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The dev of Rings of Saturn thinks going cross-platform 'paid off'

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Currently in Early Access on itch.io and Steam, the developer of the top-down hard sci-fi space sim ΔV: Rings of Saturn seems to think doing a Linux and Mac build was worth it.

Before getting into the details of it, let's have a reminder of what the game actually is. Developed by Kodera Software, a one-person studio from Poland, Rings of Saturn follows the unexpected discovery of valuable minerals within the rings of Saturn. This has sparked a thriving space excavation industry and you're going out there to hopefully strike it rich. The developer said it's "backed up with real physics and science" and the attention to detail is pretty amazing. You can also see the trailer below:

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From what the developer said on Twitter, their sales on Steam have so far been as follows:

  • Windows: 85.62%
  • Linux: 9.91%
  • Mac: 4.47%

This means going cross-platform gave them almost 15% more in sales, leading them to note "I'd say it paid off". That's quite a bit higher than what we usually see for Linux too.  Something to keep in mind though, is that this is an indie Early Access title that has sold less than a thousand copies (from what they told me personally).

Not a huge amount but something to keep in mind is just how much competition there is, especially on Steam where we see thousands of games released per month that 15% can make all the difference. Take September for example, it's only the 19th and there's already been around 500 games released! You might release one day, to end up on page 5 of Steam releases only a day or so later, standing out can be very difficult.

Find ΔV: Rings of Saturn on Steam and itch.io.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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About the author -
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I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly came back to check on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly. Find me on Mastodon.
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4 comments

rustybroomhandle Sep 19, 2019
I'm seeing some signs of smaller developers dropping Mac altogether, due to the hassle involved in Apple's new digital signing requirement.

The effect of this will either be that the few games still supported on Mac will see more sales due to it being squeezed further into a niche, or Mac will generally fade away as a choice for gaming.

Either way, unless it's Apple TV, or mobile, Apple does not really care about games.
Stupendous Man Sep 19, 2019
Well, the dev did promise first-class Linux support, might have something to do with it.
I'm enjoying the game so far, though it still needs a lot of work.
Fratm Sep 19, 2019
I had not heard of this game, but since I have a nice credit from refunding Rust, I bought it! :) maybe that will increase the Linux stats by .01% ;)

-F
koder Sep 20, 2019
  • Game Dev
Quoting: FratmI had not heard of this game, but since I have a nice credit from refunding Rust, I bought it! :) maybe that will increase the Linux stats by .01% ;)
Much appreciated - but please, don't buy my game just for this reason! We got some polarized love-hate reactions from players (which is, in itself, better than "meh"), and now I just hope you will not end up hating it.
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