This advice may seem polemic, as signing with a publisher is no easy task. A game publisher is usually a successful developer that tries to take advantage of the number of players that already has to keep growing. And although a publisher can be responsible for your project’s promotion, s/he will also take half of your income.
Moreover, it’s really difficult to make a deal with any of them. However, by showing your project to everyone you can, you’ll be able to make your mind up about the development in terms of business, which is really interesting in order to know what you need to change before releasing it.When your beta reaches an advanced point, consider having a beta only for testers, journalists and influencers. Include their changes to your project and you’ll assure good critics once your game is in the market. Look for a cheap market and good metrics in terms of game usage and release your project with just a bit of your budget. Measure and change everything that you can before global release.
Organic downloads are indispensable. They let you reduce your user acquisition costs and are key to get to the magic number, which is the moment when your game gets viral exponentially. A good App Store Optimization will let you rank better than your competitors in the store and will let you optimize your acquisition user budget. Work on the title, description, screenshots, videos, icon and all the elements in your listing meticulously, and do A/B testing. Ask for a specialized agency’s help if you feel overwhelmed.