As of today, the VYCE DEMO has finally surpassed 1,000 downloads. It has now been a month since the demo hit the streets, and while there has been nothing but positive feedback so far, the number of installations has been on a downwards trajectory since release day.

As seen in the graph above, the most successful day by far was day one/release day, with 430 downloads straight out the gate. This was far more than I expected, and while my hubris expected it to continue on a similar trajectory, reality had a different plan. By the end of week 1, we had 819 downloads, and by the end of the weekend (which we spent at Granite State Comicon promoting the game), it was 885.

Ever since then, the downloads have been in the single digits day after day. While it’s a far cry from the numbers I was getting from the get go, surpassing 1000 downloads within the first month blew the expectations I had out of the water, especially for a demo with niche mechanics and no established audience (yet).

When you hear people compare Steam metrics, there is a lot of discourse amongst the value of downloads versus wishlists. Luckily, the number of wishlists for VYCE has been on an upwards trajectory, closing in at nearly 100. For those unaware, the conversion rate of a wishlist to a purchase is roughly 10%, so take this with a grain of salt, but I am optimistic about the way things are headed based on the statistics we have so far. I’m also hoping Steam Next Fest brings in some new users through their algorithm, because ultimately, that has attained the most downloads thus far.

To be fair, I have been posting day after day in order to promote this game, solely to reach that coveted quadruple digit milestone I’ve been hunting ever since I knew it was attainable. I’ve brought back the VYCE of the DAY series, and just this morning I finished up a TikTok livestream where I streamed non-stop (since yesterday) until finally breaching that 1 band milestone around noon today, not far off from the time I dropped the demo one month ago. Just for some context, I started the stream with 995 downloads, after all that I didn’t see much of a difference in the average metrics. Even if it is a bit cringe to beg for online attention points, I’m spreading this message as far as I can, because if nobody else is going to do it, I will. That’s always been my mantra, and it is a means to an end. I’m a bit burnt out from the formulaic video side of things at the moment, but I can guarantee it will come back bigger and better than ever when the full game is ready to release.

Otherwise, as for VYCE itself, I’ve been diverting my focus back to the game instead of trying to promote the demo. I’ve started working on ACT II along with previously completing a demo manual, which is a free download on this very website. The manual is not required, but it is recommended for novice players or anyone seeking an informed experience. I intend to show more of what ACT II has to offer in the following entry, but transitorily, it is merely a work in progress, as I am still tweaking some elements in ACT I in preparation for Steam Next Fest. Either way, thanks for playing, thanks for your support, and thanks for not suing me.

–infelicities

P.S. Here’s the demographic data for which countries downloaded VYCE the most… Call me Mr. Worldwide.