The purpose of this thesis is to find out how the marketing process of indie games can be done in a manner that is cost-effective. The thesis aims to discover what kind of tools and social media platforms indie game developers can use in the marketing of their games. This thesis was made because of my own interest to the game industry and game entrepreneurship. My goal was also to get familiar with popular social media platforms and other digital tools as a way to do organic marketing.

The main sources for this thesis are various articles and videos that present the experiences of indie game developers and certain practices in the game industry. The thesis will briefly cover the history of indie games and the current state of the global video game market. There will be examples of successful indie titles and some of the challenges indie game developers face. The thesis will also make use of different indie games and content related to them as examples of branding and content creation. In the part that details marketing, the main sources are industry literature and web articles. The thesis will also cover marketing concepts that are relevant to a cost-effective way of marketing.

The thesis will discover that there are various cost-effective ways to do marketing. How effective these methods are will depend on the skills and perseverance of the one utilizing them. Game marketing is a comprehensive process that starts with choosing the right target group and genre for the game. Marketing will only work if the product has enough appeal to its target audience. Marketing of the game should be started as early as possible. It should also be systematic and goal oriented. In this thesis a conclusion will be drawn that most social media platforms are rather ineffective at converting followers into paying customers. However, content creation in different social media platforms can help in the brand building of the game and be beneficial in the long term. The best way to gain visibility for a game is to attend various online game industry events and to work with game streamers and other content creators. Visibility itself will not be enough. Players will need to be enticed into commitment at an early stage of marketing and nurtured into a loyal community by providing them with valuable content and genuine interaction.