At this point, it seems like some indie developers just understand what the people want and how to sell it. The 2D god game, Reus, has the striking art style and enjoyable gameplay hook that keeps being coming back for more, and fortunately, indie studio Abbey Games has seen the benefits of strong development and a smart post-release strategy.
Speaking with Joystiq, Abbey confirmed that 235,000 downloads have been earned since launching May 16 across Steam, Gamersgate, GOG, and Desura. This number stood at 100,000 copies in the first two months alone, with recent sales more than doubling the initial estimates. Normally sold for $10, Reus appeared on a Steam Summer Sale special for half the price, giving the newly formed studio of four people (two of whom are students) a massive increase in attention.
The promotion, launch, and discount method of indie development has seemingly worked wonders, and Abbey feels more than comfortable sharing its success with other creators.
"We figured out sharing sales figures is actually really important for the independent community," co-founder Manuel Kerssemakers said. "For example, we have learned a great deal from Hitbox Team's discussion of their Dustforce sales in terms of what to expect. As soon as we think Reus is stuck in its long tail, we'll prepare a complete post-mortem like that as well so that people may know what decisions lead to what sales. This will help people judge whether creating the games they love is also a viable way to make a living."
