The Importance of Wishlists and How Second Stage Can Help Game Studios Maximise Their Potential

In today’s competitive gaming market, building awareness and anticipation before launch is critical to a game’s success. One of the most powerful tools available to game studios and publishers is the wishlist. Whether on Steam, Epic Games Store, or other platforms, wishlists can be a reliable indicator of player interest, a driver for pre-launch marketing strategies, and a catalyst for sales during launch windows and major sales events.

In this article, we’ll explore why wishlists are vital for gaming studios and how Second Stage’s solutions can help studios optimise their marketing strategies to boost wishlist numbers and turn those wishlists into actual sales.

Why Wishlists Matter for Game Studios and Publishers

1. Indicator of Player Interest

Wishlists provide studios with a direct signal of how much interest their game is generating. High wishlist counts suggest strong pre-launch interest, which can help validate marketing strategies and guide resource allocation. This data is crucial for smaller indie studios and major AAA publishers alike, as it indicates whether their marketing efforts are resonating with potential players.

2. Boosts Visibility and Discoverability

On platforms like Steam, games with high wishlist numbers are more likely to be featured in “Upcoming Releases” and other promotional slots. This boosts visibility and helps games gain organic exposure to a broader audience, increasing the chances of a successful launch.

3. Drives Day-One Sales

Players who have added a game to their wishlist receive notifications when the game is released, goes on sale, or receives a significant update. This can drive a surge in day-one sales, which is important for creating momentum and sustaining long-term sales performance. For live service games, wishlists can also be leveraged for promoting major content updates and expansions.

4. Pre-Launch Feedback and Community Engagement

Wishlists aren’t just about gauging interest—they provide an opportunity for studios to engage with their potential player base before launch. Studios can leverage wishlist campaigns to share updates, host beta tests, or involve the community in development milestones, fostering a stronger connection between the players and the game.

Common Challenges in Building and Maximising Wishlists

1. Effective Pre-Launch Marketing

Generating wishlist interest requires a strategic approach to pre-launch marketing. Studios need to know which channels and campaigns are driving wishlist ads and which aren’t performing as well.

2. Tracking and Attribution

Attributing wishlist growth to specific marketing activities can be difficult without the right tools. This leaves studios guessing which tactics are most effective at driving potential players to add the game to their wishlist.

3. Sustained Engagement

Maintaining interest after a player adds a game to their wishlist is crucial for converting that interest into a purchase. Studios need to engage with potential buyers through updates and promotions to keep their game top-of-mind.

How Second Stage Can Help Game Studios Build and Maximise Wishlists

Second Stage provides comprehensive marketing solutions, including TRACKS and brand health tools, that help game studios and publishers address these challenges and optimise their wishlist strategies:

1. Advanced Marketing Attribution

Second Stage’s TRACKS platform offers detailed attribution capabilities, allowing studios to track which campaigns, channels, and touchpoints contribute to wishlist ads. By analysing this data, marketers can identify the most effective sources of wishlist growth and allocate their budget strategically to maximise ROI.

Key Benefit: Gain clarity on how different ads, social media posts, influencer partnerships, and other marketing efforts impact wishlist counts, enabling data-driven decisions that boost pre-launch performance.

2. Real-Time Performance Insights

With Second Stage’s real-time reporting tools, studios can monitor the effectiveness of their campaigns as they happen. This agility allows marketers to optimise their strategies on the fly, shifting focus to high-performing channels and creative assets.

Why It Matters: Real-time data helps studios respond quickly to trends, ramp up campaigns when wishlist interest spikes, and adjust tactics to maintain momentum.

3. Cross-Channel Engagement Tracking

Second Stage integrates data from multiple channels into a unified dashboard, making it easy to see how different aspects of a campaign contribute to wishlist growth. This cross-channel approach helps studios understand the broader impact of their marketing efforts and identify opportunities for cross-promotion.

The Advantage: With this insight, game marketers can coordinate efforts across social media, streaming platforms, community management, PR and paid ads create a cohesive wishlist-building strategy.

4. Enhanced Community Engagement Tools

Second Stage’s brand health solutions help game studios monitor player sentiment and engagement levels. By keeping a pulse on the community’s reaction to announcements, trailers, and updates, studios can tailor their communications to maximise interest and encourage players to add the game to their wishlist.

Key Benefit: Studios can plan targeted engagement efforts based on player feedback, such as releasing behind-the-scenes content, hosting developer Q&As, or offering sneak peeks that incentivize wishlist ads.

5. Tracking Post-Wishlist Engagement

Adding a game to a wishlist is just the first step; converting that interest into a purchase requires ongoing engagement. Second Stage provides tools to monitor how marketing activities impact post-wishlist engagement, helping studios plan follow-up promotions, sales notifications, and update announcements that re-engage wishlisters.

Impact: This ensures that potential players remain interested and are more likely to convert when the game launches or goes on sale.

Example Scenario: How Second Stage Can Drive Wishlist Success

Imagine a mid-sized game studio planning the launch of their first major title. By using Second Stage’s TRACKS platform, the studio can:

• Identify which marketing channels drive the most wishlist ads, focusing their budget on the most effective platforms.
• Track player sentiment with brand health tools to see how announcements and updates are received, informing future communication strategies.
• Engage wishlisters with targeted follow-up campaigns, ensuring that potential players stay interested until launch day.

When the game launches, the studio can analyse which wishlisters converted into buyers and adjust their post-launch marketing plan accordingly.

Conclusion: Maximise Your Game’s Potential with Second Stage

Wishlists are an essential part of game marketing, acting as a bridge between early interest and sales. By leveraging Second Stage’s advanced marketing attribution, real-time performance insights, and community engagement tools, game studios and publishers can build effective wishlist strategies that drive day-one sales, sustain player interest, and improve long-term success.

Ready to Boost Your Game’s Wishlist Strategy?

Discover how Second Stage’s comprehensive solutions can help your studio optimise pre-launch marketing, increase wishlist counts, and maximise engagement. Contact us today to learn more and schedule a demo!