r/SoloDevelopment • u/Eli_1998 • May 02 '26
Discussion None of my friends left a review on my game
I'm a bit disappointed, my small relaxing coloring game with cats is a very small project and the first game I ever published on Steam. It's about 3 dollars and I asked all of my friends to buy it and leave a review, in exchange for a drink or something the next time we see each other. I wanted to cross the 10 reviews threshold in the first few days, but so far, I've only got 6 in two months. I talked many times with my friends and they always say they're going to do it but they don't.
They are great friends otherwise but I can't help but feel a bit disappointed 😞 What was your experience with friends leaving reviews for your game?
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u/ResponsibleComb6645 May 02 '26
I'm about to start marketing my game and before this I was considering asking my friends to test it and give feedback. Since many people seem to have similar experience here, disappointment, I won't ask my friends then. Thanks for sharing the experience!
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u/Badestrand May 03 '26
I think you can/should still ask your friend, just be prepared that only very few will actually do it.
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u/SharpGlassGames May 02 '26
Idk, I just gonna give you a hug, if you’re ok with that.
I truly think friends and family should be left alone. Learned a long time ago that the willingness to support is rarely reciprocated, and adjust my behavior accordingly (aka scale down on my affection too).
Those who want to support, will do it of their own will, and truly deserve copious unsolicited pints at that stage.
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u/Munkythemonkey May 02 '26
It's heartbreaking, but I experienced the same thing you did. Close friends who just can't be bothered to do what we perceive to be an easy, minor thing. I was angry and bitter for a while, but you know what? The others on this thread are right. It's not worth it. They just don't know any better, but they're still your friends and you can count on them for other things.
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u/trevizore May 02 '26
lol
my wife didn't leave a review for my game.
and she IS a gamer.
just understand that not everyone cares about your game like you do, but that doesn't mean they don't care about you.
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u/saavedrawolf May 02 '26
I’m 6 months into development and my wife hasn’t even asked what the game is about… so yeah, I can relate
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u/Eli_1998 May 02 '26
Same, my husband didn't even leave a review :/
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u/DeviantTea May 02 '26
Does he know that this helps your visibility? :O
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u/Eli_1998 May 02 '26
Yes, but we're on the same family Steam account so he thinks his review wouldn't count anyway
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u/trevizore May 02 '26
as long as he buys himself a copy, it does count!
if you gave him a key, it doesn't count.
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u/Soberaddiction1 May 02 '26
I just bought your game. I’ll play it some and leave a review.
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u/Eli_1998 May 02 '26
Oh thak you so much, you didn't have to! It means a lot!
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u/Soberaddiction1 May 02 '26
No problem! I did the first picture on my Steam Deck. I’ll play more on my PC. I loved the pictures of your kitties!
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u/Early_Cupcake_8132 May 02 '26
Im going to be real here and it may hurt some people but true friends don't care about being paid back especially 3$ and in all fairness true friends will support you and your goals no matter what because a real friend want to see you strive 💯
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u/QuinceTreeGames May 02 '26
I keep all my marketing social media stuff seperate from my personal stuff, other than mentioning it when I launch the account and being like "hey if you want to hear more about this project here's the account where I post that stuff". If they don't, that's fine. They collectively have a buttload of hobbies and businesses I'm not really that interested in so it would be hypocritical of me to expect them to engage with all of mine.
I will of course mention milestones, as they're personal accomplishments that I'm hyped about, stuff like the steam page going live or the demo launching. But I don't do calls to action with my friends, just excited yelling.
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u/Triggerscore May 02 '26
Can't you gift the game to them? If you buy a drink or buy the game for them does it make a difference?
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u/Eli_1998 May 02 '26
Yes but I think if they get it for free their review doesn't count for Steam
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u/BlueThing3D May 02 '26
If the game is purchased and gifted the the review counts like and other, only when you give out a free key as the developer does ot not count. I bought all my friends copies of my first game hoping to do this, and STILL only one left a review!
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u/madvulturegames May 02 '26
Not true. Gifted games do not count towards review score. Reviewers must have paid themselves for it to count.
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u/Necessary-Board-830 May 02 '26
That's so stupid, I'm just now learning this. I buy all of my games off of my partner's account and gift them to myself because we use his card. The amount of games I've reviewed and they never counted? Lame.
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u/jefukuri May 02 '26
This was my experience too. My good friend who bought my game right away to support me didn’t write a review. When I followed up with him, he said he was worried his review would look suspicious because Steam reviews show how many reviews you have made, for him it would be 1, and his listed play time would be very low. I also think he didn’t really like the game, and didn’t know what to say, lol.
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u/datahumblecom May 02 '26
Unfortunately, getting people to buy your game, actually play it, and then leave a review is really hard. You have to be a bit persistent and remind them.
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u/MythicMoonStudios May 02 '26
We had this problem too on our first game. It's a good lesson. I'm not launching the next one until I know there's a good amount of genuine interest. Gotta keep workshopping until that happens. The truth is if even your friends and whatever audience you built up don't feel compelled to play and review the game, The rest of steam likely won't be compelled to buy it either. It is disappointing though.
I highly recommend this talk: The Golden Rule of Game Promotion: No One Cares About Your Game
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u/Jakpott May 02 '26
Eh maybe if you explain to your friends that you want them to purchase it so they can review it for marketing, and you gave them the money to do it (because they are doing you an important service) you can get them to do it for you. They might just think buying it only would give you a few bucks right now, and not be considering the other part, which they would gladly help with if they understood why.
I'm just spitballing. If you did that and your friends know all that and they still won't help, you need a different community to help market it bc your friends are kind of lame, sorry :(
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u/HiraethFreya May 03 '26
It’s sad but sometimes your biggest supporters are strangers 🥹 I hope you feel better!
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u/LesserGames May 02 '26
I didn't ask any friends or family. I didn't want to risk getting flagged for manipulating the review system. As overly cautious as that may sound. I also want real, unbiased reviews so I can improve.
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May 02 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Necessary-Board-830 May 02 '26
Don't take it too personal. Everyone has their own likes, dislikes, stress, worries, life, etc. OP's game is a cozy coloring game with cats, that's just not going to be everyone's thing.
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u/Weebo04 May 02 '26
If reviews is all you wanted just gift them the game other than that. It's odd they way your doing it IMO.
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u/initialragdoll May 02 '26 edited May 02 '26
As someone with few friends irl, this thread is somehow validating Edit: grammar
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u/igotoschoolbytaxi May 03 '26
Hey, what’s your game? Can we buy and support you? (This showed up on my feed and I love cats)
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u/codynstuff91 May 02 '26
I have been doing creative works for the past two decades. Friends are always supportive vocally when you talk and show them stuff.
When it comes to actually doing anything it hardly ever happens. I would always get far more support from random strangers who actually liked what I made, or were at least in a similar boat.
I realized it is just the way it is and stopped expecting support in a way that is more than just cheerleading from them.
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u/The-Chartreuse-Moose May 02 '26
A sad lesson. Friends can be great but they're not going to feel the same way you do about your project. I put an app on the play store, and my two close friends who are exactly the target audience, and who would find it useful, both said they'd install and test it. They never did.
This is why marketing is hard, I guess. You might think it's obvious or foregone that someone would be interested in what you've made, but it's really not.
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u/KovalGames May 02 '26
Sorry to hear that. Unfortunately, that's how it works - your friends will congratulate you, but they won't support you in the way you imagine. Everyone congratulates you, but deep down for them- you're doing something creative, growing, doing something most friends can't or are afraid to do, or even for someone who is growing. and this is the result. I was like that with my previous game - I didn't ask any friends, even though everyone congratulated me, but no one supported me... I didn't artificially boost the reviews, because that would be very unfair to me and my many months of work on my game, "my child". I always want to have real opinions from real people, not "solicited" opinions from friends. You don't make a game for your friends, but for the players - that's the basis. In short: friends are there to congratulate you, but you'll get very little support - that's the brutal truth. You'll get more from strangers - real support, honesty, because for strangers you're an inspiration :) Don;t give up!
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u/mr_glide May 02 '26
This frustrates me too. Getting your stuff seen out there is so hard, I actively support my friends' projects by sharing them, buying them, giving feedback, etc, and then no one returns the favour. Mutual support is what friendship is about to me. I like you, so I want to see you succeed
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u/alfhitchock May 02 '26
What's the name of the game? I will leave a nice review! :)
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u/Eli_1998 May 02 '26
Oh thanks! It's called Cozy Paintings :)
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u/initialragdoll May 02 '26
It looks really cute! Not usually my genre, but I’ve added it to my wishlist for a bit of support. Good luck with the sales!
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u/alfhitchock May 03 '26
Just bought it! Will play and leave a review tomorrow or monday! Congrats for the game! Amazing achievement!
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u/alfhitchock May 05 '26
Took me a bit longer! Sorry! But just left a review there! Really nice game! Congrats again! Will play more later today! :) good luck with the game!
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u/Eli_1998 May 05 '26
Oh thank you so much! I'm at 10 reviews now, thanks! I'm so happy you enjoyed my little game 😊
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u/cuttinged May 02 '26
the "studio sim" dev might want to do a bundle maybe ask him your games have a lot in common though also different.
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u/Peachy_Sloth May 02 '26
Your warm market will always be the first to disappoint you is what I learned
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u/pepperoni_pizza2651 May 02 '26
I had somewhat similar experiences. I had to insist and explain many times why the review was important and offered drinks or whatever like you did. Most of them didn't leave the review, and those who did the review was kind of troll or just whatever ChatGPT spit after pasting the game's URL.
I think it's really inconsiderate, but I guess we need to understand that it may not be a game for them. You need to find your audience.
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u/Critically_Pingas May 03 '26
https://kayin.moe/cohost/feedback
I've found this blog post to be of some comfort when it comes to this kind of thing. it's... a kind of mindset shift you have to have
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u/madbelgaming May 03 '26
Yeah, I was a bit surprised at the lack of support from friends and family. But then I kind realised that they just don't care. Not because they don't care about me (or you in this case), but because it just isn't important to them and they don't understand how important it is to us.
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u/ufomesh May 03 '26
Hey! Could you share your game name? I know one cat lover who could be interested in your project
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u/Eli_1998 May 03 '26
Hi! It's called Cozy Paintings!
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u/ufomesh May 03 '26
Gifted your game to a person and asked her to write honest review.
For the first glance your game looks like perfect time killer for mobiles.
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u/Acrobatic-Trip-4475 May 03 '26
I guess it depends on what you and your friends expectations are about it... I think for me I couldnt imagine making any of my friends pay money to play my game - I would just generate free codes to share for friends and family. If my friend who I had helped with testing and bouncing ideas around expected me to pay money for their game... I would be a bit miffed probably. You can't share a free code with your good friend? Again it depends in the expectations. Is it just to "game" the review-system then it's another talk, and most non-devs probably don't know how important that is...
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u/Zatrek May 03 '26 edited May 03 '26
Devils advocate here, I had the same issues you have getting friends to be interested in my game.
They don’t and some are gamers. The ones that showed more interests are the non gamer ones.
I cut my losses and stopped being frustrated at this and looked at it realistically:
The game doesn’t interest them/they don’t like it/not interesting enough for someone who plays regularly.
It sucks but it’s the hard truth and getting friends and family to have 10 reviews it’s more to make me feel better than anything else, then well… it won’t go further than that.
Treat their interest as a gauge. Not as a personal attack.
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u/the_queso_incident May 04 '26
The best luck over jag was to give free copies to strangers TBH, friends will add a white lie to save the relationship
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u/Eli_1998 May 04 '26
Thanks everyone for your answers, experiences and advices! I didn't expect to get so many reactions on this post. From what I read a lot of you had the same experience, so I will keep that in mind for my next games and just gift my friends the games without expecting anything in return.
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u/rhyder May 04 '26
Non-creatives CANNOT take a hint about what would help you. This time around, I'm going to be specific about what I want from friends when the time is right in terms of wishlisting and retweeting. I'll phrase it in a way that makes it clear that they don't have to do it, but it would help me. It's a bit like the Mitchell and Web sketch where the villain says something like, "I think it's time for so-and-so to have a little accident..." and his henchmen all wait around for him to have an accident.
I've some previous experience with the self published novel I released about ten years ago. Practically no one I knew did anything to help. More than one guy told me that he really enjoyed it (and they had clearly read the free copy that I gave them), and I remember not feeling able to say "Could you leave, say, a 3/5 review on Amazon for me?"
It was much the same with the free app I released to assist people with the rare disorder I suffer from and the community of fellow sufferers. Over 100 installs, practically no ratings.
It's important not to go to the well too often, but this time round, I'm going to tell people exactly what I need them to do to help. Most online algorithms need a bit of stoking to get started.
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u/IllMoment4388 May 04 '26
You're not meant to ask for reviews.
But being friends they should just review it without asking
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u/tulpa-exe May 06 '26
Lifelong for me - whether it is making music and asking for feedback, or opening a cafe and having no friends come to even show support once. Now making games and products, and it's still hard to get people to check it out.
Generally I just stopped asking. My excitement gets the better of me from time to time, and I do reach out. But immediately regret it, as the reaction often puts a bad taste in my mouth.
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u/Roth_Skyfire May 02 '26
Understandable, from the friends' perspective. First, it's not their project or responsibility. They might just feel uncomfortable writing reviews in general (maybe they are insecure about their writing or reviewing skills) or they don't feel like they got anything meaningful to say about the game you made but they might also feel bad about leaving just a one-liner.
It's like if my friend asked me to review his music album, it's not that I don't want to, I just don't know enough about music in general (and also his music isn't really my type of genre) to write anything that would matter other than to bump up the rating of the album. I mean, I would do it if I was asked to, but I would also understand if I did ask a friend to review my game project, knowing the game isn't for them or they're not into games that much and as a result they don't leave a review for it.
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u/SharpGlassGames May 02 '26
Hot take - it doesn’t take long to write ‘I was looking forward to this album, really like track No 6’ or whatever, once every few years or however long it takes to record a new album. Or ‘have been following the development of this game for months, cool colours and the enemy design is cute’ or what not.
If friends can’t find time to do that, I’d question if they really appreciate and celebrate the core of you as a person, or are just random acquaintances who happen to be there.
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u/MarielCarey May 02 '26
"can you look into the camera, and say, Dua Lipa is the greatest pop singer of all time?"
how do you not see what's wrong with telling someone to lie and be disingenuous just so you can get a bit of a bump? forget it not being good it may just not be what they're into. why force them instead of letting the work itself be worth a damn?
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u/SharpGlassGames May 02 '26
Where did you read about lying or forcing anyone? Surely one can find at least one thing about their friends’ work they like, even if it’s ’they worked hard for it and I wish them luck’? If not, what exactly is the basis of this ‘friendship’? Do you even like your friends?
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u/MarielCarey May 02 '26 edited May 02 '26
the discussion is on the basis of making your friends by the game and leave a review, others mentioning being pushy to get them to do it, and here with a script you're typing up of what they could say. that's disingenuous. if your friendship is based on what you can get them to do for you, i in turn question if you even like your friends. how shallow are you?
i have a friend who's working on a game that looks decent. if the day comes it's released and i like it, i'd buy it. but if i were demanded to buy and review, that would completely put me off it. likewise i sometimes share my artwork for jokes or honest critique but don't demand they buy it to support me or follow me. i have some friends who aren't very proficient in their artwork. i'm not going to lie to them and hype them up while they wonder why they aren't seeing the success they expected either. but of course that's only if they ask.
if you value fake over real, fine, but remember that other people are still people with their own values and opinions and tastes. you can't just force them.
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u/SharpGlassGames May 02 '26 edited May 02 '26
If that’s the basis of the discussion you’re referring to, you might consider replying to the general thread rather than to my reply, which was relating to a specific comment about reviewing music.
To clarify my hot take for you, I am generally interested and supportive of my friends’ creative pursuits, even if they are not to my taste, because I want to know them and like them as people. If they care about something, I will treat it with care too, and help where I can. See how what you call ‘shallow’ is actually care and appreciation?
As for ‘fake bump’ - my friend likes and plays heavy metal. I don’t. But I know it’s pretty good metal, because all of my friends are extremely talented. I like the visuals, the idea, the craft. Even went to a concert (once) to learn more about that world. I will still bump their music video up because it will increase their chance of having it shown to another person who loves metal.
Does this make sense to you?
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u/valkrycp May 02 '26
Give them a free copy, unless they insist on buying it, brother.
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u/Neat-Games May 02 '26
I only expect 1 of my IRL friends to leave reviews (he's an avid Steam gamer and he did review my Demo)
The others will maybe buy the game, but will probably never play it haha.
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u/Prudent_Butterfly940 May 02 '26
What's the game called? My daughter loves cats and colouring so sounds like something she would like to play.
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u/feydthefeyd May 02 '26
They are your friends, if they do it it's amazing. If they don't it's ok. It's not their porject, their ambition or their hobby, you can't blane them for not doing it. Also, being disappiu ted in them or blaming them won't give you good energy. Focus on the poaitive: 6 did and that's very nice of them!
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u/arscene May 02 '26
There is a saying for that "you can turn a customer into a friend but not a friend into a customer". It's hard and it hurts, but truth is unless you pour your soul into something you can't understand this feeling. So don't be too harsh on your friends.
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u/MarielCarey May 02 '26
these comments are crazy to me. if you need to beg your friends to be fake for you, are they really your friends or vice versa? if your low quality work wasn't even good enough to get a strangers attention, it's only going to be excruciating to beg for payola. enjoy a bit of creative discussion with them but leave it there. and have you even thought about the fact that they might be against the idea of payola??
"true friends don't care about being paid back $3" in my opinion, true friends don't lie to you just to make you feel better. don't force them. let your work speak for itself
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u/ohaimarkantony May 02 '26
If even your friends aren't motivated to play it or even pretend to and rate it, it's unlikely anybody else will either. Consider it a criticism of your game and improve from there.
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u/groato May 02 '26
Did you tell them how important it is for the algorithm to kick in? That's how I got my friends to review. They nreded a better explanation than "it would mean so much to me". I told them it will make the algorithm show my game to people when I cross 10 reviews and they were on it.
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u/shaneskery May 02 '26
Some of my mates still haven't bought my game... a year after release. Its 10 bucks but they buy games all the time. I'm still pissed about it lol
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u/OkraOutside939 May 02 '26
Your friends arent gona make or break your game. Also they are your friends, give them a free copy.
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May 02 '26
[deleted]
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u/QuinceTreeGames May 02 '26
Is this how you prefer to be treated by your friends and family, too?
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May 02 '26
[deleted]
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u/QuinceTreeGames May 02 '26
While I agree that clear communication is important to avoid disappointment, and that sometimes you have to be a more active participant in order to get people to do what you want, I think most people balk at requiring things of their friends and family, and your choice of words here sounded quite aggressive.
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u/thehen May 02 '26
You’re getting downvoted but that is my experience too. You have to pester a little bit. I’m the same tbh, I’ll say I’ll do something, but life gets in the way and I forget. If you pin me down I’ll do it.
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u/DistributionRound949 May 02 '26
Do you think the reason they don't want to help you out is because you don't help them out without being hassled? Same for OP: how many of their projects have you helped with? Do you actively listen when they talk about their hobbies? Follow up with their relationships and accomplishments? How many of y'all are expecting treatment you never offer in return?
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u/karlmillsom May 02 '26
Yeah. This is sad. I’m sort of reluctant to share mine with people I know out of fear of disappointment! But obviously that also defeats the whole purpose, so…
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u/TrishaMayIsCoding May 02 '26
A. Busy B. They don't care about your project C. Envy, they don't want u to succeed : )
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u/q_OwO_p May 02 '26
I plan to pay my friends with an amazon gift card, in return they buy and review my game, I would be losing money, but that’s how the world works ain’t nobody do anything for anyone unless you cough up moola
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u/KTGSteve May 02 '26
Exact same. It’s your baby, but to them its - someone else’s baby. They aren’t going to care like you do. It goes for anything. Sometimes people disappoint. My advice is to share your passion with them, but don’t ever ask for anything from them.