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Watching indie showcases without being sold a promise

A showcase is a marketing format, and its job is to make thirty games look equally finished. Three habits keep the wishlist honest.

Quick answer

  • Write down the release window and check it again in three months.
  • Look for gameplay footage that includes the interface.
  • Check whether the developer has shipped anything before.

Why this keeps happening

Trailers are cut to hide interface, pacing and failure states, which are exactly what determines whether a game is playable. A beautiful trailer can be produced from a build that has no loop yet.

The second distortion is selection. Showcases favour games with strong visual identity, so mechanically interesting games with plain art are systematically under-represented.

What to do, in order

  1. Write down the release window and check it again in three months.
  2. Look for gameplay footage that includes the interface, not just cinematic angles.
  3. Check whether the developer has shipped anything before.
  4. Wishlist rather than buy, and check again after the first patch.
  5. Read the negative reviews as soon as they exist.
  6. Buy at most one game from any showcase you watched.

How to measure it

Games bought from a showcase and actually finished is the honest number. If it is zero after a year, the showcase worked as advertising, not as discovery.

Mistakes that undo the work

  • Buying during the showcase because of a limited discount.
  • Assuming a release date shown in a trailer is real.
  • Backing several projects from the same event.

Frequently asked

Are showcases paid placements?
Some segments are sponsored, and disclosure varies. Treat every trailer as marketing.
Do indie games shown early usually ship?
Most do, but often years later and smaller in scope than the trailer implied.
Is wishlisting useful?
Yes, both for you and for the developer. It costs nothing and creates a reminder.

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