Choose your channel
Where will players find us?
Our games are fun, solid and saved in the cloud. Now the big question for the whole team: where do players actually get them?
Each place where a game is played or sold is called a channel. Think of a big shop, a market stall and your own front door. Same game, very different crowds, costs and rules.
Channels on the web
- Our own website (PWA)Players open a link and play, and can even install it. We keep the most money, but we have to bring the players ourselves.
- itch.ioA website full of indie games and game jams. Uploading is free, and the developer chooses how much of each sale itch.io keeps (it suggests 10%).
Bolt says: The web is the fastest channel. Put the files online and the game is live in minutes.
Channels on phones
- Google PlayThe store on Android phones and tablets. A developer account costs US$25, once.
- Apple App StoreThe store on iPhones and iPads. The Apple Developer Program costs US$99, every year.
Billions of people carry a phone, and most of them find new games by searching inside these two stores.
Quick check
Which channel lets someone start playing just by opening a link?
- The Apple App Store
- Our own website
- A console store
Show the answer
Our own website
A website needs no store and no install. Send a link and the game starts in the browser. That's why the web suits Hyper Shards.
Channels on PC and TV
- SteamThe biggest store for PC games. It costs US$100 per game, and its players love to wishlist and write reviews (the Steam lesson has the details).
- ConsolesNintendo Switch, PlayStation and Xbox. The studio needs approval from the console maker and a special dev kit.
Three questions for every channel
- Who plays there?Phone stores: everyone, in short bursts. Steam: PC gamers who play for longer. The web: anyone with a link.
- What does it cost?Sign-up fees, plus the share the store keeps. Stores usually keep 15% to 30% of each sale.
- How much work?A website is quick. Stores need accounts, listings and reviews. Consoles need the most work of all.
Pick the channel
New idea: a cozy farming game. Long sessions, played with a keyboard or controller, lots of PC players asking for it. Where should it launch first?
Use the three questions. Which channel fits Remy's idea best as a first launch?
- Google Play, because phones have the most players
- Steam, because PC players there enjoy long sessions
- A console, because controllers are supported
Show the answer
Steam, because PC players there enjoy long sessions
Long sessions with a keyboard or controller match PC players, and Steam is where they shop. Consoles also fit, but they need approval and a dev kit, so they come later, not first.
Start with one or two
Every channel adds work: a new build to test, a new store page, new rules to follow and new updates to send out.
A tiny studio that launches everywhere at once often launches nowhere well. Real indie studios start with one or two channels, learn from their players, then add more.
Quick check
A brand-new studio should launch on every channel at the same time.
- True
- False
Show the answer
False
Each channel brings its own testing, rules and updates. Doing one or two really well beats doing six badly.
Our plan
- Hyper Shards: the webAn installable PWA on our own website, paid once (premium). Steam is an option for later.
- Garden Defense: the phone storesGoogle Play and the App Store, free to play with fair rewarded ads.
Bolt says: One more choice before we ship: launch finished, or sell the game early? Next: early access. After that, Cloudflare gives our studio a real web address.
Fact-checked 9 October 2026
- itch.io: Introducing open revenue sharing itch.io
- itch.io Creator FAQ itch.io
- Steamworks: Steam Direct partner.steamgames.com
- Play Console Help: Service fees support.google.com