Every indie developer has heard it: “You should definitely be in Next Fest.” And it’s true. If you are releasing in the near future, you probably should be.
What we talk about far less is what it now takes to succeed once you are there.

By Sarah Hoeksma, Chief Marketing Officer at Fireshine Games

Next Fest has become one of the most important moments in an indie game’s PR cycle. For many teams, 20 to 40 percent of pre-launch wishlists can come from this single week. It drives visibility, attracts streamers and press, and gives Steam’s algorithm a reason to pay attention to your game.
The problem is that Next Fest is now the most crowded promotional period of the year.

What started as a discovery event for small teams has become a central promotional moment for Steam itself. Thousands of demos compete for the same attention from players, creators, and media who are more overwhelmed than ever. Streamers are flooded with pitches and often prioritise paid opportunities. Press cannot meaningfully browse the list. Players scroll for a few minutes, download a handful of demos, and never get to most of them.
Too many excellent games disappear in the noise. Not because Next Fest does not work, but because the bar has shifted from simply being present to being properly prepared.

Wishlist percentages alone no longer tell the story. Where early editions might have produced 30 to 80 percent uplifts, today a 10 to 15 percent increase can represent a very strong performance in a vastly more competitive environment. Success is no longer about raw traffic. It is about conversion quality, demo satisfaction, and intent.This is where most teams underestimate what Next Fest actually requires.

A demo is not enough.
What you need is a demo designed for strangers, a build that works for streamers, a Steam page optimised for conversion, a marketing plan that starts weeks before the event, and the ability to operate like a live game team during the week itself.

Next Fest effectively turns your studio into a live service operation. You are monitoring feedback, fixing issues mid-week, watching streams to see where players get confused, answering creator emails, and reacting in real time. Developers who expected a marketing beat often find themselves firefighting instead.

Preparation matters far more than presence.
After participating in Next Fest’s since Spring 2021 we have learned not to treat Next Fest as “the week a demo goes live.” We treat it as a production milestone that begins long before the event starts.

Here are the key learnings I wanted to share now

Build Momentum
We work to ensure players are waiting for the demo before the event begins through weeks of short-form content, showcase placements, and creator activation. Our Next Fest demos go live at 2pm today. Our games are appearing in events such as Convergence, The MIX, and IGN Fan Fest to build momentum before Next Fest even starts & to continue to drive visibility during the event itself.

Nail demos
We ensure demos are structured around a fast, clear gameplay loop that works in the first few minutes for both players and streamers. Our demos are based off of play test learnings and closed demo player feedback so we’ve nailed the experience when the demos go wide during Next Fest.

Track wishlists
We track how many wishlists come directly from demo completion using a UTM link in the wishlist button at the end of the demo. These wishlists are far more valuable than those gained from players casually bookmarking dozens of games during a browse of the event page.

Optimise, optimise and optimise some more
We optimise Steam pages to convert attention into meaningful wishlists, and we track which wishlists come from demo completion to measure real intent. We’ve been A/B testing images and messaging via Reddit ads to finesse this in advance.

Support teams
During the week itself, we support teams with live monitoring, rapid response, and cross-promotion across our portfolio so that when one game gains traction, others benefit from shared visibility and trust.

Engage players on a range of platforms
We also build direct relationships with players beyond Steam through newsletters and early engagement, so communication does not rely solely on the platform.

Next Fest is still one of the most powerful opportunities available to indie developers before launch. It simply no longer rewards teams who show up with a demo and hope for the best. It rewards teams who treat it like the event it has become.

That is where we come in. On February 23rd, we’ll have four more titles in Next Fest: Far Far West, Denshattack!, Gunboat God & Iter-8.

We’re prepared – are you?