Hey everyone!
Tolga here, the developer behind Metal Thunder. I’m excited to share some fantastic news about the game’s performance during Steam Next Fest. Metal Thunder went BRRRT like the GAU-8 and absolutely surpassed my expectations! Out of 3,000+ games participating in the event (a huge jump from the usual 1,800), Metal Thunder ranked 272nd in follower count and 286th in Max-CCU. (Reference)https://newsletter.gamediscover.co/p/which-games-hit-big-in-steams-oct
Next Fest was busier than ever, and so was I, gathering all this data and updating the game in between. I’m thrilled with how things turned out and couldn’t wait to share these numbers with you all and here are the results but first some development info about Metal Thunder
Metal Thunder was developed entirely solo from start to finish, marking my first solo commercial game.
I began development on September 2nd, cutting it extremely close to the Steam Next Fest submission deadline on the 3rd.
Due to the tight timeline, I had no time for marketing before or even during Next Fest, as I was focused on releasing the demo, which launched just two days before the event on October 12th. I then spent the entire fest rapidly updating and improving the game based on feedback.
Steam Developer: Dumbbell Games
Metal Thunder has gained around 2,900 wishlists and 153 followers during Next Fest, with a consistent active user base. Happy with the growth, but could’ve been better if I had more time before Next Fest. Still these numbers show a strong foundation for Metal Thunder's early access launch! Contributing Factors
Community Engagement as Key:
I've been actively engaging with players across Discord and Steam Community, responding to comments, and implementing rapid changes and fixes based on feedback. This likely left a positive impression on prospective players who value developer responsiveness. It also turned into a mini QA test, which proved invaluable—definitely something to focus on earlier in the process next time instead of waiting until a high-profile event like Next Fest.
Impact of Valve's Algorithm Change:
Valve's new algorithm for Next Fest clearly had a significant impact, as the data shows Metal Thunder gained a lot of quality users even without extensive pre-Fest marketing. This is especially true in the later stages of the fest, where the algorithm seems to have recommended the game to the right audience. Previously, you needed a solid marketing push for momentum, but this time, even a "middling" game like mine saw great growth thanks to the algorithmic boost.
Content Woes:
Due to the limited time from the game's conception, I wasn’t able to include several key features in the demo that I believe could have significantly boosted the game’s performance, especially in terms of CCU (Concurrent Users). Features like meta progression and more refined balancing were left on the table, and I feel that their inclusion would have driven engagement and retention even higher. These elements are crucial for keeping players invested in longer play sessions, which could have resulted in better user retention and a stronger CCU throughout Next Fest.
| Date | Importance | Outstanding Wishlists | WL Change | Follower Count | Follower Increase | Max Concurrent Users(CCU) | Daily Active User (DAU) - Unique |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 October 2024 | Pre-Next Fest | 138 | +355 | 24 | +3 | 2 | 32 |
| 14 October 2024 | Next Fest Day - 0 | 493 | +419 | 27 | +19 | 5 | 191 |
| 15 October 2024 | Next Fest Day - 1 | 912 | +329 | 46 | +32 | 14 | 576 |
| 16 October 2024 | Next Fest Day - 2 | 1241 | +319 | 78 | +21 | 17 | 430 |
| 17 October 2024 | Next Fest Day - 3 | 1560 | +357 | 99 | +15 | 12 | 531 |
| 18 October 2024 | Next Fest Day - 4 | 1917 | +597 | 114 | +42 | 18 | 521 |
| 19 October 2024 | Next Fest Day - 5 | 2514 | +306 | 156 | +21 | 17 | 745 |
| 20 October 2024 | Next Fest Day - 6 | 2820 | +188 | 177 | +10 | 27 | 727 |
| 21 October 2024 | Next Fest Day - 7 | 3008 | N/A | 187 | N/A | 24 | 469 |
I'm happy with the DAU (Daily Active Users) but less so with the CCU (Concurrent Users), as the average playtime for the demo is around 30 minutes, allowing players to do 2-3 runs per session. However, despite the limited content and lack of meta progression, around 10% of players returned for Day 1, and 8% came back for Day 2. This demonstrates strong stickiness, even for a demo with minimal features, showing that the core gameplay is engaging enough to keep players coming back for more.
Out of 5,793 sortie attempts:
Wishlists are mostly inline with Demo’s DAU Graph as expected. Seems like momentum will keep the same as long as I get some eyes on Metal Thunder
This shows that I couldn’t get my friends to play the game as Turkey is nowhere near Top 10 😄
Really interesting here as visitor graph is mostly a flipped version of Wishlists and DAU. That mid-week dip is probably due to AC:Mirage takeover
Naturally U.S. led with 23% of visits, likely fueled by the game’s focus on intense firepower, like the iconic GAU-8 BRRRT. Other top regions included Hong Kong (10%) and Russia (9%). With 315,505 impressions and a 4.9% click-through rate. Seems like Metal Thunder made a strong impact, especially among U.S. players who love high-octane action.
