Publishing to Stores
You've built an amazing game! But what if you could put it on a real digital shelf so players all over the world could find it? That's what publishing is—getting your game from your computer onto a real store like Steam or the App Store. Ready for launch? 🚀
The Final Mile: Welcome to the Launchpad! 🌌
You've coded, designed, and tested. Your game is FUN. Now for the final, most exciting step: sharing it with the world. This isn't just about uploading a file; it's about making a great first impression. Let's learn from one of the best, Game Maker's Toolkit, about how to announce your game to the world.
💡 Pan's Pro Tip: The 90/90 Rule!
Game developers have a joke called the "90/90 Rule": The first 90% of the game takes 90% of the time. The final 10% of the game takes the OTHER 90% of the time! Exporting, adding app icons, fixing store guidelines, and marketing take a surprising amount of effort. Don't give up!
⚡ Quick Check!
Based on the 90/90 rule, what's often the hardest part of making a game?
🚦 The Gatekeepers: Your Pre-Flight Checklist
Stores like Nintendo and Apple have to protect their players. Before they let you on the store, you have to pass 'Certification'—their safety check! Let's run through a practice checklist. Can you get your game ready for submission?
✅ Pre-Flight Checklist
Clear all checks to get ready for launch!
🤔 Who is Your Audience?
Your new game, 'Cosmic Cat Landers,' has cute art and simple, one-tap controls. Which store should be your primary target to find the most players?
🎨 Your First Impression: Build an App Icon!
Your mission: The App Store requires every icon to have at least one animal and one space object. Can you build an icon for 'Cosmic Cat Landers' that follows the rules?
Your Icon Preview:
📊 What's Working? A Peek at Analytics
Analytics are clues from your players! 🕵️♀️ This is a "heatmap" of a level in your game. The bright red spots are where players get stuck or quit most often. It's a puzzle for you to solve!
🧩 Fix the Level!
The red spots show player frustration. Where should you add a hint block to help them?
✍️ Hook A vs. Hook B: A/B Testing
Marketing pros test everything. For your game 'Robot Pirate Racers,' you need a one-sentence hook to grab players' attention. Your challenge: write TWO different hooks. Let's see which sounds more exciting!
📝 Build Your Store Page Preview
Before you publish, it helps to see what your page will look like. Fill this out, and we'll generate a mini store page for you!
🎯 Your First Launchpad
The big stores cost money, but you can launch a game today for free! Platforms like Itch.io are built for indie developers to share their creations, get feedback, and join a community of builders.
Your Challenge: Take a game you made in Scratch or GDevelop and upload it to Itch.io this week! It's the perfect place to start your journey as a real game developer.
🚨 Level Up: Avoid These Rookie Mistakes
- Announcing with Nothing to Show: Don't just post "I'm making a game!" Post a cool GIF, a screenshot, or a playable demo.
- Ignoring Feedback: One person's "this is too hard" is valuable data. Don't get defensive, get curious.
- The Silent Launch: Hitting 'publish' is not the last step. You have to go tell people (on safe, moderated platforms) that your game exists!
- Misrepresenting AI Assets: Be honest! If you used an AI to generate art or music, mention it in your credits. Think of it as a collaborator, not a magic "do my work" button.
👨👩👧 Parent Corner: Your Co-Pilot's Guide
- Real Costs, Real Learning: Big stores like Apple and Steam have real developer fees ($25-$100). This is a great opportunity to talk about budgeting and the value of starting on free platforms like Itch.io to build skills first.
- Exploring AI Together: Your child might be using new AI tools to help create game art, characters, or code. Explore tools like Leonardo.AI or Inworld AI together and discuss how they can be used creatively and ethically.
- Celebrate Persistence: The '90/90 Rule' is real! Publishing is a long process filled with small hurdles. Celebrate the milestones—like creating the app icon or writing the description—to keep their motivation high!
📚 Learn More
Ready to keep building? Here are some great places to start.
- Godot Engine: Your First 2D Game - The official guide to building a complete game.
- See What Kids Are Building on Scratch - Get inspired by thousands of games made by other young creators.
🧠 Pro-Level Deep Dive: GDC Marketing Talk
Want to see what the pros watch? This is a full, hour-long lecture from the Game Developers Conference. It's dense, but full of master-level insights. Watch this when you're ready to think like a real studio head.