How do you do market research for a new project?

[dysonswarm]

Let's say you have a cool idea for a VN, and have written the story, but would need to hire people to make the other assets. How do you do market research to get a sense of whether anybody wants to buy a game like you're contemplating? What type of market research have you done for your projects?

[Mutive]

Google is your friend here. Look around itch, Steam, the general internet for concept that look similar to your game.

If none exist, ask why. (Maybe there's a reason, maybe you're so clever no one has thought of it yet, maybe you've done insufficient research - the first and the third tend to be most likely!) See what they did well, what they did less well, and how your concept compares.

Ask yourself who'd play your game and why. (e.g. what do you have to offer that no other game does? How would you advertise your concept? How would a potential fan talk about it?)

Ask yourself, too, why you'd play your game vs. one of the thousands of others on the market. (Is it a cool concept? Great art? Interesting writing? A unique twist? Fun game play? Something else?)

But the truth is, you're never going to know completely and a lot depends on stuff that's yet to be developed (the additional assets, the overall execution). It's always going to be a risk.

[ippherita]

One of the thing I saw for entrepreneur is an advice to make a product you like.

the guy used the example of apps, so i don't know how relatable to games.

The guy mentioned facebook, twitter, and other apps all started really small, serving only 1 community. (i think facebook first only served Stanford university, twitter started as a small chatting program within an app for company management).

Therefore by making a product you like, it is very easy for you to find a community to share the product. As the product become more polish, it has the potential to become main stream.

Then there is this argument between fringe product vs mainstream product.

One side argue to go for fringe product. because fringe product like battle royale started out only very few people know, then it become mainstream. when people want to get into mainstream products, they will find it will be cluttered by many similar products and drown your creation. Therefore this type of people says don't do market research, be like Steve Jobs. people only know what they want when the product is out.

The other side argue the chance of fringe product become popular is unthinkable, if you want to make money, making mainstream products has better chance, therefore you need to do lots of marketing research and ask questions.

I guess most people fall in between this two. do a bit of both together at the same time.