In the competitive world of PC and console gaming, wishlists have evolved from a passive metric to a strategic north star for launch planning. Especially on platforms like Steam, wishlists signal player intent, inform demand forecasting, and influence internal decisions about release timing and campaign allocation. Yet for many studios, understanding how marketing translates into actual wishlist volume remains largely guesswork.
At Second Stage, we believe that guesswork should have no place in go-to-market strategy. That’s why we’ve introduced a new feature within our GATEWAY platform: the Wishlist Estimation Tool. This predictive feature is designed to bridge the gap between marketing input and player intent, helping developers and publishers move forward with greater clarity—and confidence.
Wishlist behavior doesn’t exist in isolation. It’s shaped by an evolving interplay of game visibility, genre appeal, player expectations, platform trends, and campaign momentum. Our Wishlist Estimation Tool was developed precisely to account for these nuances. By simply entering a Steam ID, the system automatically scans comparable games based on tags, genres, release timing, and performance characteristics. These games are then clustered according to key metrics such as Steam score, concurrent users, average playtime, and engagement trends.
But comparison alone isn’t enough. Using our proprietary model—built on years of internal GATEWAY campaign data—we apply a machine learning-based approach to estimate click-to-wishlist conversion rates. These predictions are grounded in recent market benchmarks and refined by campaign performance data, providing an achievable range of wishlist numbers based on your expected budget and creative strategy.
This isn’t a vanity metric or static forecast. It’s a living model designed to support decision-making before a campaign even launches. Whether you’re considering where to allocate spend, how much budget is necessary to trigger a critical wishlist threshold, or simply evaluating your game’s market positioning, the Wishlist Estimation Tool offers a strategic foundation that other DSPs simply do not provide.
It’s also a natural extension of what GATEWAY was built to do: connect PC and console games with the players most likely to engage. Through Game Affinity Targeting (GAT), GATEWAY identifies overlapping genre and title affinities across the web, serving ads to gamers who demonstrate the behavioral patterns of your next loyal fan. With integrations across 100+ top ad exchanges and placements on premium gaming sites like, the platform doesn’t just promise reach—it delivers relevance.
This tool also complements our broader analytics ecosystem. While GATEWAY drives player attention and engagement, our TRACKS platform captures what happens next: attribution across the full funnel, from impression to install. Together, they create a closed-loop system tailored to the realities of PC and console game marketing.
As a company, Second Stage was founded to remove the guesswork from digital marketing in games. With more than 70 years of combined experience across publishing, performance media, and business intelligence, our team understands both the art and science of bringing a game to market. Every feature we launch is driven by that mission—whether it’s high-performing ad formats, predictive modeling tools, or full-funnel tracking solutions.
While no model can guarantee wishlist outcomes, we believe predictive planning should be part of every game marketer’s toolkit. With our new Wishlist Estimation Tool, we’re bringing that capability to the surface—making it accessible, actionable, and tailored for the unique demands of the gaming industry.
Learn more about how GATEWAY can support your next launch—and try the Wishlist Estimation Tool now at secondstage.io/gateway.
