please DM for review codes, this game is SO GOOD
TODAY IS THE DAY
💚 Duck Detective is OUT NOW on Steam and Nintendo Switch! 💚
The Salami Bandit is out there, and it’s up to one daring duck to catch them... 👀
Have fun solving mysteries and meeting our delightfully quirky (quacky?) cast!
store.steampowered.com/app/2…
13
8
105
13,621
made new business cards that are so unhinged that the card printing company asked if they can share it on their socials. 💫business💫
6
5
99
⚠️indie devs working on TikToks⚠️
one of the main questions we get asked is how we spot trending sounds. besides "watching too much TikTok" there are also accounts that talk about current TikTok trends, sounds and tips
🧵 list with some of my favs below
2
25
105
18,417
Europa is out!!!!!!
feeling very blessed that we can publish such a nice game. thanks for making this @HelderHP and team and huge thanks to the whole @FutureFriendsVG for all the sick work
content creators / press obvs please DM for review codes
7 years ago, I started making my dream game while balancing a AAA dev job.
Today, it's finally out on Steam and Switch.
Making Europa has changed my life, and I hope you love it as much as I've loved making it. 💖
4
15
105
8,149
🚨indie devs: Steam just announced more updates for store pages!!
- Social media links: can now be re-ordered + finally include more sites (TikTok, Reddit, Instagram, Bilibili, Weibo, more)
- Pinned Bundles: you can specify the number of bundles + the order in which they appear
4
21
99
6,684
PR tip of the day for all Switch devs:
The eShop just got an update, making your first screenshot way more important ⬇️
The #NintendoSwitch eShop has been updated... slightly. If you hover over an icon now, the screenshots will scroll by. This will give you a cleaner first impression before heading into the listing. So much better in my book!
4
35
94
PR tip of the day:
There’s a trick with Steam URLs that lets you choose what Curator review shows up on top of your game’s Steam store page.
Example of @ionlands with a PC Gamer review here.
All you need is a custom link that’s easy to find, check the thread for details!
6
25
97
Indie devs:
Running a survey aiming to figure out the best PR strategies for indies. Will share results in my 2018 GDC talk & online.
Pls take part and RT 💖 goo.gl/forms/sTSxXrulEEjbvI9…
5
59
98
⚠️Cloudpunk is out now for Steam!⚠️
"A neon-noir story in a rain-drenched cyberpunk metropolis"
[DM me for review codes]
[by @ionlands]
store.steampowered.com/app/7…
2
28
95
the best duck game in the world got a release date!!
new Duck Detective game!!!
please DM if you want to sign-up for a review code (I already played it and it's genius, for real)
We have a RELEASE DATE for the next Duck Detective game!!!
🦆 22nd May 🦆
Coming to PC… PS5… Nintendo Switch… and Xbox!! That’s right, we’re coming to console too! See you there, detectives 😉🔎
4
10
108
4,573
SUPER recommended for indie devs:
- watch this new GDC talk (free)
- “Marketing Your Game Under the New Steam Rules”
- extremely good data and hands on tips about recent Steam changes
- by @AdventureMtn
- can’t overstate how good this talk is
- link below
5
15
104
8,587
PR TIP: When making your 🎬indie game trailer🎬
- Have a NICE thumbnail (a lot of people will see that)
- Have a sick 1st frame (for video previews)
- Video should work without sound (for mobile)
- Show something interesting in the first 10 secs
Eg➡️piped.video/SYD1zVUmgAw
3
16
87
🚨🚨press/influencer people🚨🚨
the Vampire Survivors CO-OP mode will be playable for THE FIRST TIME at a hands-on event this Wednesday in London
please DM if you want a ticket!!
garlic!!!
5
16
88
15,206
FUGL is out now!
If that gif feat. 🐦 and 🐒 doesn't convince you I don't know anymore
💗
PS: 📧me for press codes
store.steampowered.com/app/6…
2
46
93
Indie devs
The following events are currently taking submission for their indie showcases
⭕Tokyo Game Show (free)
expo.nikkeibp.co.jp/tgs/2020…
⭕Day of the Devs (free)
dayofthedevs.com/
⭕PAX Online ($15)
store.penny-arcade.com/produ…
⭕IndieCade ($50)
indiecade.com/submissions/
7
58
90
OK this is hands-down the best Steam page in the universe
below are the screenshots from the page (last one is in the next tweet)
5
3
80
New @Official_GDC 2018 talks live on the vault now for free:
- @sonic_hedgehog post-mortem
- @NieRGame
- @Gorogoa
- @dreamdaddygame
- @reignsgame by @leighalexander
- & more
Good stuff gdcvault.com/
1
31
85
Played Frog Detective 2 at Rezzed and it’s ✨GOOOOD✨
Pretty sure it will win 2 to 3 Oscars, such masterfully crafted dialogue.
[For real, play it, it’s magnifique.]
1
3
88
⚠️STOP EVERYTHING⚠️
There is a game called Marshmellow Spa Day and it's about a Marshmellow having a spa day.
YES
@MarshmellowSpa
3
18
84
to start the holidays dropping a video of some games we have worked on this year (as a publisher or agency)
feeling very lucky to be working so many games I legit love and that are made by nice people. big thanks & have good holidays!!
5
7
79
6,306
demo for Aethermancer just dropped, this game is VERY GOOD (disclaimer we do work on this but it's for real very good!!)
offbrand games is publishing ⚔️AETHERMANCER⚔️ by @moi_rai_ - the creators of Monster Sanctuary!
It's a monster-taming roguelike full of sick synergies and satisfying turn-based combos that YOU CAN PLAY RIGHT NOW!!
peep the trailer and peep the demo ⬇️
4
4
91
6,039
Hi game dev friends
My new @Official_GDC talk "Get Journalists to Cover Your Game" is on YouTube now, yeah
RT ➡️🙌
piped.video/watch?v=X3FPHVBO…
4
30
84
