Hi, I'm Victoria! Join my Community Dev Newsletter for insight into games marketing, social, and community management. Get actionable tips, a skill testing question, and a roundup of resources straight to your inbox every month.
Marketing advice for international devs ✨ Community Dev Newsletter #41
Published 5 days ago • 8 min read
Community Dev Newsletter
HELLO!
I did my first ever game jam last month! It was so fun and I learned so much, but it definitely affirmed to me that I LOVE my current role in games hahaha. It was also a very cursed game concept. Hopefully I can share the build on itch.io or something one day.
ANYWAYS. We have a GUEST writer for this month's newsletter and wowwww it's good. Read on to learn!
This month's newsletter dives into:
The unique challenges (and benefits!) of marketing when you're not coming from a Western perspetive
A new community activity
Several helpful links and marketing/community related job posts
International Marketing 🌏
I'm sooooooooo excited to have Sarah Johana, Head of Marketing at Toge Productions, as this month's guest for the newsletter!!!
I've long admired her work and poked her a few times for advice when I was researching how to help our international Outersloth studios. Then I realized having her thoughts for the newsletter would be iconic.
The advice I give comes from a skewed perspective - I'm Canadian, can travel to various countries quite easily, and don't have to worry much about location-based issues. How much of my advice actually carries over? And even if you're from a Western country, Sarah's advice is super valuable. The more we learn from each other, the better!
Let's get started!!!
A lot of marketing and community advice comes from a Western perspective. What are the difficulties in marketing to a global audience?
Much of the marketing advice found online cannot be applied by game developers in countries like Indonesia. The costs for user acquisition, paid campaigns, and attending game events are way more expensive. Not to mention, English is not our first language, so it can be challenging for some of us to even communicate with native English speakers. Even in places like Japan, Korea, or China, where English is also not their first language, the gaming scene is more developed and has a larger audience, so they can survive even without selling their games to the global market.
Therefore, we have even more layers to penetrate before we can reach the global audience. We have to first learn English, we need to earn double or triple our money to pay for marketing, apply for a visa (which can be very complicated and expensive) to go to events outside of Southeast Asia, fight with social media algorithm and timezones just to get the worldwide audience to see our content, and work even harder to get our game noticed by overseas media/journalists.
What advice do you have for devs that are struggling to obtain social media/marketing reach from their respective countries?
Here's a brief overview of advice I'd give developers!
Social Media As mentioned, social media marketing is essentially a battle with the algorithm. On platforms like TikTok or Instagram, there’s often a sort of regional limitation where your content tends to be shown more to local audiences first. That said, social media is still a great way to build awareness and connect with communities. I wouldn’t rely on it as the main driver for wishlists or sales, but it’s really effective for letting people know your game exists. If you don’t have a big following of your own, try leveraging someone else’s. Reach out to content creators who already have a global audience. Send them a friendly DM or email, and focus on creators who would genuinely enjoy your game. Even getting noticed by similar games or studios can help. Maybe they’ll share your work with their followers if they see the connection!
Hook Another key thing is to find the hook of your game that feels familiar to a global audience. At Toge Productions, we’re proud of our culture and often highlight it in our games. But sometimes we forget that our country or cultural references may not be as well-known worldwide. So lead with the selling point that resonates more broadly — whether that’s gameplay, visuals, or the player experience — and let people discover the cultural elements once they’re already hooked.
Platform Also, don’t underestimate the platform itself. If you’re on Steam, for example, make sure your capsule art stands out, your tags are accurate, and your screenshots and trailers really showcase what makes your game appealing. Take part in as many relevant Steam events as you can! Most of them are free and can give you huge visibility.
A Dedicated Marketer I also notice that one of the biggest struggles for devs in Southeast Asia, and maybe in many other regions too, is finding a game marketer. Hiring one is often out of budget. My advice is: if you can’t spend money, spend time. Like what they say, time is money. As long as you know your game’s selling points and who your audience is, you can handle marketing yourself. You don’t need to be on every social media platform, just pick one that best fits your audience and focus on it.
Last but not least, remember you’re not alone. Every country has its own challenges, but you can always learn from peers who’ve been through similar struggles. If you know someone or a studio from your region that has managed to launch game successfully, reach out and ask for their insights. And if you’re in Southeast Asia, feel free to reach out to me! I promise I don’t bite… Maybe.
What are the advantages of making games in areas like Southeast Asia?
Here in Southeast Asia, we’re surrounded by stories, cultural values, and histories that you rarely see represented in global entertainment like games, movies, or TV. For developers, that can be a huge advantage! It means we can bring fresh ideas and perspectives that feel new and exciting to players.
For example, Coral Island by Stairway Games weaves in so many Indonesian references, especially from Bali, and introduces them seamlessly to a global audience. Until Then by Polychroma Games shines a light on the Philippines through its beautiful story and pixel art. And in our own game Coffee Talk, the setting is in an alternate Seattle, but we managed to slip in a couple of Indonesian drinks. To our surprise, players noticed them, looked them up, and even wanted to try them in real life!
Other than cultural inspiration, I think the limitations we face here push us to be more creative. With fewer resources, we’re forced to think differently. Not only in how we make our games, but also in how we promote them. In a way, those challenges become our strength.
One example is when I founded MKGI, a community for indie game marketing people in Indonesia. We realized we had to post late at night to reach Western audiences, and it was tough to gain exposure alone. So I thought… why work alone if we can work together? In the MKGI community, we support one another by liking and sharing posts, creating chain posts, and running joint social media activations, and it works! It shows that even with limitations, you can find creative ways to turn challenges into strengths.
Follow up to that is, do you recommend people make marketing/social content in their native language, or English?
English, definitely. At the end of the day, we all want to reach a global audience, because once you put your game out there, you’re showing it to the whole world. So you might as well promote it in English.
I know for many of us from non-English-speaking countries, it can feel intimidating sometimes. We’re not always confident in our English writing or speaking skills. But I read this book called Copywrong to Copywriter by Tait Ischia, and one of the points that stuck with me is that if you’re unsure, just use clear and simple English. You don’t need to force yourself to sound like a native speaker or use jokes and slang. If that’s not natural for you, then it won’t sound genuine anyway.
What really matters is clarity and sincerity. Use grammar-checking tools if you need to, keep your sentences straightforward, and focus on getting your message across. In the end, players care more about the heart behind your message or your content than whether it’s perfectly native.
In your opinion, how important are in-person events for community building?
Definitely important. People tend to trust you more when they can see you face-to-face. But what really matters isn’t just the meeting itself. It’s how you build that connection and maintain the relationship with your community even after the event.
Back when I was a community manager, I didn’t have many chances to travel. So I used that to my advantage online. I’d ask people what life was like in their countries, listen to their stories, and look for things we had in common to talk about. That way, by the time we finally met in person, we already had shared interests and inside conversations waiting for us. It made the bonding experience much stronger.
Do you have any suggestions for people who are looking to connect more with players or devs in places like SEA?
We have so many talented devs and unique games here in Southeast Asia. And we’re not just looking for exposure, we really value feedback and advice from developers in North America and Europe who have more experience with making and releasing games. That kind of exchange would be incredibly meaningful for us.
There are also lots of opportunities to connect. We have major gaming events in the region, like gamescom Asia in Thailand, Level Up KL in Malaysia, IGDX in Indonesia, and PGDX in the Philippines. This year, we even had the Southeast Asian Games Showcase as part of Summer Game Fest, where you can check out SEA-made games on Steam. And for anyone who wants to keep up with what’s happening here, there’s Virtual SEA, a media outlet dedicated to covering games from Southeast Asian developers, or subscribe to the SEA Game Dev Collective Digest newsletter.
Victoria's note: Group pic from when I visited Level Up KL last year!
At the end of the day, Southeast Asia has so many stories to share. All we need are more bridges between us. So if you’re curious about Southeast Asia, come say hi! You’ll find not only great games here, but also a community that is eager to connect, learn, and grow together.
---
Everyone say "thank you Sarah"!!! I appreciate the time and work she put into these answers. If you want to follow more of her work (or see all of her cats), you can find her on X/Twitter or Instagram.
I'd also be remiss to not mention the protests over corrupt government policies currently happening in Indonesia. You can learn more about what's happening here, or track the demands from Indonesians to the government through this website.
Community Activity 📝
Every month we do a skill testing exercise together! Have an activity idea or want to ask a question?Submit one anonymously.
The question:
What country are you based out of? Are there any unique challenges you face?
Feel free to email me back with your answer - I always respond. Mine will be in the next newsletter!
Last week's question:
It's still summer break for me! ☀ Show me what you're working on!
As I mentioned in the beginning - I did my first ever game jam!!! It was awesome.
Community Chatter 💬
Here are the interesting and helpful things I've seen this past month.
A fun lil' update on my end: I'm now writing a monthly column for Skill Up's This Week in Videogames! My focus is, of course, on indies and the first article is about the onslaught of clone games you tend to see on the market. Fair warning, it's paywalled!
Success through shenanigans with community management.
Hi, I'm Victoria! Join my Community Dev Newsletter for insight into games marketing, social, and community management. Get actionable tips, a skill testing question, and a roundup of resources straight to your inbox every month.
