For game publishers and marketers, few signals are as valuable before launch as wishlists. They represent intent, anticipation, and potential future revenue. While installs and purchases can only be tracked once a game is live, wishlists give an early and reliable view of how effective marketing campaigns really are. This makes them a critical mid-funnel KPI, bridging the gap between awareness and conversion.
With our new Wishlist Insights feature in TRACKS, currently in beta, studios can finally move beyond guesswork when it comes to measuring wishlist performance. The feature provides clear optimization takeaways, focusing on cost-per-wishlist (CPWL) and breaking it down by market and channel. Instead of waiting for fragmented data or relying on incomplete storefront reports, marketers gain actionable insights that reveal how each campaign contributes to building pre-launch momentum.
Attribution is handled with precision. Wishlist performance is modelled using a Google Analytics 4 reverse proxy, then extrapolated with real data from Steamworks Reports. This hybrid approach allows publishers to connect paid and organic efforts with actual wishlist activity, something that has historically been difficult to measure. By tracking where wishlists are generated, which campaigns drive them, and how performance differs by geo, studios can make smarter decisions about where to allocate budgets and how to refine creative strategies.
The real value comes in what wishlists represent beyond a number on a report. High-cost wishlists in one market might signal that messaging needs to be reworked, while strong organic wishlist growth elsewhere might justify heavier investment closer to launch. Over time, wishlist insights become not just a measure of marketing effectiveness but a predictor of launch performance. Publishers can begin to estimate likely conversion rates, forecast revenue potential, and adjust campaign pacing to ensure they hit launch targets.
In today’s competitive gaming landscape, where discoverability is often the biggest challenge, wishlists are no longer a vanity metric. They are a forward-looking KPI that helps studios understand player intent before sales data is available. With TRACKS’ Wishlist Insights, marketers gain a clear view of how both organic and paid efforts are shaping demand, and they can use this intelligence to optimize campaigns long before launch day.
By making wishlists measurable in a way they have never been before, TRACKS is closing a critical gap in attribution. No longer do marketers need to rely on incomplete storefront data or vague assumptions about what’s driving player intent. Instead, they have hard data that shows exactly how marketing activity is shaping pre-launch performance.
The impact is simple but powerful: better visibility, smarter spending, and stronger launch results.
