S*** I forgot my business cards.

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These parties are all the same 🙄

UGH why did I even sign up for this.

If you'll be in Köln this week, you will inevitably find yourself face-to-face and beer-to-beer with a stranger in the games industry.

The good news? That fellow kölsch holder's palms are just as sweaty as yours, and we're all in the same place with the same common interests:

Games, and making a living related to games.

When I go to events, I recite these Five Golden Rules of Networking to calm my nerves:

1. 90% of the work is the first sentence

2. Others are as nervous as you are

3. Take notes after chatting

4. It's not the last time

5. We all love games

90% of the work is the first sentence

We all know the feeling. Standing at the bar. Your coworker's late. Everyone seems to be having a better time than you in their small groups. There's no way I can break in there...

Oh wait - there's someone else at the next table, also by themselves, twiddling with their lanyard. Bingo.

In networking, the hardest part (by far) is making initial contact. Then conversations can flow to any number of shared topics. Some ice breaking one liners can be:

• "Hey, I'm [insert name], how's Gamescom treating you?"

• "Just wanted to say that's a cool [insert piece of clothing], where'd you get it?"

• "Hey, how's the party treating you?"

• "Cheers! Is that a kölsch too?"

• "So what brought you to Gamescom?"

Trust me - once you get the first sentence out, everything becomes easier, and you might meet your next industry friend.

Others are as nervous as you are

It takes time, effort, and money to physically get to Gamescom. If someone is at an industry party, they also have self-selected into wanting to meet new people outside of the show hours.

Don't worry, you aren't bothering anyone!

And it's 100% natural to get sweaty palms and hesitate when walking up to strangers. If someone's twiddling on their phone at another table, they're probably just as nervous as you and trying to distract themselves from the uncomfortable effort of walking up to a stranger.

Save them the trouble by walking up to them instead - you'll see the relief on their face!

Take notes after chatting

If you don't take notes or follow up with new contacts, then you better go to a lot of industry parties to keep in contact with people!

After meeting someone, I usually step off to the side or go to the bathroom, and take 30 seconds of stream of consciousness bullet point notes on my phone. Write down things like:

• Name

• Role

• Company

• Something fun you talked about

• Something work related you talked about

• Idea of how can work together

It's short, easy, and feels good to gather something concrete from the party.

It's not the last time

Events like Gamescom are great at creating urgency. "If I don't close this deal in this meeting, I'm screwed". "If I don't impress them in the next two minutes, I'm screwed".

People live on after the events. In their offices, their homes, on Linkedin, email, and Whatsapp.

Just remember that trust and relationships are built over time (usually years). What makes the difference to someone is not meeting them the first time, but how you stay in contact over a longer period of time.

Because when you run into them at Gamescom in two years or set up a meeting with their whole team then, it will feel more like catching up with a friend than having a business meeting.

Wouldn't you want to work with a friend instead?

We all love games

Lastly - we allll ❤️ games!! It's why everyone put in the effort to get to Köln, when they could've been relaxing at home at their desk with their cat.

It's the secret weapon ice breaker and thing that bonds people in the industry.

When all else fails in networking, just remember the golden question:

"So what games are you playing lately?"

The rest is history.

Here's a rude FAQ for next week, based on my own trial and error.

1: Which hotel lobbies does everyone hang out at?

A: Radisson Blu will be absolutely jammed (and fun filled) with meetings and people. This is my #1 spot for spontaneous bump-ins. The Dorint is also popular but has a smaller lobby. The Hyatt Regency houses the executives, publishers, investors.

2: What are the best parties and can I still get in?

A: Check out Grace Zhou’s master list of Gamescom parties. Thank you Grace for always pulling these together for everyone. Recommend following her for the next conference!

3: I don’t have a booth. Where can I take meetings?

A: There is a central courtyard within the Messe with food trucks and lots of picnic tables. It gets crowded by late morning, and can be hard to find each other in the crowd. I recommend getting a coffee nearby at the Dorint Hotel lobby, or the adjacent German restaurant Kölsche Braustube Düx. If you want more privacy, the Ibis hotel is a bit further but usually very quiet and easy to get a seat.

4: I need a beer. Where does everyone hang out at night? A: Everyone hangs out in Old Town at night - that’s the area west of Convention hall across the bridge and near the Cathedral. There’s a large square full of outdoor bars near the Gilden im Zims - I’d start there after dinner, and then just follow the noise north and east to see where everyone’s at.

5: I can drink in public??

A: Hell yes! One of my favorite things about Germany is that you can drink in public, and it’s part of the culture to buy a couple beers from the Späti (literally translates as late spot) and drink them out on the lawn. I’d recommend buying any Helles (my favorite kind of German light beer) and having a sip with your team on the lawn by the river with your team to celebrate a hard day’s work.

6: Is it Cologne, or Köln?

A: It’s Köln (pronounced koehln) and locals will appreciate you making the effort to pronounce it the German way. Cologne is the English translation, and is a type of perfume.

7: I need to organize a partner dinner. How do I do that?

A: I recommend OpenTable for quick and easy reservation booking. Some local German spots won’t be on there, and you’ll have to call to make a reservation. They don’t always speak English, so be prepared to read a sentence or two from ChatGPT.

8: Is Köln/Cologne safe at night?

A: Yes - Germany in general is very safe, and it’s a different vibe than GDC. Just follow the typical common sense rules like no earbuds at night, and you’ll be fine.

9: Are the cabs legit? Is Uber available?

A: Uber has become available in Germany since I lived there a few years ago. I recommend also downloading Free Now (used to be MyTaxi) - it’s the local German alternative taxi app to Uber, and might have better supply especially at peak hours.

10: Can I take the train? How does it work?

A: Yes the train is operated by Deutsche Bahn and taking the S line is convenient for getting from Old Town to the Messe. If it’s hot, raining, or you’re carrying a bunch of gear, you’ll be glad you took the train. I recommend downloading the DB app, and buying digital tickets. You just need to activate a train ticket when you board - they generally won’t check and it’s more “honor system”...

11: What’s the difference between Gamescom and Devcom?

A: Gamescom is the large B2B and B2C show that runs from Wed through Sunday. Devcom is a developer and indie focused show that happens on the Mon and Tues prior to Gamescom. If you’re looking for more of a GDC experience with a focus on talks, developer education, and the indie to publisher relationship, I recommend including Devcom in your plans. It’s the best way to maximize the full week in Köln. Tickets are purchased separately.

12: Do I need business cards?

A: Generally no - people at Gamescom are used to Linkedin. Have your QR code ready to scan (or be ready to scan the other person’s QR code, since they usually pull up their code instead). You can find this by tapping the search bar in the Linkedin app and looking for the square-ish icon.

13: What’s the best entrance into Gamescom?

A: The East Entrance is most popular for the business crowd since it’s right across from the Dorint and Radisson Blu - you can get into the convention and back to those hotel lobbies for meetings easily. I prefer the South Entrance since it connects to the train station. Use the South side if you want a quick escape to Old Town after the show.

14: The lunch area is completely packed. Where else can I eat and take a break?

A: My favorite hidden gems are L’Osteria Deutzer Brauhaus out the South Entrance near the Messe Deutz train station. L’Osteria is surprisingly high quality pizza, pasta, and espresso when you need a kick. Also has a good amount of space for taking a lunch meeting, and is a bit hidden so there is less of a crowd. Deutzer Brauhaus is solid German food and beer, and a nice outdoor shaded area - I try to go once every year.

15: What’s the fastest way to Old Town from the Messe Convention Hall?

A: You can either hop on the train (see prev. FAQ # for how to take the train), or you can take a nice walk across the bridge. You’ll pass by rows and rows and love locks on the famous Köln bridge, making for a nice way to end the day. It can get hot early in the summer, so be prepared to show up sweaty if you are walking mid day.

16: I have a day off. Where should I go to explore?

A: Köln sits on the Rhein river, and is absolutely jam packed with castles when you head south. You can see 10 of them in an hour, and even go up and tour some of them like Marksburg Castle if you’re a medieval nerd like me. I recommend taking the KD boat the way down for a relaxing and reflective ride as you look at the valley from the large windows, and then the train back from Mainz or Koblenz so you get back quickly. The boat takes 2 hours and the train takes 1 hour.

What am I missing?

#gamescom #ddc2025 #gamescom2025 #Cologne #Köln

I came across a Greek myth in Paulo Coelho’s novel The Zahir this weekend:

We’re constantly moving from one minotaur to another in our daily lives - imagining each obstacle more beastly and daunting than the last. While forgetting that we all have our own Ariadne, who tied an invisible thread to us before we even entered the Labyrinth at birth.

Even if we forget the thread is there and can’t see it, it exists. Binding us to where we began, and what our greater mission is

.

Before I started Conduit, I spent half a year devouring product management and startup books. Assuming there had to be a quantitative formula for success, that was just on the next page. Without a formal product management background, I thought owning a PM-role in the future company would be my non-technical way to contribute.

Two years in, I realize how we missed subtle threads. I also couldn’t tell you how many, since we’re still in the dark of the Labyrinth.

Last week’s experiment to improve Steam pages could be one of those threads. We identified something which applies to every game developer - optimizing their store page, which is the top organic discovery channel for games.

Of the developers we serviced, more than half replied within 24 hours with a positive reply. Here’s one:

We’re leaving this experiment open until the end of October - sign up here if you' want your Steam page optimized for free.

This week we’re focusing on what we do best - finding the best businesses to connect our partners to. More on this next week and how to sign up.

Subscribe now

We average 10 sign ups for Conduit everyday from this, which is 20 - 33% conversion rate considering the 30-50 developers with a new game coming out each day.

But, we’ve got a case of the leaky bucket. Developers sign up, try the tool, and don’t stay or don’t come back.

So what’re we doing about it? We’re running weekly experiments to see if there’s another solution better suited to the problem of games going undiscovered, unplayed, and unmarketed.

Experiment #1: Press kit creation and outreach queuing.
Gaming press outlet coverage can boost a game update or launch, and some developers aren’t sure how to contact or what to send to a press contact.

Experiment #2: Steam page optimization.
Organic store page traffic is one of the largest channels for sales today, sometimes accounting for > 80% of sales, according to developers at Tokyo Game Show.

But we also worry about a bigger question, what if there are just too many games, not enough gamers, and most developers will never succeed?

We’re going to chew on this question in the coming weeks as we decide what to build next. And whether 99% of games will go unplayed and unknown at some point in the near future.

Let us know what you think in the comments below!

Welcome friends old and new to the relaunched Conduit Letter! It’s been months since you last heard from our Substack; we’re back every Monday covering three things:

1. Game industry highlights and insights

2. What Conduit did and learned last week

3. What we’re planning for next week

The newsletter will be punchy, punctual, and pertinent. If you want to better understand game developers, the game industry, and why we exist, this is the place.

We’re in Techstars!

If you’re in NYC, shoot me an email, and happy to make intros to the other founders.

Subscribe now

Tokyo Game Show Highlights

• Steam wishlists convert worse than ever: Wishlists on the popular PC game store Steam (136MM MAU) are the industry standard for pre-launch sales forecasts. However at TGS some developers quoted as low as 3% conversion from wishlist to sales of indie games. That means even with 100K wishlists (very hard to accomplish for an indie), the developer would sell 3,000 units, which at an average price of $19.99 is $60,000 for several years of work - before platform fees (30%) and publisher revenue share (sometimes > 50%). That. Is. Brutal... Is there a better way?

• Japan’s game is still the big company: Dozens of universities attended Tokyo Game Show with large booths, and students showcasing games they’d developed. At first glance you’d think they were promoting the indie dream and looking for publishers, but they’re actually hoping a large company recruiter comes by and gives them a card. Japan’s game industry is still dominated by the large companies, and the Japanese indie scene is growing but nascent.

• “Give me a black box that spits out marketing content”: We talked with 15 indie developers on the show floor. Those without a publisher do their marketing themselves taking away from dev time, or are paying $5-15K/month for an agency or contractor to manage it. When asked how they’d hope a marketing tool would work: “I just want drop off video, choose the tone, and get back what I need for my new trailer or Twitter post”. Target acquired!

What Conduit Did Last Week

Launched the Conduit ChatGPT Plugin, making game trailers and videos directly in chat. Type in a game, and get a finished video in 5-10 minutes. Testing ChatGPT organic discovery in the coming weeks.

Launched PRessy - automated gaming press kits and outreach queuing for developers. 80% of game teams fill out the form if we email them a link. Monitoring first-time usage and repeat requests to see if useful.

Automated Complete sub sign-up no longer requiring a demo call to pay and receive directions, and dropped Premium sub price to $39.99 from $99.99 to increase usage and go for volume over profitability in the near-term.

What’s Next

1. Tokyo Game Show Follow Ups: revised proposals for the several AAA game publishers, platforms, and media companies we met with at the show, and follow ups with the indie developers to maintain open communication as we design products.

2. Embedding in more Game Communities: Conduit team will spend more time in online game developer and game enthusiast community groups on X, Reddit, Discord, and YouTube to monitor upcoming trends and turn those into 1:1 customer discovery relationships.

3. Automated Customer Feedback: Conduit is building a way to automatically ask for feedback within 24 hours after users try the tool for the first time - an upgrade from doing it manually!

Until next week -

Kai Boyd

Co-Founder and CEO

Conduit.gg

How to Learn Who Your Audience Is: Essential Marketing Strategies for Indie Game Developers

Marketing an indie game effectively can significantly influence its success, but it's often a challenging landscape for developers to navigate. Understanding your audience is the first step to effective marketing, enabling you to tailor your message and connect with potential players. In this post, we’ll explore key video game marketing strategies, highlight the importance of game trailer creation, and discuss how social media management can boost your game's visibility. Additionally, tools like Conduit can simplify creating engaging video content, an essential element for marketing your game on social media.

Understanding Your Target Audience

Knowing who your audience is and what they want is crucial for indie game marketing. Research demographics, interests, and online behaviors to create a clear picture of your potential players. This understanding will help you refine your marketing strategies, from game trailer creation to social media posts, ensuring they resonate with your target audience. Platforms like Conduit can be particularly helpful by enabling you to create tailored video content that appeals directly to your audience's interests and preferences.

Crafting Engaging Game Trailers

A compelling game trailer is vital for capturing the attention of potential players and generating excitement.

Game trailers should highlight the unique features of your game. Whether it's the captivating storyline, stunning graphics, or innovative gameplay mechanics, make sure these elements stand out. Using a game trailer editor like Conduit can streamline the video editing process, allowing you to produce high-quality trailers optimized for various social media platforms. This tool is beneficial for Steam trailer makers and Steam trailer editors who want to ensure their trailers meet platform-specific requirements.

Leveraging Social Media for Maximum Impact

Social media is a powerful tool for marketing indie games, offering unique opportunities to reach and engage with your audience.

Instagram is ideal for sharing visually appealing content such as screenshots, behind-the-scenes looks, and short gameplay clips. Effective Instagram game promotion also includes using Instagram ads to extend your reach further. For TikTok marketing for video games, the platform's short-form video format is perfect for viral content. As a TikTok indie game developer, focus on creating trendy, shareable clips that can quickly gain traction.

YouTube is another vital platform for marketing indie games. It is excellent for more extended content like gameplay tutorials, developer diaries, and full-length trailers. Short-form content, created using a YouTube shorts game clip editor, can capture a broader audience's attention and drive traffic to your game's page.

Building and Engaging a Gaming Community

A strong and engaged community significantly amplifies your marketing efforts and provides invaluable feedback.

Use platforms like Discord and Reddit to create interactive spaces where players can interact with each other and with you. These forums are perfect for discussing game features, sharing tips, and receiving feedback. Consistent engagement is crucial. Keep your community updated with regular news, interactive content, and prompt responses to their comments and questions. Live Q&A sessions and sharing behind-the-scenes content can foster a deeper connection with your audience, building a loyal community around your game.

Effective Marketing on a Budget

Marketing on a budget is a common challenge for indie developers, but it can be managed with strategic planning.

Influencer collaborations can offer authentic exposure. Partnering with gaming influencers allows them to create engaging content that introduces your game to a larger audience. Effective SEO for game developers is another critical strategy. Using video game SEO tips like keyword optimization, engaging meta descriptions, and building backlinks can significantly enhance your game’s online visibility and search engine rankings.

Ensure your marketing message is consistent across all platforms for a cohesive narrative that strengthens your brand. Cross-platform marketing can amplify your reach, making your message resonate more broadly.

Generating Buzz Before Launch

Generating anticipation before your game’s launch is crucial for a successful release.

Share intriguing teasers on social media to build curiosity among potential players. Beta testing is another effective tactic. Invite players to participate in beta testing to gather early feedback and generate buzz. Press outreach is equally important. Connect with journalists, bloggers, and gaming websites to secure previews and reviews, increasing your game’s visibility.

Sustaining Momentum Post-Launch

Maintaining momentum after your game’s release is essential for long-term success.

Keep your community updated with new content, patches, and expansions. Continued engagement helps maintain interest and loyalty among your player base. Utilize game marketing analytics to monitor campaign performance and adjust strategies based on data-driven insights to ensure ongoing effectiveness. Maintaining relationships with influencers can keep your game in the public eye and attract new audiences consistently.

Leveraging Marketing Tools for Efficiency

Marketing tools are invaluable for streamlining your promotional efforts. Conduit, for example, assists developers in creating engaging social media videos quickly and easily. This ensures a consistent and professional online presence which is particularly beneficial for indie developers with limited marketing resources.

Conclusion

Marketing, launching, and promoting an indie game involves understanding your audience, creating captivating content, leveraging social media, and building an engaged community. Tools like Conduit can enhance your marketing efforts, making it easier to produce high-quality promotional content. By following these strategies, indie developers can turn their games into success stories. Consistency, creativity, and engagement are crucial to maximizing your game’s potential and building a dedicated player base.

Effective video game marketing strategies are essential for reaching your audience. Indie game marketing is enhanced with tools like Conduit, which simplifies game trailer creation and video editing for game trailers. Optimize your trailers for various platforms, whether using a Steam trailer editor or a YouTube game clip maker, to ensure they are engaging and well-targeted.

Effective social media management for gamers includes leveraging both TikTok marketing for video games and Instagram game promotion. Building a robust gaming community and marketing indie games on a budget requires strategic execution. Incorporate tactics like Steam game promotion alongside Unity and Unreal Engine marketing to boost your game's visibility.

Creating viral gaming videos on TikTok and using Instagram ads for video games can significantly enhance your game’s online presence. Utilizing SEO for game developers and following video game SEO tips is crucial for boosting visibility. Engaging gamers on the best social media platforms and implementing tips for game marketing on Reddit can foster interaction and loyalty.

Implement detailed game development marketing plans and identify your target audience for success. Collaborate with influencers to market your games effectively and use robust video game branding techniques. Promote games on new social platforms and create pre-launch buzz with comprehensive video game launch marketing checklists and cross-platform strategies.

Mobile game developers can also utilize mobile game marketing strategies and Twitch game marketing for increased visibility. Focusing on user acquisition for mobile games and using game advertising on social media will help expand your player base. Combining strategic video game marketing, effective promotion, and creative video content creation ensures you get more players and secure the success of your indie game.

You’ve heard about “startups” and “founders” for years in the wider software space. But the time is now for games.

It took three years, four different co-founders, and five different product concepts before landing on Conduit.

I actually didn’t want to stay in games. Or even with games industry people. I’d just left Amazon and Twitch in 2020, was burned out, and wanted to try something different.

But I still loved the two big customers in the games industry - developers and players. Playing games is still what bonds my childhood friends together when our lives take us apart. And game developers are some of the smartest, honest, humble (sometimes to a fault) people I know.

If you start concepting something now, and choose people to work with that you already trust in an industry you love, you’ll go further and faster than we ever did.

If you’re a detail-oriented worrier, find a big picture happy-go-lucky (guess which I am hehe). If you can pour over numbers all day, find the creative feeler that can assess design instantly.

Games will more often iterate in the open with a minimum viable product (MVP) like a traditional software startup in the coming years. Gather feedback and tweak it as you go along. We’ll share examples of some these games in our next post.

We are by no means expert entrepreneurs. But it feels great to run, and run alongside people you already know and trust.

If anyone wants to talk through what it takes to start a company or gather a small team, you know where to find us. And if you don’t, here! kai@conduit.gg

It only takes one paying customer to start a business.

And I hope this economic downturn creates some of the most meaningful games, tools, and teams we’ve ever seen.

Kai

Co-Founder and CEO
Conduit

We visited Beijing last week only to catch the capital’s first blizzard in years, covering the Hutong alleyways with snow and ice.

The first thing that local games industry friends (and local cab drivers) mentioned was how they and their kids play games today. On their phones, yes… but not exactly as you’d expect.

“Mini games” are cloud-based social games embedded in the China’s most popular apps like WeChat (WeiXin) and TikTok (DouYin), with over 400MM MAU as of June 2023. That number is likely a multiple higher today.

Local industry friend Cherry Chen’s company ESIGAME brings games into China, and has had specific success with Mini Games this year, with substantially lower user acquisition (UA) costs compared to normal mobile games.

For a local, you’re already on WeChat all day. It’s easy to see what your friends are playing, and join them in one or two taps from your home screen. No additional download or login required. Gaming (or generally spending time with friends) doesn’t get simpler than that.

By embedding games directly in-app streamed directly to your phone, the ability for app stores to track in-app purchases (IAP) also gets murkier. Is IAP now obfuscated and untracked, since they happen “off store”?

We recently covered CrazyGames, a browser based games store with 30MM+ MAU that also identified the trend of playing games outside of typical mobile app stores, with vastly simplified UX. WeChat’s Mini Games dive head first in that direction, pulling hundreds of millions of players with them, many of whom could be first time gamers, who were only now introduced to games through their WeChat friends.

The games market is clearly splitting in two. On one end of the spectrum, you have “hardcore” games that are detailed, with thousands of hours to play, and expensive to make. Think GTA VI.

On the other end are “hypercasual” games that are short, social, fun, and pack a punch of fun in a short time. Think Mini Games.

What happens to the middle market, is anybody’s guess…

At the same time, TikTok is winding down its games business… but mini games continue as an integral part of the ByteDance app ecosystem. Perhaps signaling a company refocus to the casual side instead of the hardcore, and clearly not exiting games altogether.

What’s also interesting is how the spectrum of games will develop by region based on lifestyle differences. With more Americans working from home right next to their favorite PC or console, we may lean to hardcore titles. While regions like Japan and Korea, who’ve fully returned to the office, are back on the mobile bite-size grind.

The move to mini may be an early signal for games to replace apps altogether in the future, and “apps” becoming the “stores” of today. 43% of Gen-Alpha already spend more time on Roblox and Fortnite combined versus TikTok and YouTube combined. Who’s to say a “game developer” becomes a general “software developer” in the next couple years?

We believe games are the apps of the future. Software for daily life, which can be made by anyone.

Stay warm, and add me on WeChat.

Kai Boyd

Co-Founder & CEO

Conduit.gg

Somehow the phrase “stay in touch” morphed into something you only say when someone quits their job, or moves far away. Like Texas. Or Florida…

But there’s real meaning behind the phrase, that should be brought to the foreground much, much earlier than when you’re about to have major distance between you.

That’s because staying in touch, when you don’t have an imminent need to do so, is actually the best time to build relationships and make friends.

This principle is what originally brought my co-founder GC Chew and I together. We first met through a friend of a friend in the games industry (you know how that goes). GC was looking for business development roles at game studios. That was my career path of choice, so having a call made sense. We exchanged some friendly advice, but didn’t have my team at Amazon didn’t have openings, and I didn’t have any immediate opportunities for him in my network. The conversation was jovial enough, but it didn’t go anywhere.

A few months go by, we passively watch each others’ (infrequent) Linkedin posts and accomplishments like watching seagulls out the backseat of an Uber.

But unlike most (~95%) of “friend of a friend” intros, GC and I started to spontaneously catch up every few months. To check in on each other’s progress, any new opportunities. We ended up just talking industry gossip and news, i.e. “Omg did you play X? I’ve heard it’ll be Game of the Year”… “ugh I wish, it’s on my Steam wishlist but I don’t have time to play. Plus I already bought these twenty other games on sale”.

Somewhere in those 1-2 years of once-in-a-while unscheduled calls, we became friends. And I started to look forward to those chats whenever they popped up. Like catching up with that close friend who moved away. But remember, you became friends before they moved away.

Earlier this year, GC and I were commiserating on how hard the job market was, and things clicked into place. “If it’s so hard to find the right job, why not just make it yourself?”

GC ended up creating his own opportunity in games business development, by co-founding Conduit with me as our Head of Business Development. Working with indies and publishers alike, to create new opportunities in games.

BTW - we’re overdue for a catch up.

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Traffic Loop. Defender Idle 2. Pixel Warfare.

No, these aren’t the top games on Steam, Roblox, or Fortnite Creative Mode.

This is CrazyGames.

What started as a way to revitalize browser games has quietly amassed 250MM plays and 30MM MAU every month. That’s a whole lot of game discovery.

The first thing that stands out is load time. You’re in-game in one click. No account login (unless you want to save progress). No Captcha. Just simply play a game on your lunch break, or for your toddler to explore with your iPad.

Although this looks simple, imagine how many UX Designers and Product Managers are currently employed to remove steps in the “conversion funnel” - getting someone from load screen into the game or product in as few steps as possible. One click into the product is the fewest steps possible, until we have telepathy in the metaverse.

BTW - Toddlers playing on iPads is a window into the future of games. While Roblox corners the Gen-Z audience, (with 70.2MM Daily Active Users (DAUs), up 20% YoY), CrazyGames is cornering the even younger audience of Gen Alpha - those born after 2010. With incredibly fast games (I found myself playing between 2-5 min per), and incredibly simple UI.

According to web traffic site Similarweb, 32.78% of CrazyGames traffic is between the ages of 18-24. I bet the even younger Gen-Alpha crowd is getting lumped into other age ranges since website trackers aren’t allowed to categorize younger demos.

As with fashion, we may see the games cycle return to the previously unpopular browser as their platform of choice. Mobile developers on iOS and Android feel the squeeze of few promotional channels, incredibly expensive user acquisition, and fierce competition among apps.

The browser allows separate account creation and purchases, available in one format across all devices. Mega corps like Amazon have made users make purchases in the browser instead of in the app to avoid Apple’s 30% revenue cut.

CrazyGames may be avoiding this fight altogether, with compounding interest on its profits. Eyes set on the next evolution of the games market, before anyone else is awake.

If you enjoyed this post, or have ideas for future ones, we’d love to hear from you. We live to help game developers find audience, and grow their games into successful businesses.

Kai Boyd

Founder & CEO, Conduit.gg

Stroll through the Las Vegas Convention Center last weekend, and you’ll be hard pressed to find a playable demo.

Since 2015, the live streaming platform Twitch has hosted TwitchCon for its creators, game partners, and communities to celebrate whatever and whoever they identify as.

But this year marked a major shift, with one question overheard repeatedly amidst its halls:

Where are the games?

A significant Escape from Tarkov arena marked the center of the con, but few other titles dotted the showfloor. Purple LEGO buildings, VTuber meet-n-greets, and medieval style standing desks. Well, yes of course. We’re gamers, and we love these things.

But the absence of true game exhibits makes you wonder why. Could it be…

• Event budgets are suppressed during a global recession

• Physical events continue to see lower attendee numbers and thus ROI post-COVID

• Games are moving to “micro-communities” over larger central events (RIP E3)

Or has Twitch accomplished what it hoped to achieve years ago.

Moving beyond gaming.

We say undoubtedly yes, and not in the way we’d expected. 

Instead of content categories like Creative, Music, or Cooking to be the one-up champion to herald in this new age, you have… Just Chatting.

Just Chatting. With over 3 BILLION hours watched in the last year according to Sully Gnome. More than the previous two categories League of Legends (1.27B Hours Watched) and VALORANT (1.01B Hours Watched) combined.

Just Chatting is creator-to-community in its purest form, where a creator is able to talk about or watch just about anything with their audience.

The bonds between a creator and their fans are incredibly strong. Marked by lines long and short in the main hall or Dunkin Donuts cafeteria, for fans to finally meet someone they’ve listened to and interacted with online for months or years… and the dawning of simp culture.

Wait, what’s a simp? Coming to fame via TikTok memes in the last few years, simps are overly submissive or even desperate for the attention or affection of someone without receiving anything in return. Which, sometimes light-heartedly and sometimes not, can be used as a source of pride when a fan ponders their dedication to favorite creators. There’s incredible strength in the relationships within certain creator communities today, and this will likely deepen in the years to come.

And although big game publisher booths were rare this year, indie game developers still turned out en masse.

At the Conduit Creator and Game Developer Meetup (amidst piles of boba and fries), we realized something now obvious in hindsight…

Developers are creators, and creators are developers.

And although we’ve incorporated creators as part of our business at Conduit, we didn’t realize that these are often one in the same person. Fully committed to the games industry, and driving its future from the ground up.

We started our company, Conduit, to help game developers succeed in today’s market. Our first product turns gameplay footage into finished social posts that any developer can use for their TikTok’s initial audience.

As of today, we’re taking early access sign ups for our Indie Network, to help developers and creators collaborate and help drive games and communities forward. 

Alongside our creators and friends, we hope to accomplish this goal every day, one game and one connection at a time.See you in the chat -

Kai Boyd

Co-Founder and CEO, Conduit.gg

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