The Belgian video game is jostling in a competitive and international market
There are only about twenty Belgian studios in Wallonia, the vast majority being in Flanders. They are not very numerous and above all, not very rich. For example, it is impossible for them to buy an advertising campaign in the metro or on television.
A peach cactusa video game studio based in Mons, we opt instead for meetings with the public: “We use public events like the Made in Asia to show our game of the moment and interest visitors”explains Sophie Schiaratura, communication and marketing manager at Fishing Cactus. “We communicate about the game very early, well before its release to create a community and invested players. This is necessary because on the Steam platform, the user has a wishlist. On each list, they can add games which have not yet been released and which they wish to acquire. The more a game is on users’ wishlists, the more it is promoted by the Steam platform. Communicating early on our game therefore ensures better visibility.“
A necessary step as the number of video games published has exploded in recent years. Over 10,000 games released on Steam in 2021. 10 years ago on this same platform, there were only 429.
The pandemic has been an accelerator for the video game industry and although growth has been significant for years, everything has exploded during the various lockdowns.
But paradoxically, the situation has become more difficult for a studio like Fishing Cactus: “We have not been able to hold trade fairs, public events, deplores Sophie Schiaratura. We were unable to create a community for our game Nanotale but at the same time, our contract with the publisher required us to release the game during the covid in March 2021, and that was felt in sales.“